A Freirean Perspective on Youth Work and Community Development

The structural inequality is referred to as the condition in which one group of people is regarded as unequal in comparison to other groups of people in society. This relationship is implemented and perpetuated by the inclusion of unequal relation in respect to functions, role, rights, decision and opportunities in the society. The issues of structural inequality are seen to be responded by the youth workers through community development so that an equal society can be created where all category of people live harmoniously with the same right and dignity. In this essay, Freirean Framework is to used for critically exploring the way youth work, as well as community development, are acting to respond or obscure problems related to structural inequality.

The Freirean framework has the goal to change structural oppression through problem-posing education rather than the banking education process which is regarded as practice through dominance is created among individuals in the society (Freire, 2015). This is because problem-posing education helps people to think with freedom rather than being forced by others to think in certain manner. Thus, it indicates that Freire developed the approach in his framework to deliver emancipatory education and use lens through which the people in the society can understand which systems are to be changed for helping them live equally. The Freirean framework believes that true knowledge, as well as expertise, is already present within people and they do not require any more deposits of banking education as well as leftist propaganda to make them aware of their inequality issues in the society (Dearfield et al. 2017).

The problem-posing education by Freirean is the aspect that is followed by youth workers in making community develop for responding to structural inequality issues. This is evident as the youth social workers act to support the oppressed classes of the society in making them change their way of living and thinking. They avoid educating the oppressed classes regarding the way they are to change their social status as they already think the unequal group of people know in which aspect they lag in the society which is leading them to be unequally treated (Jackson, 2016). For instance, the youth workers try to support the oppressed classes in the society such as young women by making them educated and providing them means to earn to improve their social status in society. This is because it is already known to the women that they are being regarded as lower in the society as they mainly depend on availing modes of living from the men who are the sole earning member allowing the women to be dominated (Young, 2017).

The Freirean framework informs that education is facing narration sickness and it is similarly seen in the society interact with the unequal classes where they are being told of what is wrong, the way they can fix it and the resources they require in the purpose without the social workers becoming the active subjects like them (Shih, 2018). Freirean developed the belief that knowledge can be effectively provided through dialect process of continuous recreation as well as engagement. This indicates that relationship between the social workers and oppressed classes are to be rethought and recreated in such a way so that it leads them to develop collaboration between one another and show mutual participation in creation of knowledge and analysis of unequal conditions. It indicates that both the educator that is the social workers as well as educand which is the student that in the unequal category of people requires providing teaching and gain learning related to different facts of unequal behaviour from one another (Solorzano, 2019). This is because the educator may not know all the factors that are leading certain category of people to be regarded as unequal in society. Thus, the Freirean framework indicates the social workers to form reciprocal as well as equitable relationship with the unequal classes to be supported in providing them assistance to be uplifted.

In promoting youth work, the social workers are seen to follow the principle of student-teaching and student-learning mentioned in the Freirean framework to act to respond and deliver support to the structural inequality faced by people of the society. They execute this by developing two-way communication with the young people of lower classes where they try to learn the facts and their opinion which are bothering them to rise in society. This is because the social workers try to learn about the unknown aspects that are creating barrier for the growth of the young workers of the unequal classes of people as equal people in the society (Tan, 2018). This is evident as social workers are seen to interact with the young people of the financially poor family in the society to determine what factors apart from lack of education are making them remain oppressed and lower in the society (Islam et al. 2017). It is done with the intention to let social workers learn from the young people the facts and aspects to be further covered in their services to resolve the issues which are creating structural inequality for them. Thus, following the Freirean framework allows the social workers to provide voice to the people of the society in mentioning their needs and causes of structural inequality to act on them to resolve the issues.

The Freirean framework informs that critical consciousness is the key to make proper connections in resolving structures of discrimination in society (Fetterman, 2017). This is because it leads to create collective actions as well as generates confidence and analysis which is able to bring social and environmental change at a large basis. The critical consciousness can be built only through mutual interaction as mentioned in the Freirean framework. This is because if both the partners who are involved in making change within the community do not try to teach as well as learn from one another, then they would be unable to develop consciousness regarding the causes of the issues that are hindering community development in responding to structural inequality (Patton, 2017). Thus, effective approach to community development requires the involvement of the social workers as well as people of the lower classes from policy to project in the society so that through their partnership critical consequences regarding the way to reach community development can be attained. The values that are to be considered in making community development for responding to issues of structural inequality includes dignity, mutuality, reciprocity, cooperation and trust of social worker and community members (Adams, 2016).

