The Need
Tonight as I was pounding drinks with an ole friend of mine from Elementary school we discussed the need for innovation in social work and community development practices.From our experience with getting to know children and young adults from varying backgrounds we have noticed that one of the primary problems that are faced is that social workers and community workers attempt to make a macro-scale change instead of attacking small populations at a time; failing to realize that what works for one group will not work for another group. There is this idea in the United States that things must work at a fast pace; consequentially, this type of thinking creates a dynamic in which we are lumped together without any acknowledgement of our individual selves.
The same mindset persists in urban planning and sustainable design in the United States. Our planning and development units lack a desire to research and implement global practices. I really want to bridge this gap between the global and the local, and bring practices from around the global both developed, developing, and non-developed nations to the United States. It’s time that we become transparent and start sharing ideas and research.
