Social Change Role Model

Social Change Role Model

Social Change is simply defined as shifts in the attitudes and behavior that characterize a society. It is the transformation of culture and social organization/structure overtime. My definition of social change will be based on my findings from different authors.

”Social change refers to the transformations that had taken place in society over a given period of time. The change must have impacted considerably on the structure  of society over time.” (Faleye, 2013:13)

Another definition is from a Nigerian Sociologist at the University of PortHarcourt named Theophilus C. Akujobi. He defined Social Change as a concept deeply sown into the fabric of human existence since preliterate times. He further characterizes social change as an ”inevitable, ubiquitous, multi-leveled, contagious, detectable and measurable idea which possesses rate, whether rapid or slow.” (Akujobi, 2017)

Social Change Role Model

The individual I have chosen as my role model for positive social change is Mary Slessor. I have also added the profile of another social change agent respected by Nigerians and the International community, that is Chinua Achebe.

Mary Slessor was a Scottish Presbyterian missionary to Nigeria who fought against the killing of twin in Nigeria. Mary Slessor abolished the killing of twin and was interested in adopting the children who are called evil, thereby stopping the parents from taking the children to the evil forest to die.

1. Imbua, D. (2013) Robbing Others to Pay Mary Slessor: unearthing the Authentic Heroes and Heroines of the Abolition of Twin-killing in Calabar. African Economic History, 41, pp.139-158. Available at:https://www.jstor.org/stable/43863309 (Accessed: 03/03/19)
2. Dundee Central Library, Mary Slessor Collection Books and letters. Available at: https://www.dundeecity.gov.uk/Slessor/#p7EPMcl_4 (Accessed: 03/03/19)

Chinua Achebe: was a Nigerian novelist, poet, Professor, and critic. His first novel is titled Things Fall Apart. Achebe’s social reflection as dominated by ‘cultural affirmation cum nationalism’ is evident in Things Fall Apart, certainly A Man of the People (1966) would constitute a post colonial criticism of the newly independent state’, while Anthills of the Savannah (1987) reflects Achebe’s ‘disillusionment’, but certainly not ‘resignation concerning the socio political project in modern Africa.

1. Adebanwi, W. (2014) The writer as Social thinker. Journal of Contemporary African Studies 32(4), pp.405-420. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/02589001.2014.978556 (Accessed: 04/03/19)
2. Chinua Achebe Biography-Childhood, Life Achievements & Time line. Available at: https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/chinua-achebe-1044.php (Accessed: 04/03/19)

Social Change Resources

The resources below will further provide additional information about agents for positive social change

Sellars, M. (2012) Teachers and Change: The Role of Reflective Practice. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences. 55, pp.461-469. Available at:https://www.researchgate.net/publication/257716941-Teachers-and-change-The-Role-of-Reflective-Practice/fulltext/026e534 origin=publication-detail (Accessed: 05/03/19)

Zeynep Tufekci (2015) How the Internet Has Made Social Change Easy to Organize, Hard To Win [YouTube]. Available at:https://www.rozenbergquarterly.com/Zeyn…asy-to-organize-hard-to-win/ (Accessed: 05/03/19)

Definition of Advocacy

Advocacy means different thing to different people and for different situation. It is very difficult to define because it is multifaceted.

Advocacy is a strategic process to influence the policies and practices that affect people’s lives. This can be roughly divided into two phases: advocacy planning and advocacy activity;

Advocacy Planning includes the process by which goals are set, targets are selected and influencing strategies are devised.

Advocacy Activity is the means by which the plan is implemented and includes the formulation of messages and the type of lobbying activity undertaken.

References:

Akujobi, C.T & Jack, Jackson T.C.B (2017):Social Change and Social Problems. In Abasiekong, E.M, Sibiri, E.A., Ekpeyong, N.S (eds) Major Themes in Sociology: An Introductory Text. pp.491-526. Benin City, Mase Perfect Prints (Accessed: 05/03/19)

Faleye, O.A. (2013) Western Education and Social Change in Nigeria: The Case of Ekiti land in the Twentieth Century. Journal of Educational Research. 16(2), pp.12-20. Available at: https://www.questia.com/library/journals/1…-social-change-in-nigeria (Accessed: 05/03/19)

The People’s Peacemaking Perspectives Project Advocacy Capacity Building: A Training Toolkit. Available at: https://www.c-r.org/downloads/PPP Advocacy Training Handouts-201110.pdf (Accessed: 05/03/19)

