Groupwork

Trabajo social con grupos: Una experiencia colombiana de intervención con niñas emprendedoras

2022-02-17T06:43:07-08:00

The Colombian experience of intervention with entrepreneurial girls and development agents in Ciudad Bolivar in Bogota-Colombia, made it possible from the systematization -as an approach- to reflect on the pedagogical practice developed by the Fundación Niñas de Luz from the individual and group mentoring with the girls, from an analytical viewpoint from Social Work with Groups. In this way, the article focuses on exposing the context and conditions of the territory from which the girls come -from a gender approach- and the institutional framework that accompanies them, the methodological horizon of the study, and the findings focused on: the linking of the girls to the Foundation from the viewpoint of Social Work with Groups, the individual-group mentoring as a social intervention device, the entrepreneurial girls as development agents, and the challenges of the experience in times of pandemic.

La experiencia colombiana de intervención con niñas emprendedoras y agentes de desarrollo en Ciudad Bolívar en Bogotá-Colombia, posibilitó desde la sistematización -como enfoque- reflexionar la práctica pedagógica que desarrolla la Fundación Niñas de Luz desde la mentoría individual y grupal con las niñas, a partir de una mirada analítica desde el Trabajo Social con Grupos. De esta manera, el artículo se centra en exponer el contexto y condiciones del territorio del cual provienen las niñas -desde un enfoque de género- y el marco institucional que les acompaña, el horizonte metodológico del estudio, y los hallazgos enfocados en: la vinculación de las niñas a la Fundación desde la mirada del Trabajo Social con Grupos, la mentoría individual-grupal como dispositivo de intervención social, las niñas emprendedoras como agentes de desarrollo, y los desafíos de la experiencia en tiempos de pandemia.

Modelo de Intervención Grupal para las personas migrantes en su tránsito por México

2021-08-28T19:26:36-07:00

SPANISH:

Este artículo resume el proceso de desarrollo de un grupo abierto e híbrido (psicoeducacional y de apoyo) para personas migrantes en el corredor migratorio de México-Estados Unidos. En este sentido, el objetivo del grupo gira en torno a abordar de manera colectiva las estrategias de afrontamiento y resiliencia, una comprensión del panorama general del fenómeno migratorio y la violencia estructural vivida, y la creación de redes de apoyo.

El desarrollo de este grupo ha sido posible a raíz de la alianza transnacional y colaboración continua entre estudiantes (ahora ex-alumnas) de una institución académica estadounidense y un albergue para personas migrantes en México. Se incluye también una explicación sobre cómo la pandemia del COVID-19 impactó el desarrollo de este grupo —dado a que la construcción del mismo dio inicio antes de que este fenómeno tuviera lugar en el mundo—, y la manera en la que las autoras supieron aprovechar positivamente este gran imprevisto.

De manera complementaria, las autoras enfatizan, con base en la positiva experiencia de esta alianza transnacional, en la necesidad de colaboración continua de la academia con albergues para migrantes, con el fin de desarrollar intervenciones grupales que favorezcan la salud mental de esta población.

ENGLISH:

This article summarizes the process of developing an open, hybrid (psychoeducational and support) group for migrant persons in the Mexico-United States migration corridor. To this end, the objective of the group revolves around collectively addressing coping and resilience strategies, an understanding of the migration phenomenon and the structural violence experienced by group members, as well as the creation of support networks.

The development of this group has been possible thanks to a transnational alliance and continued collaboration between students (now alumni) of a US-based university and a shelter for migrant persons in Mexico. The article also covers a description of how COVID-19 impacted the development of the group (which had been initiated before the global pandemic,) and the ways in which the authors were able to take advantage of this unforeseen circumstance.

Moreover, and based on their positive experience with the transnational collaboration, the authors emphasize the need for continued collaboration between academia and migrant shelters in order to develop group work interventions, which can benefit the mental wellbeing of this population.

La grupalidad en sectores populares Argentinos: Género, economía y participación política. Análisis de una experiencia jujeña en la casa de atención y acompañamiento comunitario ‘ángel con amor’ (2017-2021)

2021-08-31T11:10:23-07:00

At the end of the 1990s, due to the impact of neoliberal policies, a politicised popular world began to take shape in Argentina, based on the inscription of organised unemployed workers in the public space. Two decades later, it is still in force, although it has undergone reconfigurations. In this article, we aim to understand the groupness that emerges from processes of participation and popular organisation in north-western Argentina. In order to do so, we address three axes of analysis: 1) The economic-labour issue and its relationship with groupality; 2) Women as protagonists in community organisation processes; and 3) Popular politicity. We believe that these perspectives are relevant to study the processes that make possible and are made possible by the emergence of groupality. The methodological design is qualitative, and focuses on a particular initiative that helps us to understand the characteristics of popular participation and its impact on subjectivities: Casa de Atención y Acompañamiento Comunitario ‘Ángel con Amor’, located in the city of San Salvador de Jujuy. What we present here is the result of the analysis of information obtained from different techniques: semi-structured interviews, documentary analysis, participant observation and participatory feedback.

