Some comments on the WP reports
and the discussions at this
conference
About me
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Name: Jakob Andersen, 36 years, live in CPH
A FH beginner (about 4-5 months)
Member of Bookend FH CPH.
University student since 2001
Currently doing my thesis in socialpsychology
at Roskilde University (30 km west of CPH)
Subjects
• The relation between society, FH values and
learning by participation.
• 1. Social integration in contemporary society
• 2. 2 ways to look at this
• 3. FH model, values and society
• 4. ELECT and Learning through participation
• 5.Future
1. Social integration in contemporary
society
• What is the integrating force in society?
The fast changing society. (Or the semantics of)
- No simple way to explain this
- very complex mechanisms
But…
To points:
1. By work
And/or
2. Participation
2 over-simplified ways of trying to
explain.
2. Principles
1. Principle is Hierarchy: Society is structered by
economic and cultural power (the first is the most
important)
• ”The have” and ”the have not”
• Work and education give economic and cultural power
(and mental illnes tend to serius disrupt that)
• Work is the only real way of social integration
• Marx (class), Bourdieu (symbolic power)
2. continued
2. principle is differensation (Durkheim, Luhmann).
• Society is functional differentiated in all sorts of
ways: state, government, private business,
organisations, work, family, networks and by our
everyday activities etc.(work, shopping, driving
our kids to school and so on).
• Participation i all these activities from voting to
shopping define how well we are integrated in
society.
• And again mental illnes can disrupt our capability
to participate…
3. FH model, values and soceity
• In my opinion FHs core value is all about
inclussion of peoble whose ability to
participate in ”the real world” has been
disrupted.
• The FH model is about designing and
facilitating some everyday meaningfull
activities which members can participate in,
and which might even strengthen members
ability to participate ”in the real world”
4.
ELECT and Learning through
participation
• ”Learning through participation” is a concept
that stresses the focus on the dynamics
between society, peobles capabilities and the
experiences they obtain by participating in
everyday activities.
• I see ELECT as an activity where you have
gained a lot of valuable knowlegde about how
to facilitate learning by participation, and the
reports are not at all telling the full story…
5.Future
• A very good idea to keep on developping and
discribing methods that can strenghthen peobles
ability to participate.
• The Fountain Houses should on organizational
level try to work out ways to a) share and develop
methods and b) think about how this knowlegde
can be benifitial to rest of society
• Be carefull with a to narrow focus on ability to
work as a success criteria. (the problem of
evaluation and politics)