C E N T R E P O I N T Newsletter of the Presentation Centre for - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

SLIDE 1

Radical change means change that creates new ways

• f living in common. It is change that establishes

conditions for the freedom to imagine and choose a meaningful life, especially (though not only) for those whose options are shrunk because of inequalities in society. Radical change is the seedbed for systems - habitual ways of doing things - to evolve so that fairness, dignity, respect and

• pportunity become integral to the normal practices
• f things like raising families, making money,

implementing laws and policies, teaching children. This theory of radical social change rises up from the deep, from the invisible. ‘What is essential is invisible to the eyes,’ St Exupury has written. ‘Spiritual awareness’ is the phrase we use to convey certain beliefs about the essence of life. Let me articulate here some of these beliefs, which have been shaped by truths or insights contained within a number of religious and wisdom traditions. They have been influenced by changing practices and norms in society, as well as our own experiences of

• life. They are stated in a generic way so as to infer

that there is no obligation to belong to one or any religious tradition in order to hold a spiritual view of life. Spiritual awareness means a belief that the essence of life is imbued with a substance or energy that is shared between life forms. It is a belief in the interdependence between humans and between humans and the world of nature. It is a way of experiencing a fundamental relatedness between self,

• thers and the natural world. It is an assumption that

relationality is a given, not a choice. What our choices involve is to support or to block the cycle of human development and natural sustainability. Spiritual awareness, then, is a way of understanding and experiencing the world in a relational fashion as distinct from an individualistic or atomistic one. For some people, this includes an openness to connect with a divine dimension of life, for example a sense

• f the life force coming from something other than

the human or the natural world, or an ongoing experience of connection between oneself and spirit being(s). For others, its focus centres more on the search for a meaningful life - for a sense of purpose that includes as well as moves beyond one’s own individual and family concerns. Deepening one’s spiritual awareness happens through activities intended to expand an understanding and experience

• f

the interconnectedness of all that is. These may be political actions of solidarity between people of different classes, genders, ethnicities and other personal or social characteristics. They may be times dedicated to individual or group meditation. They may be quiet days. They may be public celebrations of individual and collective achievement. The list goes on. They are varied activities, engaged in regularly, with knowledge that they are integral to directing, motivating and sustaining radical social change.

Dr Katherine Zappone is an independent research consultant. This is an extract from her keynote address given at the Hidden Connections Conference

REACHING OUT A Semin ar to Explor e Perspectives on Ou tr each in Commu n ity Edu cation Febr u ar y 22n d, Sou th Cou r t Hotel, Limer ick Keynote Speaker: Dr V eronica McGivney, principal research

• fficer, with the UK, National Institute for Adult Continuing

Education and author of many books and articles on adult learning including: Recover in g Ou tr each, con cepts, issu es an d practices, 2000, an d Men ear n , women lear n : br idgin g the gen der divide in edu cation an d train in g, 2004. Participation in organised lifelong learning is still largely determined by social and economic circumstances. Low income and less qualified adults continue to be under represented in education. The seminar will look at attracting under represented groups into learning through effective outreach strategies. It will showcase the learnings from a three-year pilot Outreach Initiative developed by the Presentation Centre in partnership with the Southill Community Services Board, Limerick. For f u r ther details con tact: An n e Coffey PBVM, 01 4927097

• r email in fo@pr esen tation .ie, web: www.pr esen tation .ie

Call for a fair er, mor e f lexible edu cation system

C E N T R E P O I N T

Newsletter of the Presentation Centre for Policy and Systemic Change

37- 39 T erenure Road West, Dublin 6W. T el: 01 492 7097 Fax: 01 492 6423 Web: www.presentation.ie Email: info@presentation.ie

No 3 Spring 2005

“We were delighted with the response from seminar participants. A typical comment was; ‘Congratulations on creating an opportunity to “share the wealth of ideas and experience”. In seeking to promote education for social transformation, we are conscious of the wealth that is out there in the form of individual and

• rganisational good practice,” said Ann Marie Quinn,

seminar organiser. “The challenge for the future is to ensure that the many strands are drawn together in a cohesive way. We believe a strategy for doing this is to forge and strengthen the connections between all of us who share the belief that education can be and should be for the kind of social transformation that will create a better world for all,” said Ann Marie Quinn. “Our education system needs to be more flexible and designed in such a way as to accommodate the diverse needs and capacities of every learner”, said Dr Katherine Zappone. As a keynote speaker, at the seminar Discovering the Hidden Connections for Learning, held in the National College of Ireland, she

• utlined a new vision of education as a living system.

