Real Communities Collaborates to Impact Change
Real Communities Partnerships, the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD) award-winning initiative, began as a place where people of all abilities are valued equally and are active participants in making the community better for everyone.
Today, GCDD has a strong foundation of six partner communities, and we are in the process of adding five to seven new partners. To further impact our communities, we must ask how can we influence change in a hierarchical system. We introduced the “circle approach” or collaborative system where we value and honor everyone.
Real Communities uses Assets-Based Community Development (ABCD) and Popular Education on creating a welcoming community. ABCD uses a circle approach to creating change in neighborhoods while using the assets the respective community has to offer. Popular Education uses a community’s assets to change an unfair system using the circle approach and through community organizing. Both of the approaches recognize and honor everyone’s assets regardless of their abilities, race, income status or education background. In the circle approach, everyone contributes to the community based on their abilities, and all are valued equally because there is no higher and lower value in the circle approach.
The goal of creating a welcoming community is done by using both approaches and collectively challenging the hierarchal leadership system.
Using a triangle to represent the hierarchal system, let’s imagine the top of the triangle would have a value of 100 and the base, zero. As we navigate throughout the triangle, we determine the placement of a person by race, socioeconomic status, education, abilities, power, class, gender, sexual orientation, etc. The higher a person’s value is, the greater their opportunity to compete and flourish – which in turn does not allow a person that is valued lower or at zero to even compete. Just like a triangle, as we move up in value, the number of people in the respective caliber decreases. So in order to move up in a hierarchal system, one must leave others behind.
Now, let’s use a circle to represent a collaborative system. All points are the same value and its value is derived by the assets of all members combined. A person’s race, socioeconomic status, education, abilities, power, class, gender, sexual orientation, etc. does not determine their value. In this approach, when one member flourishes the community benefits and there is not a competitive nature to the system. The system is an inherently nurturing and inclusive environment for all participants to lead and to be led.
Now that we comprehend the differences in both systems, GCDD Real Communities Partnerships would like to introduce ways to influence change using the circle approach in schools, governments and economic systems.
Restorative Discipline
Creating an inclusive and welcoming school environment is possible through a culture shift – from a punitive approach to a restorative approach in schools where administrators, teachers and students are responsible for the culture shift. It provides skills to create a welcoming and nurturing environment where everyone is respected. Conflict and misbehavior are used as an opportunity for learning social and emotional skills to repair harm and further build communities. The Minnesota Department of Education has adopted this approach from Native Americans and says:
“Data also shows that suspension and other exclusionary discipline policies disproportionately affect minority students. Given those negative outcomes, educators have been looking for alternatives. Educators and school leaders are interested in comprehensive whole-school approaches to improve school climate. Two approaches, in particular, are cited as alternatives to suspension and expulsion – Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) as described on Minnesota’s PBIS website and Restorative Practices (RP). Both are whole-school or schoolwide in scope. Both constitute a paradigm shift away from punishment to teaching and recognizing positive behavior expectations in the former, and building community and repairing relationships in the latter. (Source: http://education.state.mn.us/MDE/dse/safe/clim/disc/)
Economic Justice
Using the circle approach, the first step to economic justice is to create jobs and job security to allow people to have an independent life. When we are discussing prosperity, the conversation and focus should be on wealth distribution and access. A job is an important first step, however, fair access to the market regardless of one’s abilities, race or class is the foundation of economic justice.
ob security, sustainable livelihoods and equitable growth of wealth.
What is a Social Cooperative?
A social cooperative is owned by groups of people with and without disabilities. A sustainable market is created through focusing on long-term economic growth, social development, and environmental responsibility. The capital must be owned by all the members and democratically controlled, while creating jobs for people who do not have access to wealth. This allows equitable contribution of wealth and there is not a focus on short-term profit maximization. For example, some co-ops use three percent of their income to fund other co-ops hence participating in equitable contribution of wealth.
“Social cooperatives are specialized in the provision of social services or reintegration of disadvantaged and marginalized workers (disabled, long-term unemployed, former detainees, addicts, etc.) A large number of such cooperatives have been set up in Italy but also in other EU countries. Most of them are owned by their workers while offering the possibility or providing for the obligation (according to the national laws) to involve other types of members (users, voluntary workers, etc.).” (Source: International Organization of Industrial and Services Cooperatives – http://www.cicopa.coop/What-is-a-cooperative.html)
The first art social co-op which is owned by people with disabilities is in New York. The circle approach gives communities a fair chance to succeed through employment, housing and more. As the Real Communities Partnerships grow, its impact in social justice and disability justice is greater using a collaborative system like the circle approach.
One way to ensure that people of all backgrounds and abilities have access to the market is through micro-enterprises and social cooperatives. GCDD Real Communities would like to introduce social cooperatives in hopes to decrease poverty. This can be achieved by creating job security, sustainable livelihoods and equitable growth of wealth.
What is a Social Cooperative?
A social cooperative is owned by groups of people with and without disabilities. A sustainable market is created through focusing on long-term economic growth, social development, and environmental responsibility. The capital
must be owned by all the members and democratically controlled, while creating jobs for people who do not have access to wealth. This allows equitable contribution of wealth and there is not a focus on short-term profit
maximization. For example, some co-ops use three percent of their income to fund other co-ops hence participating in equitable contribution of wealth.
“Social cooperatives are specialized in the provision of social services or reintegration of disadvantaged and marginalized workers (disabled, long-term unemployed, former detainees, addicts, etc.) A large number of such cooperatives have been set up in Italy but also in other EU countries. Most of them are owned by their workers while offering the possibility or providing for the obligation (according to the national laws) to involve other types of
members (users, voluntary workers, etc.).” (Source: International Organization of Industrial and Services Cooperatives – http://www.cicopa.coop/What-is-a-cooperative.html)
The first art social co-op which is owned by people with disabilities is in New York. The circle approach gives communities a fair chance to succeed through employment, housing and more. As the Real Communities Partnerships
grow, its impact in social justice and disability justice is greater using a collaborative system like the circle approach.
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Spanish Language Version (Versión en Español)
GCDD se complace en expandir nuestro alcance a otras comunidades ofreciendo nuestra revista trimestral en español.
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