A fines de la década de 1990, por el impacto de políticas neoliberales, fue configurándose en Argentina un mundo popular politizado, a partir de la inscripción en el espacio público de trabajadores desocupados organizados. Pasadas dos décadas, aún se encuentra vigente, aunque atravesó reconfiguraciones. En el artículo nos proponemos comprender la grupalidad que emerge a partir de procesos de participación y organización popular, en el noroeste argentino. Para ello abordamos tres ejes de análisis:1) Lo económico-laboral y su relación con la grupalidad; 2) Las mujeres como protagonistas en procesos de organización comunitaria; y 3) La politicidad popular. Creemos que estas perspectivas son pertinentes para estudiar, con un anclaje de realidad, los procesos que posibilitan y son posibilitados por la emergencia de la grupalidad. El diseño metodológico es cualitativo, y pone foco en el recorte de un fenómeno particular que nos ayuda a comprender las características de la participación popular y el impacto en las subjetividades: Casa de Atención y Acompañamiento Comunitario ‘Ángel con Amor’, situada en la ciudad de San Salvador de Jujuy. Lo que presentamos es producto del análisis de información obtenida a partir de diferentes técnicas: entrevistas semi-estructuradas, análisis documental, observación participante e instancias participativas de retroalimentación.

Ayni: An experience of collective occupations as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Santa Clara del Mar, Argentina in the year 2020

2024-07-09T02:35:00-07:00

This article reflects on the contribution of collective occupations to social transformation processes in a small town in Buenos Aires Province: Santa Clara del Mar, Argentina. On March 20, 2020, imposed a lockdown which, among other things, required people to stay at home. In response, a group of residents came together to carry out community activities with the aim of providing assistance and support to the most vulnerable people in the community. This group of people called themselves ‘Ayni’, after some Andean communities, emphasizing reciprocity. This article describes the community organization that emerged among this group of residents. It explores the individual and collective transformations that arose, seeking to construct knowledge based on the logic of social actors. A qualitative research methodology used for data collection was structured, using the techniques of participant observation and in-depth interviews. Other data sources used included a WhatsApp group and written records of ‘Ayni’ meetings. As part of the main conclusions. This work highlights the value attributed to collective occupations as a possibility for building community networks in people’s daily lives.

Fostering Change for Social Transformation: Challenges and Opportunities of the World Cafe on St Helena

2023-11-17T01:54:00-08:00

The World Café method has proven invaluable as a participatory tool in community development and, of growing potential within qualitative research. This article discusses its application with groups of children on St Helena Island. The project aimed to unlock children’s transformative potential, by understanding their lived experiences within creative methods of group engagement. In doing so, it aimed to support children in developing their dialogue about what mattered to them, situating new understandings and possibilities. The World Café method brought to light the complexities of social roles within contested spaces, unifying children in a dialogue for desired change. The findings showed children’s motivation to be heard, and transformative dialogue emerged, continuing through discussions and graphic recordings from the Café events. Although children’s diversity required careful support for inclusion, underscoring the need for supporting reflection alongside change talk to pursue social justice and elevate their societal positions to influence change

Transformative online groupwork in a large not-for-profit organisation in Australia

2024-05-27T04:41:10-07:00

Community services groupwork significantly changed throughout COVID-19 due to the use of online practice. Relationships Australia NSW (RANSW), a relationship and counselling service in NSW Australia, found that the same level of client feedback and outcomes were achieved using online groupwork as compared to in-person groupwork. Often the problems with online groupwork occur when practitioners use the same skills as those commonly used in a webinar. An engaging group space is created when cameras are continually used, everyone is always unmuted, and strong interpersonal links and connections are facilitated between the participants. In online groupwork, there is a greater expression of disinhibition. While this may be problematic, it also presents a greater reflective space for change. This article reviews what is online groupwork, and the processes and techniques used to ensure that online groupwork delivers similar results as in-person practice. It is then the client’s choice as to what mode of service delivery is the most useful and beneficial to them.

A Practitioners' Mutual Aid Group: Connection and Leadership During the Pandemic

2023-12-21T03:12:15-08:00

This article focuses on group leadership during times of crisis, using an example of a social work practitioners’ mutual aid group formed during the second year of the Covid-19 pandemic in the United States. As the group learned, external crises change over time and this can impact group formation and the development of mutual aid, as well as leadership. We observed that group leadership supported group participants to and through Bolsinger’s (2020) adaptive phase of development during the pandemic and its associated personal stressors. This occurred during the storming – and into the norming – stages of the group (Tuckman, 1965; Bonebright, 2010). Ongoing participant reflection and group meta-reflection yielded broader understanding of interactions between stages of group development, and phases of crisis. In addition, it highlighted an associated need for flexible leadership that is sensitive to the changing external stressors during times of social or environmental crisis. Such leadership can also undergird the development of mutual aid among group participants, an important consideration at any time.

Social Work: The basics

2024-10-26T05:08:29-07:00