“It needs to be attentive to the wider community and build solidarity between all of the education partners”, said Dr Zappone, a research consultant, a member of the Human Rights Commission and co-founder

• f An Cosán, a community education centre in West Tallaght.

“Education is a living system if it: supports common ways of learning; accommodates diverse capacities, cultures, learning paths and achievement outcomes; enables communal solidarity or ‘sticking together’; reduces inequalities of resources between social groups and geographical communities; so that every person’s powers are released, directed and enlarged”, said Dr Zappone. However, she warned that unless there is change in the wider social and economic systems so that the basic needs of people are met and that resources are distributed more fairly throughout the country, re- designing the education system or developing new pedagogies will not bring about the substantial change required for every child, young person or adult to have an equal chance to achieve. Education as a living system is directed towards radical social

• change. “By radical we mean change that creates new ways of

living in common. It is change that establishes conditions for the freedom to imagine and choose a meaningful life especially (though not only) for those whose options are shrunk because of inequalities in society”, said Dr Zappone. The seminar was attended by 130 educators, practitioners and policy makers. The conference was organised by the Presentation Centre for Policy and Systemic Change.

Pa ge 10

Tsu n ami Disaster

Pr esen tation Sisters Help Victims in Tamil Nadu See Special Repor t In side

Spir itu ality an d Radical Social Chan ge

By Kather in e Zappon e

Discover in g the hidden con n ection s for lear n in g. Chr is McCar thy, Car mel Magin n , Mar y Keogh, Eileen O’Con n ell & Deirdr e Bu tler Pr esen tation girls War r en mou n t, r eceive award for ‘Challen ge to Chan ge’ Hu man Rights In itiative

• Dr. Kather in e Zappon e with David Rose, Pr esen tation Cen tr e’s Dir ector

at the Hidden Con n ection s Con fer en ce

SLIDE 2

Discoverin g the Hidden Con n ection s for Learn in g

By Clar e Har n ey

Releasin g lear n ers’ hidden poten tial

The second key-note speaker, Dr. Deirdre Butler, spoke about releasing learners’ hidden potential when she described the Empowering Minds project and showed examples of what happens when primary school children are facilitated to construct their own knowledge as they learn (while, in this case using digital technologies such as computers, video and digital cameras, as well as building-materials such as Lego). Among the points clearly illustrated in this inspiring and multi- media generated presentation was the active and engaged participation of the learners (primary school pupils in Dublin schools), the relationships that existed between the teachers and the learners and between the learners themselves and the total engagement of the learners with the learning process.

Con n ectin g Systems

There were 3 breakout sessions in the afternoon: Connecting Systems, Connecting Relationships and Connecting

• Communities. The underlying theme of connections clearly in

evidence! During the sessions local models were presented. What was distinctive about them was the concentration on the learner and the learning experience and the rewards to be gained from ways of working that use approaches that co-

• rdinate and connect. Words such as integration, partnership,

participation, relationship, community, empowerment, feedback, networks were commonly heard. As an Education Co-ordinator in an area-based Partnership, I very much valued the experience of being reminded of the world view that recognises and celebrates such ways of

• working. It is my experience that while we speak the

language of partnership and integration this way of working is not embedded in much of the practice within education. My belief is that issues like, for example, those of early school leaving or low literacy levels in designated disadvantaged schools will not be resolved by taking the isolationist view of looking only at individuals or families in disadvantaged

• communities. We need to be looking at schools, communities,

statutory agencies and the social, cultural and economic contexts and making connections between all of them. I also believe that we can do this if our language, our values and our practice are underpinned by the spirit of collaboration and partnership, and the uncovering of the connections that are ever present.

