Social Work
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Seeds of Fire
Social Development in the Era of Globalism
“Wilson and Whitmore, two activists with a history of “walking the talk” of working for social justice, offer a well researched, provocative wake up call for everyone concerned with the survival of democracy in the next millennium. Seeds of Fire inspires allies of popular movements for the work of the next century.” –Patricia Maguire, Faculty of Education, Western New Mexico University.
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Solutions That Work
Fighting Poverty in Winnipeg
The explosive and dramatic growth of poverty in Winnipeg, and strategies for combating poverty, are the subject of this collection. Some of the chapters discuss the severity and the consequences of poverty; others describe policy solutions, with a particular emphasis on community-based solutions. Included are chapters on: the growth and incidence of poverty in Winnipeg; the impact of poverty on, and community economic development strategies being developed by, Winnipeg’s Aboriginal community; community-based schooling as a response to inner city poverty; the experience with workfare in Manitoba; the importance of the minimum wage in combating poverty; and a wide range of small but innovative and exciting community development alternatives which are proving their worth in Winnipeg’s inner city. While the focus is on Winnipeg, and particularly Winnipeg’s inner city, where poverty levels are astonishingly high and still rising, the patterns analyzed and the policy alternatives offered are applicable to communities across Canada.
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Canada’s National Child Benefit
Phoenix or Fizzle?
The National Child Benefit announced in the 1997 federal Budget promised 850 million dollars to move children out of the welfare rolls and the trap of poverty. This book attempts to outline the key concepts of this new program and set the stage for discussion of its potential impact. The writers do not agree. This book does not present a unified argument either supporting or critiquing the program but raises a series of important issues and concerns regarding the programs effectiveness in addressing child poverty. The question remains: Is this new federal social program a phoenix rising from the ashes of past social welfare programs or just a federal fizzle?
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Transforming Ourselves/Transforming the World
An Open Conspiracy for Social Change
We live in an age where unprecedented numbers of people have joined organizations and involved themselves in social action. Yet many of us are pessimistic when confronted by the powerful forces of big corporations and big government. This book is for all those community workers, adult educators, and social activists of every kind who want to overcome pessimism and play a part in changing society in the direction of peace, justice and dignity for all human beings. Murphy explains the social and personal dilemmas which hold people back from social engagement. He argues that the various constraints we face can be overcome. Human beings are open-ended ‘possibilities in process’-the missing link between a deterministic past and an intentional and conscious future.
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Fetal Alcohol Syndrome/Effect
Developing a Community Response
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Effects (FAS/E) are particularly serious problems in many northern communities. Canadian material on this subject is lacking and services are poorly developed. Part of the reason has to do with the relatively recent recognition of FAS/E. However there is also the problem of hinterland location and resulting marginalization of populations in Northern parts of the country. The intent of this book is to provide an informative, practical and critical resource that will be useful to people such as social workers, educators, foster parents, case aides and nurses who provide direct service to those affected by FAS/E. The book challenges program planners and policy makers to recognize the seriousness of the problem and its long term effects. Contributors largely represent actual human service workers as opposed to academics.
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Circleworks
Transforming Eurocentric Consciousness
This book is intended to contribute to both the theoretical debate and classroom practice in the field of education. It explores the legitimacy of Aboriginal, holistic paradigms within some of the diverse frameworks available to educators: experiential learning, feminist and anti-racist pedagogies are emphasized. It documents an effort to interrupt current Aboriginal/European power relations by evolving an alternative Aboriginal teaching model and enacting it within university classrooms. This work reflects an understanding that all sites must be engaged as potentially emancipatory.
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The Politics of Community Services (second edition)
Immigrant Women, Class and the State
“Students like it a lot. It is readable, although it offers a complex argument. It is practical and speaks to experiences that many (students) have had. It offers a model of what an empirical study using social organization of knowledge looks like.”-Marie Campbell, Social Work, University of Victoria