SOCIAL CHANGE
AGENTS & COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT
PROJECTS ON THE
TIBETAN PLATEAU
Fulbright-Hays Summer
Seminar in China 2006
Prepared by
Karen Krause
OUTLINE OF CONTENT
• INTRODUCTION TO SOCIAL CHANGE
AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
• SOCIAL ENTRPRENUERS
• QINGHAI NORMAL UNIVERSITY –
STUDENT COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
PROJECTS
• SHEM – TIBETAN WOMEN’S GROUP &
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
OUTLINE
(CONTINUED)
EXERCISE TO LEARN ABOUT
SOCIAL CHANGE
• Community Development Projects
• Change Agents/Social Entrepreneurs
• Identifying and Examining Community
Social Needs
WEB LINKS
SOCIAL CHANGE
• IN TRADITIONAL SOCIETIES, CHANGE
OCCURS SLOWLY.
• FAMILY AND COMMUNITY TRADITIONS
USUALLY SPAN MANY GENERATIONS.
• AS SOCIETIES MODERNIZE, SOCIAL
CHANGE ACCELERATES.
CAUSES OF SOCIAL CHANGE
• POPULATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL
PRESSURES
• CULTURAL INNOVATION
• INTRODUCTION OF NEW
TECHNOLOGIES AND CULTURAL
PRACTICES
• PLANNED CHANGES
• SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS
FOCUS:
PLANNED SOCAL CHANGE
• The Sociological Tradition
• Applied Sociology
• Social Entrepreneurs
– Qinghai Province PRC
– Shem Women’s Group
SOCIAL CHANGE:
• THE FIRST SOCIOLOGISTS
ENVISIONED USING SOCIOLOGY TO
BUILD A BETTER WORLD.
• FROM THE BEGINNINGS IN THE EARLY
19TH CENTURY, SOCIOLOGISTS SUCH
AS COMTE WANTED TO APPLY
SOCIOLOGICAL UNDERSTANDING TO
SOLVING SOCIAL PROBLEMS.
APPLYING SOCIOLOGY
EARLY SOCIOLOGISTS
• KARL MARX FOCUSED ON
TRANSFORMING THE SYSTEM OF
STRUCTURED INEQUALITY IN
INDUSTRIAL SOCIETIES.
• DURKHEIM ADVOCATED FOR
EDUCATIONAL REFORMS
SOCIOLOGISTS IN THE
UNITED STATES
• CHICAGO SCHOOL – FOCUSED THEIR
RESEARCH ON THE NEIGHBORHOODS
OF CHICAGO AND ESTABLISHING A
PROGRAM OF PLANNED SOCIAL
CHANGE.
• JANE ADDAMS ESTABLISHED HULL
HOUSE, A SETTLEMENT HOUSE TO
SERVE THE POOR IN CHICAGO
NEIGHBORHOOD
SOCIOLOGISTS IN THE
UNITED STATES
• W.E.B. DU BOIS CREATED THE FIRST
SOCIOLOGICAL LABORATORY AT
ATLANTA UNIVERSITY IN 1897 TO
SERVE THE POOR AFRICAN
AMERICAN COMMUNITY IN THAT
AREA.
SOCIOLOGISTS IN THE
UNITED STATES
• C.W. MILLS, IN HIS BOOK,
“THE SOCIOLOGICAL IMAGINATION,”
HE CHALLENGED SOCIOLOGISTS TO
EXAMINE THE LINK BETWEEN
PERSONAL PROBLEMS AND SOCIAL
ISSUES AND TO DEVELOP NEW
SOCIAL FORMS TO ALLEVIATE
INDIVIDUAL PROBLEMS.
APPLIED SOCIOLOGY &
SOCIOLOGICAL PRACTICE
• APPLICATION OF SOCIOLOGICAL
THEORY AND RESEARCH TO CREATE
SOCIAL CHANGE AT THE:
• MICRO LEVEL: PROGRAMS
DEVELOPED TO AFFECT INDIVIDUALS
IN COMMUNITIES.
• MACRO LEVEL: PROGRAMS
DESIGNED TO AFFECT SOCIAL POLICY
SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS
• IDENTIFIES AND SOLVES SOCIAL
PROBLEMS.