Clare Harn ey is the Edu cation Co-ordin ator of the Fin glas Cabra Partn ership

A report on the conference proceedings will be published.If you would like a copy please email info@presentation.ie

Discovering the Hidden Connections for Learning, a seminar

• rganised by the Presentation Centre for Policy and Systemic

Change was informed by a systemic view of the world. This teaches us nothing can be studied or understood in isolation because the nature of things is that they are interconnected and interdependent. The systemic view begun to emerge in the early part of the twentieth century as physicists experienced a crisis when they began to understand that their perception of how the world worked was fundamentally wrong. The world was not made up of a collection of dissociated parts that could be studied in isolation and when put together would explain the whole. Rather it began to appear as an integrated whole where the properties of the parts could only be understood within the context of the whole. In other words, everything was connected and an understanding of the whole could only be reached by thinking in terms of connections. A new view of reality had emerged. What was initially a crisis in perception for physical scientists eventually led to deeper insights into the nature of the world and helped to inform our understanding of life. The new worldview had implications not only for science but also for business, politics, health care and not least, education. The famous playwright and dissident turned statesman, Vaclav Havel succinctly illustrated this shift in thinking: “Education is the ability to perceive the hidden connections between phenomena”.

Lear n in g Systems

The seminar promised an exploration of new models of learning and an opportunity to address issues of inequality and social exclusion in learning environments. The idea that underpinned the thinking during the day was that parts within systems - in this case learning systems - are connected and that the discovery of the connections allows learning to happen.

A Livin g System

The first presentation which was delivered by Dr. Katherine Zappone described a model for a system of education that is, what she termed a living system. In order for such a system to exist, according to Dr. Zappone’s thesis, it must be flexible, accommodate diversity, be attentive to community context and relationships, build solidarity between all the education partners and finally, that changes must be made in the economic and social context of such a system in order to reduce inequalities.

Learning Innovation Learning Innovation

Con str u ctin g New Ways of Lear n in g

By Deirdr e Bu tler

Pa ge 2 Pa ge 3

Seán, a primary teacher, believed that lack of self-esteem was the root cause of many of the problems that the children in his integrated special class were presenting with. He believed that his students had little experience of “the feeling of being lovable and the feeling of being capable” (Humphreys, 1993, p. 3), the two dimensions central to self-esteem, defined by Reasoner as “the degree to which people feel worthy, capable, significant and effective (1992, p. 12). Seán wanted to break his suburban, disadvantaged children’s “cycle of failure” so they would feel better about themselves and more hopeful about their lives, and they would re-engage with

• learning. He knew that mainstream teachers’ and peers’ view of his

students was crucial to their self-esteem. Generally everyone regarded these children as “very different” and not as capable as the mainstream children. Nobody liked to be part of the special class unit, as its members were classified as “dummies” by the rest

• f the school. No wonder, then, that every child within the unit

had a very poor self-image and lacked self-esteem. He introduced computational materials (i.e. robotic construction kit based on the Programmable Brick research at the MIT Media Lab and commercially-available as the LEGO Mindstorms product). Seán encouraged the boys to share ideas about their constructions and to critique each other’s work and designs. He wanted to provide opportunities that would enable the boys to talk about their thinking as “it is the thinking about the problem that fosters learning, so does talking about the problems or showing them to someone else” (Papert 1996, p.12). But he expected that this new way of working might prove to be very difficult as these boys generally displayed behavioural problems. They were often very antagonistic towards one another and found it very difficult to co-operate on even the smallest of tasks. So, he was surprised to discover with the LEGO materials collaboration developed naturally. The boys began to look to each

• thers’ building projects for ideas, and some boys began to emerge

as competent builders who were willing and able to help the

• thers. He encouraged the boys to keep records of their work as

they developed it. Using photographs and drawings and sometimes text, the boys kept accounts of their thinking over time-the problems, successes and design changes. Working like this, Seán believed, his students would “get a sense of the way in which real designers go about their work, as part of a community of designers” (Resnick and Ocko 1991, p.6) rather than being the receptacles in the traditional classroom scenario that “is based on the model of the pipeline through which knowledge passes from teacher to student” (Papert 1996, p.45). When you visit his classroom now, it is common to observe one child tutoring another on programming or a number of children making recommendations for improvements in each other’s project

• designs. Seán openly tells everyone that these positive outcomes

were not usually present in my class, prior to the LEGO Mindstorms work. Working with the computational materials in this new learning environment the special class soon stopped thinking

• f themselves as “dummies”. So did the rest of the school.