Person 2

AGENTS FOR POSITIVE SOCIAL CHANGE

Social change is a concept that has been described widely with varying definitions used to refer to it. The basic understanding of social change, however, is that it constitutes the establishment of community-based responses that intend to solve the social problems within a given setting at an individual, community, or national level (Chavez, 2007). It is also referred to as the use of moral skills and responsibility by an individual to leave the world a better place than they used to perceive it (TED Talk, 2014). It is clear that based on the descriptions used to refer to the concept of social change, the common idea is that there is always an element of a shift in the social order at the societal level.

The diverse world presents a vast array of social change role models that can inspire someone to be a better person in the way they perceive the social problem. One example of a social change agent is Martin Luther King Jr and Abraham Lincoln. Martin Luther King Jr is an inspiration because he lived a majority of his life as a human rights activist who would seek the appreciation of all human dispositions regardless of one’s race. Abraham Lincoln is also a notable model because he led the US in the bloodiest battle in the Civil War. For such and many other social change models, the resource by Meyers et al. (2009) titled “Beyond Heroes & Role Models: Using Biographies to Develop Young Change Agents.”

It is also worth noting that there is a vast amount of literature and resources that can be used to learn about the theme of social change in the community. One of such is the article by the International Labour Organization (2019) that seeks to explore the theme of social change from the perspective of teachers. The other resources that focus on the way teachers can be productive in instituting the foundation of social change is the article by Fullan (1993). Both resources consider that education is a primary element in the establishment of social change vices and the teachers are the agents to spearhead this objective. The biography of Artika R. Tyner in the Ted Talk video further justifies the use of video resources such as the one given at the University of St. Thomas (TED Talk, 2014).

There are varied definitions of advocacy, but the primary idea is that it entails working with others to make a difference in society (Sharma, 2012). Based on my experience working as a volunteer for supporting special education needs, I believe that I understand what it means to be involved in advocacy. Therefore, my definition of advocacy is that it includes the strategies that are used to influence decision-making at the individual, community, and the national level with the aim of enhancing lives. Overall, the theme of advocacy is related to social change because they both focus on bringing positive change to society.

References:

Chavez, C., (2007). Exercise: Identifying Social Change, Social Justice, and Social Services Necessary Components to Becoming a Social Change Leader. pp.1–16. Available at: http://www.leadershipparadigms.com/docs/SOCIAL.pdf.

Fullan, M., G., (1993). Why Teachers Must Become Change Agents. Educational Leadership, 50(6), pp.12–17. Available at: http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/mar93/vol50/num06/Why-Teachers-Must-Become-Change-Agents.aspx.

International Labour Organization, (2019). Teachers, educators and their organizations as agents of social change. International Labour Organization.

Meyers, L., E., Holbrook, T., and May, L., A., (2009). Beyond Heroes & Role Models: Using Biographies to Develop Young Change Agents. Early Childhood Education Faculty Publications. 21(2), pp.10–14. Available at: https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1003&context=ece_facpub.

Sharma, R., R., (2012). An Introduction to Advocacy. Training Guide. Available at: https://resourcecentre.savethechildren.net/node/1981/pdf/1981.pdf.

TED Talk, (2014). Education for social change. Artika R. Tyner, United States: YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5QHAhMYwoA.

Work

1. Dear

I found your post informative. I did know about Mary Slessor; now however I want to know more about her and the life she had lived. Although I am not a Christian, I do believe in God, and there should be more people in this world like her.

I think she was a phenomenal person, although she had numerous obstacles against her, she did not give up. With perseverance, hard work, love for people and a strong believe in God she overcame the obstacles.

In our profession working with children, we must work hard to help them learn and be the best they can be. We should give them the necessary tools they require to follow the right paths. We should be kind, have compassion and fair to all students. We should be thoroughly educated in our given fields for us to give our best to our students.

Why did you choose Mary Slessor as your role model? Are there any similar traits that you share?

In relation to Mr. Akujabi, do you agree with his theory on social change?

Reference

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1. Dear

I really enjoyed reading your post. I found although one agent for social change you chose Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela had similar views with regards to race. They believed every race should be treaded fairly no one race is better than the next. They believed in unity.

It is true, I agree with you there are a lot of information in relation to our topic on social change.

Reference

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