• ACT AS CHANGE AGENTS FOR
SOCIETY.
• DEVELOPS SOLUTIONS THAT CREATE
SOCIAL VALUE.
• EXAMPLE: MUHAMMAD YUNUS
GRAMEEN BANK IN BANGLADESH
GRAMEEN BANK
MICRO-FINANCE PROGRAM
• BANK THAT MAKES LOANS ONLY TO
POOR PEOPLE, MOSTLY WOMEN.
• STARTED BY ONE MAN GIVING SMALL
LOANS TO VILLAGERS.
• TODAY THE PROGRAM REACHES 12
MILLION HOUSEHOLDS AND HAS 5.5
MILLION BORROWERS AND HAS LENT
OVER $5 BILLION.
SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS
• THEIR WORK GROWS OUT OF DIRECT
CONTACT WITH PEOPLE WHO NEED
ASSISTANCE.
• HISTORICAL TREND: GREAT
INCREASE IN SOCIAL
ENTREPRENEURS SINCE THE 1990s.
SOCIAL CHANGE
AGENT
KEVIN STUART
QINGHAI NORMAL UNIVERSITY
CHANGE AGENT :KEVIN STUART
• INNOVATIVE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM
IN THE NATIONALITIES DEPARTMENT
IN QINGHAI NORMAL UNIVERSITY
• ADDRESS THE PROBLEMS OF:
– LEVEL OF EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT
AMONG ETHNIC MINORITIES BELOW THE
NATIONAL AVERAGE.
– NEED FOR TRAINING IN ENGLISH AS A
THIRD LANGUAGE.
DAZHUAN LEVEL ENGLISH
PROGRAM
• RECRUITMENT OF OUTSTANDING
STUDENTS FROM MIDDLE SCHOOLS AND
TEACHER TRAINING COLLEGES IN GANSU,
QINGHAI, SICHUAN, THE TIBETAN REGION
OF YUNNAN PROVINCE AND THE TIBET
AUTONOMOUS REGION.
• STUDENTS HAVE 30 HOURS OF
INSTRUCTION PER WEEK, 12 – 14 HOURS
IN ENGLISH.
• IN LESS THAN TWO YEARS ARE READING
ENGLISH CLASSICS (OLD MAN & THE SEA)
GRASSROOTS SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS
• IN ADDITION TO LEARNING ENGLISH,
STUDENTS HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY
TO LEARN HOW TO DESIGN AND
IMPLEMENT SMALL-SCALE
GRASSROOTS SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS FOR THEIR
LOCAL COMMUNITIES.
PROJECT DEVELOPMENT
TRAINING
• WRITING PROJECT PROPOSALS
• APPLYING FOR FUNDING FOR
PROJECTS
• MONITORING AND MANAGING
PROJECT FINANCES
• WRITE REPORTS EVALUATING
PROJECTS
PROJECTS
• BUILD VILLAGE SCHOOLS
• IMPLEMENT WATER PROJECTS
• PROVIDE SOLAR COOKERS TO RURAL
HOUSEHOLDS
IN THE PROCESS OF LEANING
ENGLISH,STUDENTS ARE
IMPLEMENTING PROJECTS TO
BENEFIT THEIR COMMUNITIES.
DEVELOPMENTAL PROJECTS
ON THE TIBETAN PLATEAU
• SOME OF THE PROJECTS
CONDUCTED BY STUDENTS IN KEVIN
STUART’S CLASS:
– GREGORY
– LUKE
– ZACHARERY
– KIMBERLY
XIRE ( GREGORY)
XIREJIANCUO
Comes from a small
Tibetan village called
Sa dkyil
in Tongren County,
Huangnan
Tibetan Autonomous
Prefecture,
Qinghai Province
PRC
Gregory
• In 1999, he was one of five students
chosen to study English at
Qinghai Normal University.
• While learning English, he also learned
about development work and the
possibilities for development programs in
his home village and nearby communities.
Gregory’s First Project
• Mountain God Temple in Sa dkyil village.
• Gregory secured a $11,000 grant from the
Bridge Fund for restoring the temple.