Con str u ctivist Lear n in g

Critical to the development of this culture of thinking and learning about learning is the exploration and innovative use of expressive

Rou n d table discu ssion

computational materials informed by a Constructionist

• philosophy. Constructionism is grounded in the idea that

people learn by actively constructing new knowledge, rather than by having information “poured” into their heads. Moreover, Constructionism asserts that people learn with particular effectiveness when they are engaged in constructing personally meaningful artefacts such as computer programs, animations, or robots that they can show and discuss with others (Papert, 1991, p.1). These artefacts are “objects to think with” and a means by which others can involve themselves in the thinking process. Community support enables a powerful learning environment, as other people are the greatest source of alternative views needed to stimulate new learning (von Glasersfeld, 1989). Given sufficient time and using digital technologies within such a supportive learning environment “makes it increasingly possible for ...[learners]...to engage in learning practices that lead to new ways of thinking, understanding, constructing knowledge and communicating results” (Milken Exchange, 1999, p.29).

Dr Deirdre Butler is a member of the Education Dept. at St Patrick’s College, Dublin. This article is an extract from her keynote address given at the Hidden Connections Conference. References for this article available

• n request.

Seymour Papert, professor emeritus of education and media technology at MIT will speak on ‘Fuelling the fire of the creative process’in St Patrick’s, Drumcondra on Feb 7th, as part of the Seamus Heaney Lecture Series.For further information see www.dcu.ie/heaneylectures/

An n Mar ie Qu in n & Dr Deirdr e Bu tler

SLIDE 3

Looking to the Future Looking to the Future

Hope in planning for the future was the overriding feeling expressed at two seminars to look at the future corporate direction of Presentation ministry in Ireland. Over two hundred Presentation Sisters and a small number of laypeople attended the seminars held in Nenagh and Portlaoise, hosted by the Presentation Centre for Policy and Systemic Change. In a video address, the Provincial Leaders, who were in Peru at an international leaders’ meeting at the time of the seminars, endorsed the strategy outlined by the Presentation Centre

• Team. “As you know, the Presentation Centre for Policy and

Systemic Change was mandated to plan the future direction of Presentation work on an all Ireland basis. The work being done by the Centre is integral to the planning of the Leadership Teams and will form part of the provincial assemblies next

• year. So it is important early on that people have the
• pportunity to engage with the work of the Centre”,

said Sr Mary Hoare, Provincial Leader, South West.

Vision of the Work

An ambitious but achievable vision for the future includes Presentation Sisters and laypeople working together with people on the margins to build a more just and inclusive society where people’s dignity and rights are respected. Each of the Presentation Centre’s team presented a vision of the work the Congregation could be doing in 2010, as well as giving examples of work currently in progress to move towards this vision.

Lear n in g In n ovation

Ann Marie Quinn, Programme Leader for Learning Innovation

• utlined work in the following areas: the need for early

intervention to address emotional behaviour problems at home and in school; the pilot initiatives on new learning experiences established in Clondalkin, Drogheda, Cork, and Ballingarry. She also spoke about the need to address the ‘Digital Divide’ in information technology and highlighted the ‘Exploring the Hidden Connections for Learning’ Conference.

Social In clu sion

Anne Coffey, Programme Leader for Social Inclusion addressed the need for a Traveller Inclusion Initiative and the development of ‘think tanks’ on the needs of ex-offenders, asylum seekers and homeless people. She reported on progress on Outreach pilot initiatives already set up in Limerick and Listowel. A seminar on outreach will be held in February 2005. She stressed that new initiatives must ensure that the voices of people experiencing exclusion are heard and that people are empowered.

Resear ch, Policy an d Advocacy

David Rose spoke on the Research, Policy and Advocacy

• Programme. Aileen Walsh, the Centre’s researcher is key to

developing this programme. She is involved in the evaluations

• f the pilot initiatives on learning and outreach to ensure

lessons for good practice. She is also researching integrated approaches to education. This programme will also provide training on how to influence public policy and is developing strategies for doing systemic change.

