engleski

Social Work Higher Education Institutions: Allies of Most Vulnerable Communities

For the past three decades, community-engaged education is increasingly recognized for its important role in fostering the public good (Boyer 1990 ; Cohen, The shaping of American higher education: emergence and growth of the contemporary system. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, 1998 ; Ehrlich, Civic responsibility and higher education. Oryx, Phoenix, 2000). Community engagement is promoted to benefit both students’ professional and personal growth and the local communities in which the educational programmes take place. Although the literature on community-engaged education is rich, the focus remains on students’ gains with little attention given to the community’s benefits. This chapter discusses the relationship between community-engaged educational programmes and local capacity for community development (LCCD) in working with vulnerable groups. Responding to critical challenges, we examine how social work service- learning education and community-based research programmes may strengthen local capacity among vulnerable communities. Building on a social justice approach to service learning (Boyle- Braise and Langford, Equity Excell Educ 37(1):55–66, 2004), we propose a rights-based approach in working with vulnerable populations informed by human rights principles. By developing service-learning courses with a social justice orientation, social work HEIs have a unique opportunity to empower vulnerable communities and engage its members in local issues while strengthening their own communities’ capacities to address local challenges.

Community engagement ; Service learning ; Community-based research ; Rights-based education ; Vulnerable communities ; Local capacity for community development

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