RESTORATION OF MOUNTAIN
GOD TEMPLE IN REBGONG
Sa dkyl Village Temple
Project Supported
PROJECT: PROVIDE BEDDING
FOR BOARDING SCHOOL
Gregory Giving Bedding to Student
Gregory’s Current Project:
Kaji Rima Primary School Project
Kajia Rima Village, Madpa Townshi
Tongren County,
Huangnan Tibetan Autonomous
Prefecture,
Qinghai Province, PRC
Kaji Rima Primary School Project
• Poor and remote village that wants an
education for their children.
• 95 % of villagers are illiterate.
• Village of twenty-two households.
• 30 kilometers from Tongren town.
• Must travel by foot for 4 hours on winding
treacherous path to reach the village.
• Situated on top of a mountain.
Kaji Rima School Project
Potential Benefits:
• The school will have a room for grades 1-2
and a second room for grade 3.
• Students will be taught Tibetan, Chinese,
and math in Tibetan.
• Twenty students (males and females) will
have an opportunity to receive an
education.
• With education, poverty will be reduced.
Nomadic kids reciting books on the
grasslands
Luke
(Mr.Caihera
Dorji)
“Rural
Village
Development
Projects”
GERMAN EMBASSY (BEIJING)
TIBETAN VILLAGE IRRIGATION
PROJECT
• ZHURMER NANG VILLAGE, QINGHAI
PROVINCE, PRC.
• CONCRETE-STONE IRRIGATION DITCH.
• PROBLEMS SOLVED:
– NO MORE TIME LOST FIXING BROKEN
SYSTEM.
– LARGER CROP YIELDS & MORE INCOME
– LESS EROSION OF LAND FROM WATER
LUKE
• LUKE IS CURRENTLY SEEKING
FUNDING FOR SEVEN PROJECTS (SIX
RUNNING WATER PROJECTS AND ONE
SCHOOL PROJECT).
Social Change
Agent: Zachary
(Mr. Dawa
Tenzin)
“The Namyi:
Language
Cultural
Preservation”
CULTURAL PRESERVATION
PROJECTS
• STUDENTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO
GET INVOLVED IN CULTURAL
PRESERVATION PROJECTS:
– FOLKLORE COLLECTION IN AUDIO AND
VIDEO FORMATS.
– TRANSCRIPTION OF MATERIAL IN
TIBETAN WITH IPA(INTERNATIONAL
PHONETIC ALPHABET) AND TRANSLATION
INTO ENGLISH.
Social Change
Agent-Britney
(Ms. Dawa
Zhoma)
“Endangered
Tibetan Music
Project”
FOR MORE INFORMATION
• DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS:
http://iris.lib.virginia.edu/tibet/community/commd
ev.html
ENGLISH PROGRAM:
http://iris.lib.virginia.edu/tibet/education/english/E
nglishTrainingForTibetans.pdf
TIBETAN-FRIENDLY ENGLISH TEACHING
MATERIAL:
http://iris.lib.virginia.edu/tibet/xml/showEssay.ph
p?xml=/education/english/index.xml&m=print
Social Change Agents
SHEM WOMEN’S GROUP
SHEM
Women’s Group
• Focus on the empowerment of Tibetan
women and their communities through
grassroots development.
• Trains young, educated women to design,
implement, and manage sustainable
grassroots development projects that will
address needs for water, fuel, and
education in their home communities.
Most Projects are Designed to
Directly Benefit Women
• Reason for this focus:
– Knowledge: As women, Shem members have first
hand knowledge of the needs for women in
impoverished villages.
– Women’s Roles: Women’s lives are greatly impacted
by limited access to clean water, electricity, health
care and education. Projects are designed to provide
women with more free time, better health and safer
access to water and fuel.
– Challenging Traditional Attitudes: Shem members
serve as positive role models demonstrating the
importance of education for women.
HOW “SHEM” GOT STARTED
• After hours course in Gender Studies
taught by Michelle Kleisath – raised
student’s awareness about women’s roles.
• Discussion of gender specific concerns
lead to motivation to move forward to help
women through small scale development
projects.
• At student’s request. Michelle designed a
development skills training class.