Hu man Rights an d Ecology

The Human Rights and Ecology Programme is headed by Imelda Carew. She outlined work on developing a human rights module for school and community use; the establishment of a Fairtrade initiative - to raise awareness of connections between debt, trade and poverty; the development of a community-based initiative on sustainable development and work with Ballygriffin on workshops on ecology are other aspects of this programme. Imelda is a member of the Nagle Community and works closely with Sr Maureen O’Connell on all of these issues. In developing each of the areas, the programme leaders are networking both within the congregation and with likeminded individuals and groups outside of the congregation. Some of the actions are more advanced in implementation, others are at the ideas stage. The programme leaders welcome your views on any of these ideas and actions.

Pa ge 4

Spir itu ality of Ju stice

The work is based on a spirituality of justice and is about making real the ‘kingdom of God’. There is a strong focus on education for social change and tackling the root causes of

• inequality. This represents a shift in understanding and

practice, from ministry as service provision (in schools and in the community) to the ministry of influence - trying to change the policies and systems that diminish people.

Need for Chan ge

The new direction for ministry is both problem driven and vision inspired. There is the decline in vocations, the age profile of the membership, and the often piecemeal development of initiatives. These do not have to be seen as negatives but can be turned to our advantage with new

• pportunities for laypeople to share in the mission of the

Congregation, building on the wealth of experience and good practice of sisters working with local communities over many

• decades. “We have a relatively short window of opportunity,

perhaps ten years, to address unmet needs and to influence systems in favour of those who are marginalised. We have to use this time strategically and be increasingly selective and focussed in relation to how we use our resources,” said Sr Elizabeth Maxwell, Provincial Leader, Northern Province.

New Str u ctu r es

New organisational structures will be needed. “We need to look at the kind of structure within the congregation that can enable us to address newly emerging needs in our society. For example, the social and educational needs of asylum seekers, Travellers, ‘at risk’ young people and former prisoners, and the glaring inequality between the developed first world and the developing world, as well as the threat of ecological disaster”. “Respect for tradition, building on the past, and ensuring continuity were not issues which were of great concern to Nano Nagle. Her focus was on the future - the creation of something radically new to address the needs of her time”, said Sr Claude Meagher in a special video presentation to the participants. The establishment of new posts in the Presentation Centre to lead developments in learning innovation, social inclusion and human rights is an important step as is the appointment of a fulltime

• researcher. We are likely to see greater inter-provincial

co-operation. Indeed many participants at the seminars urged the move to an all Ireland model of working, at least for ministry development.

Char tin g the Fu tu r e for Min istr y

By David Rose

Ireland and the world are changing rapidly. Planning for the future is about being responsive to a changing environment, to meet newly emerging social and educational needs and to do so in ways based on Gospel values and the tradition of Nano Nagle.

David Rose is dir ector of the Pr esen tation Cen tr e. Copies of the video containing the Provincials’address and the powerpoint presentations given at the seminars are available, email info@presentation.ie or T el 01 4927097.

Srs Mon ica McGrath, Assu mpta Lawlor, Eithn e Cu n iffe & Gr eta Gill Srs Mar ger et Nyhan , Ter esa Br een & An thon y Molon ey Helen Dobbyn & An n e Coffey Srs An n e Fox an d Lan cia Rodr igu es Srs Maeve O’Su llivan , Car mel Har tn ett, Ger main e Br en n an & Br igid O’Har e

“An ambitiou s bu t achievable vision for the f u tu r e in clu des Pr esen tation Sisters an d laypeople workin g together ”

“Respect for tradition , bu ildin g on the past, an d en su r in g con tin u ity wer e n ot issu es which wer e of gr eat con cer n to Nan o

• Nagle. Her focu s was on

the f u tu r e - the cr eation

• f somethin g radically

n ew to addr ess the n eeds

• f her time”

Pa ge 5

SLIDE 4

Early In ter ven tion : a key to behaviou ral pr oblems at home an d in school

By Aileen Walsh & An n Mar ie Qu in n

Social Inclusion Learning Innovation

Traveller Edu cation an d Cu ltu r e

Mary O’Sullivan, a founder member of the Cork Traveller W

• men’s Network, speaks about her experience of education,

discrimination and culture, in a conversation with Anne Coffey PBVM.