The Freirean framework informs that dialogue is not just interaction between individuals for exploring the world but it is also a nature of equality, freedom as well as responsibility in discovering to transform the world (Boyd, 2016). Moreover, according to Freire, true dialogue cannot be present unless the partners who are engaged express humility, love, trust, faith, critical thinking and hope. Thus, it indicates that true dialogue is able to create positive connection between individuals because it is able to make both parties work together to explore their lived experiences for generating actions for common patterns which is identified (Peters and Mathias, 2018). The social workers while interacting with young people of the unequal classes in the society to respond to structural inequality issues uses true dialogue. This is because its use allows effective communication to be established between the people and them in making community development. As mentioned by Rosen et al. (2017), humility is referred to having modest view of a person’s importance. It is required for properly responding to structural inequality in the society because it helps the social workers make the young people of lower classes develop trust in them to follow the actions indicated by them resulting in community development. This is evident as when the young people of the unequal class experiences that their needs and preferences are shown priority over others by the social workers to help them grow and work they show participation in communicating with the workers to follow their guided steps out of trust for developing themselves in creating a better community.

The Freirean framework mentions that love and hope are to be present in true dialogue within communication to lead people show interest in involving in such interaction (Vlieghe, 2018). The social workers while responding to structural inequality through instigating youth work ensures they make communication in such a way to the oppressed youth in the society as they find hope in listening to them and initiate interaction. This is because the oppressed youth of the society without involving to listening and approach the social workers would be unable to access proper support for their upliftment and accessing work opportunities for growth. The Freirean framework mentions that participatory action research is referred to the community-led approach in which individuals try to determine their solution regarding problems by collecting data from their peers, analysing and evaluating it and then determining to take proper action (Peters and Mathias, 2018). The fact is followed by social workers in creating youth work and community development to responding to issues of structural inequality. This is evident as the social workers are seen to gather information from their peers regarding the reason behind youth unemployment and the way it is affecting community development. The gathered information by the social workers from their peers makes them understand that not only lack of education and substance-abuse are relating to youth unemployment and lower community development but also factors like homelessness, lack of care, mental illness and poverty are contributing to the issue (infed.org, 2019). The social workers are found to analyse the way these identified data is impacting youth work and then they are determining solutions against the identified issues related to youth unemployment for ensuring the way better youth work opportunity and community development can be created.

According to Freire, for practising in a better way one requires to use the help of theories because theory, as well as practice, is in permanent relationship (Chen, 2016). The social workers are found to access help from different theories and principle in framing actions to ensure proper community development. This is evident as many social workers are found to draw information from the social theories such as conflict theory, structural functionalism and symbolic interactionism to determine the reason behind the chaos in the community and the way they are to act in developing them. For instance, by exploring the conflict theory the social workers understand that community development can be established to resolve issues of structural inequality by developing uniform power in society. This is because in the conflict theory it is mentioned that issues of social inequality rise as a result of difference in social power and domination (Houtman, 2017).

The Freirean framework informs that the connectedness and wholeness of reason, behaviour and emotion are in contrast interaction. This, in turn, led Freire to inform that actions and reflection are parts of a single process because reflection made without verbalism as well as action executed without proper activism leads to improper education (Shih, 2018). In respect to reflection and action aspects of Freire, the social workers are to provide proper reflection for their determined action so that the youth and people of the society show effective participation in developing the community to resolve structural inequality. For instance, the social workers trying to support the youth of the society by providing professional regarding various vocational work need to explain them the way the training is going to assist in making them able to work and participate in developing the community to develop equality ion the society, in turn, deleting structural inequality that is existing due to presence of more unemployed youth in the society. According to Freire, the realities of life as well as the meaning attached to them are constructed socially and changes continuously (Guilherme, 2017). This indicates that to respond to issues of structural inequality through community development the social workers require changing their way of working according to changing realities.