Michelle and Chugpilhamo
GRASSROOTS DEVELOPMENT
SKILLS TRAINING COURSE
• STUDENTS LEARNED HOW TO:
– PLAN PROJECTS
– FIND FUNDING FROM LOCAL, NATIONAL
AND INTERNATIONAL AGENCIES
– ORGANIZE THE TASKS TO BE COMLETED
– MANAGE THE PEOPLE AND PROJECT
– IMPLEMENT AND MONITOR THE PROJECT
– PROVIDE A FINAL REPORT FOR THE
FUNDING AGENCIES
GROWTH OF SHEM
• SHEM WAS FORMED IN 2005
• FIRST GROUP TO PROVIDE TIBETAN
WOMEN WITH THE OPPORTUNITY TO
DESIGN AND IMPLEMENT COMMUNITY
PROJECTS.
• PROJECT DIRECTORS: CHUGPILHAMO &
LHAMOTSO.
• IN THEIR FIRST YEAR OF OPERATION, SHEM
RAISED NEARLY $40,000 AND COMPLETED
SIX DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS IN TIBETAN
COMMUNITIES.
TYPES OF PROJECTS
CONDUCTED BY SHEM
• BRINGING POTABLE WATER TO VILLAGES
• IMPROVING SCHOOLS
• IMPROVING VILLAGE INFRASTRUCTURE BY
BUILDING BRIDGES
• SUPPORTING MICRO-FINANCING IN THE
FORM OF YAK LOANS
• BRINGING SOLAR ELECTICITY TO NOMADIC
COMMUNITIES
SHEM
Tibetan Women’s Group
http://www.shemgroup.org/
TIBETAN CULTURE
Tibetan Culture
Ethnic Nationalities
• There are 57 National ethnic groups within
China.
• The Han Chinese are the dominant group
and comprise the largest group in China.
• The Tibetans are one of the largest ethnic
groups.
What is Culture?
• Culture
the language, beliefs,
values, norms,
behaviors, and
material objects that
are passed from one
generation to the
next.
• Material Culture
the material objects
that distinguish a
culture.
Non-material
Culture – a group’s
way of thinking and
doing things.
How Culture Affects Our Lives
• The effects of our own culture generally
remain imperceptible to us.
• These learned and shared ways penetrate
our being.
• Culture becomes the lens through which
we perceive and evaluate what is going on
around us.
Folkways and Mores
• Folkways – norms
that are not strictly
enforced.
• If someone does not
follow a folkway, we
may stare or shrug
our shoulders.
• Mores – norms that
are considered
essential to our core
values.
Norms in Tibet
• Clothing – Cover your arms and legs
Especially women “of a certain age.”
• Do not stretch your legs out.
• Don’t kiss in public.
• Do not point to images of deities with
index finger. Use the entire hand.
• Take off your shoes when sitting on the
kang
Norms In Tibet
• Go outside to blow your nose.
• Gesture of respect – hands together in
prayer form and bow (to elders).
• Gestures:
Thumb up – good
Little finger up – bad
Middle finger up – so, so
Traditional
Tibetan
Women’s
Festive
Attire
TRADITIONAL DANCE
AND CULTURE
Cultural Diffusion
• The spread of cultural characteristics from
one group to another.
• Travel and communication unite us,
Chinese Nationalities Museum
Beijing, China
TIBETAN VILLAGE
Tibetan Village: Chinese
Nationalities Museum
Chinese Nationalities: Tibetan Village
Replica of Temple
Replica of Tibetan Village
Prayer Wheel
Prayer Wheel
Thangka Painting
GREGORY’S VILLAGE
Home Stay in Tongren Village
On the road to the village
On the road to the village
On the road to the village
Home and Courtyard
Women’s Work
Storage for Firewood
Firewood for Kang - Under Window
Cook Stove
Preparing breakfast
Tsampa
Making Tsampa
Outdoor Bathroom
WELL
Washing Facilities
Cultural Orientations
• Culture Shock – the
• Disorientation that
people experience
when they come into
contact with a
different culture.
• Ethnocentrism – the
tendency to use one’s
own culture as a
yardstick for judging
the ways of other
societies.
• It can create in-group
loyalties or lead to
harmful
discrimination.
Practicing Cultural Relativism
• Try to see any item or practice in terms of
the culture it occurs in.
• Analyze another culture on its own terms.
• Analyze how the elements of culture fit
together.
• To counter our tendency to use our own
culture as a tool for judgement.
The End