My name is Mary O’Sullivan, a founder member of the Cork Traveller Women’s Network. I began in a women’s’ group and we did cooking, sewing, development, and then we went on to do unconventional programmes. I remember we were open to exploring Buddhism and we had fun doing it! I moved my children from the special classes that the Department of Education had put in place, as the structure that they thought would work for Travellers. I wasn’t satisfied with the curriculum. They were doing reading, writing and colouring but there was no such thing as history or geography

• r the main subjects that I would have done in school.

We were living in the halting site in the Black Ash and I ended up with five children around the kitchen table looking at me to do homework with them. I was willing because I wasn’t satisfied with the way the three girls were being educated. The school looked at my involvement negatively. They didn’t believe there was a Traveller woman interested in how her children were being educated. I went to the Girls’ School in Turner’s Cross and told them my

• story. That led to the girls being moved to Turner’s Cross

(where I was in school myself). The teachers met with me individually and they were trying to say in a nice way that the girls were having difficulties. I knew what they were saying because I knew their educational history and what they were

• missing. So when I sat down with the three teachers and

explained it they got a complete picture of where I was coming from. From that day they supported the three girls 100%. I negotiated a space in the community centre and we set up a homework support group for the Traveller children. Two days a week they only had to come down the road from the school and come in to us for an hour. Thirteen children benefited from that project because it ran for four years. 75% of that group went on to secondary school. They may not have stayed but they broke the cycle. The next generation, my grandchildren, will stay on because we’re so involved in development and support of Traveller women in Cork.

Chan gin g the System

The Traveller women’s network evolved out of a need in 1996. There was only one social welfare officer in Douglas for all the Travellers in Cork. It was near me but Margaret was in the site in Knocknaheeny. She’d have to get all her children into the van, drive across the city and sit for 3 or 4 hours in a line in

• Douglas. It was discrimination at its worst. We invited

representatives from the four local Traveller women’s groups to come together and we formed a committee. We got in trainers to provide committee skills training for a sub-group to go directly to the head of the Health Board. He sat in front of four middle-aged Traveller women and they were able to articulate the issues that were affecting them. We wanted access to our local social welfare officers. Three weeks after the meeting Travellers got access to the local social welfare

• fficer the same as every one else. That showed the women

that they had the power, if they worked as a collective and did whatever training was required.

Remember in g Ou r Cu ltu r e

Last year Brigid Carmody, our chairperson, got a phone call from Tony Sheehan, asking us to come in for a meeting. He asked us to come up with a project for the Capital of Culture

• 2005. Brigid said, “He said to think big. So why don’t we build

a wagon?” When she said it I could see the wagon. We have a very good relationship in the network, with the adult literacy

• rganizer for Travellers and with the Vincent de Paul. They

agreed to cover six hours for someone to sit down with us to write up a proposal. I knew Marie Shea had the skills. We told her we wanted to do an educational project that will have an impact and leave a legacy. She did up a proposal with us and we gave it in. We had to wait two and a half weeks. Tony rang and I said, “Give me a Yes or a No”. He said, “We’re building a wagon!” The project began in January. Johnny Carroll is working in the sculpture factory alongside a tutor and a younger Traveller man, James Carmody. He built wagons as a trade thirty/ forty years ago. At the moment they’re finishing up the intricate

• paintwork. We have groups all over the city doing curtains

and a quilt. Bridgie and I are co-ordinating. We went to Midleton looking for military blankets - to insulate it. We had to send to England for the canvas. We’re out looking for tilly lamps, old ware, and an original queen stove - a tiny little cast iron stove - that would have been used in the wagon. We have individuals donating stuff they have for years. The parents died and they folded them up and put them away and now they’re bringing them out. We brought one of the older Traveller women down to see it and she was nearly crying. She said, “My God, I don’t believe I reared seven children in

• ne of them!”

An important part of the project is the passing on of skills and the regeneration of memories. We have interviewed everyone to do with the project for the text of the publication when we launch it. (There’s nothing in text books to do with Traveller Culture.) This wagon is going to be placed in a room in the museum in Fitzgerald’s Park. We have done something that is going to be there for generations as an educational resource. The Traveller children will take ownership of it and ownership

• f who they are as Travellers.