The right towards self-determination is referred as one of the key founding principles of social work and Freirean framework believes it too. This indicates that social worker if the act to draw power of decision-making from the people then they are going to act as lifeless object. The social workers in case fail to provide power of decision-making to the people also shows disrespect to the ability and knowledge of them and thereby fails to ensure them proper dignity (Roberts, 2016). The social workers by following the principle of this framework ensure proper decision-making opportunity is provided to the youth of the society regarding which support they require and which nature of work they prefer to execute to make them participate in uplifting themselves so that the structural inequality created due to unemployment of the youth is resolved.

The Freirean framework considers that oppression is present within the minds as well as the heart of the oppressor and the fact is internalised by the oppressed which makes them to considering living unequally. The conscientization is to be developed which is a process in which people are made aware to initiate in taking steps towards their liberation. In this aspect, Freire mentions that self-liberalisation is the key way in which conscientization can be built among the oppressed. In relation to conscientization, Freirean framework mentions that every person is unique in their own way and each of them has to achieve self-liberation by respecting differences and diversity of one another (Caraccioli, 2017). This indicates that the Freirean framework asks the social workers to include oppressed as well as the oppressor in the process of community development. This is because it is the only way in which successful consciousness in the society can be developed where all individuals equally participate to develop the community in responding to resolve structural inequality (Vandeyar and Swart, 2016).

The implementation of humanisation in society is the key to achieve development as mentioned in the Freirean framework. This indicates that people are to be considered as the core of any process and hence is to be regarded as key essence of the social work (Roberts, 2016). Thus, to implement proper social practices to achieve effective community development the social workers are required to ensure the oppressed people are not considered as objects in the society and rather as humans. The framework mentions the humanisation of the people in the society can be developed only by valuing their perceptions, actions, feelings and problems encountered by them (Straubhaar, 2015). The social workers are seen to implement person-centred approach where they at first consider the feelings, perception, values and needs of the people in providing support to them to develop them have equal image in making community development. This is the way through which they respond to issues of structural inequality where humanisation of all the oppressed people is done (Luke, 2018). Thus, it indicates that the social workers in responding to issues of structural inequality follow the principle of Freirean framework.

In order to make community development, all people in the society are to be made feel respected. The Freirean framework mentions that respecting the people is to be achieved in society by social workers as they are prerequisite for developing trust as well as faith towards them in accepting support. A person when respected makes the individual feel accepted in an unrecognised and unconditional way through non-judgemental attitude (Boyd, 2016). The social workers are seen to always show respect towards the oppressed classes in the society irrespective of their condition to ensure the people participate in accepting their support for upliftment to ensure issues in structural inequality are resolved (Freire, 2015). This is because respecting the people making them act in the way social workers asks them in term allowing the social workers to fulfil their goal of community development which helps in resolving issues of structural inequality by making all classes in the society have equal power and dignity to live their life.

The Freirean framework mentions that social workers are to promote advocacy in achieving community development. This means the social workers are to think that people are strong enough to take personal actions to uplift and change themselves. Thus, the social workers while offering support to the oppressed and youth in the society to achieve equality and work they need not consider as experts but rather as a learner who can work with the community to support them in development. This is because it leads the social workers to relearn better skills which they are too used in supporting them personally as well as professionally (Freire, 2015). In this respect, the social workers are seen to act humbly with the oppressed people that are evident as they during supporting upliftment of the oppressed tries to learn the needs and demands of them and do not force them to accept their help but focuses on providing assistance that is been asked by the oppressed for their upliftment (Houtman, 2017). For example, the social workers in making youth employment of the oppressed do not force them to join particular job rather provide assistance asked by the youth to help them achieve the nature of the job they wish to perform. According to Freirean framework, the social workers are to create community development in responding to issues of structural inequality through self-awareness (Freire, 2015). This means that social workers are to make youth aware regarding the way their unemployment is creating issues in the society so that out of awareness they participate to work to ensure community development for resolving structural inequality.

The above discussion informs that the Freirean framework mentions people are knowledgeable and capable to take their own care. Thus, social workers are required to avoid thinking them as experts to make effective community development for responding to issues related to structural inequality. The growth, as well as development, is also continuous and in this respect, the social workers are to change their way of supporting in continuous manner. The framework mentions that people are not to be oppressed and equal participation of the oppressed, as well as oppressor in supporting community development, is to be made to properly respond to structural inequality issues in the society.

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