Mar y O’Su llivan , is a fou n der member of the Cork Traveller Women ’s Network.

Pa ge 6 Pa ge 7

Early intervention is generally accepted as a crucial strategy for tackling problems like educational and social disadvantage and the risk factors that contribute to creating them. One model of early intervention is the Incredible Years (IY) parent, child and teacher training programme. Developed in the University of Washington by Professor Carolyn Webster- Stratton, IY incorporates therapeutic and preventive training programmes for early on-set conduct disorders and, more generally, universal training programmes suitable for all parents, children and teachers. Research evidence, which points to positive outcomes from all the programmes, has resulted in IY spreading beyond the U.S. In Dublin, the Clondalkin Partnership Company is piloting the parental training component. We would like to highlight some aspects of Professor Webster-Stratton’s thinking and some features of the IY approach to early intervention.

The con n ection between behaviou ral pr oblems in childr en an d wider social pr oblems

Nowadays, the problem faced by parents and teachers in managing difficult behaviours, is frequently reported. Webster-Stratton refers to research, which suggests that childhood aggression is escalating, with a trend towards early

• n-set. For present purposes, the issue that emerges is the

seriousness of the problem as highlighted by Webster- Stratton’s (1999) reference to research findings, which offer a grim prognosis:

... early on-set conduct problems in young children have been shown to be predictive of subsequent drug abuse, depression, juvenile delinquency, anti-social behaviour a nd violence in a dolescence a nd a dulthood (preface, xiii).

In response, her IY programmes seek to address this connection and specifically target early on-set conduct problems and disorder. The Irish Combat Poverty Agency also advocates the early intervention strategy and stresses that prevention of educational failure and social exclusion beginning at the pre-primary level is less expensive and more effective in solving a wide range of social problems than treatment after problems have emerge (p.10). People working at the coalface of educational and social disadvantage have long been stressing early intervention as the way forward. From a policy perspective, the approach needs to be supported and resourced in order that it can fulfil it potential as a strategy in tackling these problems.

Developin g the emotion a l a n d socia l competen ce of childr en

In an educational context, behavioural problems are frequently identified as a barrier to children’s positive integration into the school environment and effective engagement with the learning process, creating the risk of absenteeism and early school leaving. Webster Stratton believes that developing the social competence and emotional well-being of children is fundamental in addressing the behavioural barrier and facilitating readiness for school and for learning. Her IY programmes target this aspect of child development and, in doing so, seek to involve the most influential others in the process, i.e. parents and teachers. IY particularly recognises and respects parent as the real experts with their children. The 1998 Report of the Forum on Early Childhood Education agrees with this thinking and recognises how influential the quality of parent-child interaction is in the development of emotional stability and social competence in children. From a policy perspective, the issue that emerges here, and which the Forum emphasises, is the importance of supporting families in their parenting responsibilities. This brings into focus another feature of the IY approach.

Su ppor tin g families an d childr en

• a

collaborative appr oach

IY recognises the parental role as one that has training needs in order to enhance and improve it, as appropriate. At the same time, the potential of the teacher to support the family in its task of developing the social and emotional well-being

• f children and, the needs of the teacher in this regard are

also recognised. Teacher training programmes are offered alongside child and parent training. A further aim, through collaborative training programmes, is to facilitate parents and teachers working together for their

• wn benefit and the benefit of the child with behavioural
• problems. The collaborative approach also facilitates the

development of co-ordinated strategies for addressing behavioural problems and developing social competence. The thinking and the approach are in line with the move towards the integrated approach as the optimum one for dealing with problems like educational and social disadvantage.

A Pr esen tation perspective

In Presentation Centre we are very aware that the focus of much Presentation work, and that of many others, is on early intervention and prevention in the area of educational and social disadvantage. We are very interested in hearing about this practice and about the positive outcomes people have identified as emerging from it. We would very much like to engage with individuals and groups about good practice and experience, with a view to facilitating a seminar in Spring 2005 on the topic of early intervention. For further information email info@presentation.ie. References for this article available on request.

Aileen Walsh is the Pr esen tation Cen tr e’s Resea r cher a n d An n Ma r ie Qu in n is Pr ogramme Leader for Lear n in g In n ovation .

Remember the past; ‘Traveller Wagon ’

“ “

Aileen Walsh, Pr of Car olyn Webster -Stratton

& An n Mar ie Qu in n

SLIDE 5

Sisters Help Tsunami Victims in India

Colachel, a small costal town in South Tamil Nadu, India, was devastated by the Tsunami. The Presentation Sisters run a small hospital there, the Nagle Health Centre. The Sisters have been working with the fisher folk along the sea coast for the past 30 years. The following are firsthand accounts of the destruction wreaked by the killer waves. “The waves up to 30 feet high came without any warning. Before we could blink, water was up to our neck. .... The rush

• f the water was so sudden; we just caught hold of our

children and ran for our lives.... As we rushed the children were taken away from our hands by the force of the waves... We witnessed with our own eyes our children sinking and we were helpless.... We saw people sinking... people buried below the debris... I have lost all my children ... I have no desire to live”... Cry of the people, say Srs. Maria and Vandana. “People came rushing into our health center screaming, frightened and shocked, wounded, with broken limbs, holding their dead in their arms, pleading to be attended to. We opened our Centre for them to take shelter, our sisters and staff in our Health Centre were on their feet attending to their needs of medical services; No words could console them, they did not know whether their dear ones were alive or not. We were with them in their pain and sorrow. There was chaos and confusion everywhere.” say Srs.Teresa Pais and Benedicta.. “Our Sisters are involved round the clock, in giving medical help, distributing clothes, food etc. There are thousands of people staying in different school buildings, in the community hall, the marriage hall etc. What is really painful to see is the number who lost dear ones and are in such a state of shock, pain and sorrow that they refuse any kind of help. At present the most urgent needs are medical. People are flocking to

• ur hospital with multiple injuries. All of them are fisher folk.

Ecological Disaster

Pa ge 8

They have borne the brunt of the tsunamis” , Sr. Shobha D’Sami “Thank you for your messages of concern and sympathy. We, the sisters are safe, but the wider community of people along the coastal belt had no other choice except to surrender themselves to the Killer waves of Tsunami. It is a real tragedy to see the places and the people who survive, witnessing their loved ones being wiped away, especially the children. They have lost a generation. Our sisters in Colachel are very much involved since dead bodies began to pour into the hospital and they say that it was uncontrollable on the 26th and the scene continues to trail

• along. On the 26th we could not get in touch with them and

we were desperate. Neither could they communicate, since the lines of communication were all down or engaged. They were torn between the crisis, communications and consolation

• f the survivors. Nurses from the different circles rushed to the

spot to be of help to the people already involved in rescue

• perations which continues till today.

Many families have been washed away leaving behind one or two, either a parent or a child. On the 27th our sisters witnessed a mass burial of 500 people in Colachel. There were hardly people left to bury their dead. Even now the bodies that were covered by debris, mud and decomposed are dug

• ut and being searched, for the missing members. People who

survive are left to the Divine Providence to take care of themselves and their future. Kindly continue your supportive presence until they begin to see new life again.” In gratitude, Much love, Sr. Pushpam (Provincial Leader).

Pr esentation India Disaster Fund

Message from Presentation Sisters Leadership T eam, Monasterevin, Co.Kildare

We are sure that all of you are shocked and saddened at the enormity of the deaths and devastation caused by the Tsunamis (Tidal Wave). A good number of the Presentation Sisters in Colachel, India are involved in helping the victims of this terrible disaster. They have been working with the fisher folk along the sea coast for the past 30 years. Should you wish to give a donation for the relief efforts in this area we have set up a fund for this purpose. Donations received will be used to aid the survivors and there will be no administration costs involved. If you would like to contribute to this fund you could send a cheque payable to Presentation India Disaster Fund and post to Congregational Bursar, Presentation Sisters, Monasterevin, Co. Kildare or you can lodge money directly into the following bank account:

Name: Presentation India Disaster Fund A/ C No.- 76788834 Branch - Bank of Ireland, Monasterevin, Co. Kildare Branch Code - 901220

We know that the Presentation Sisters in India and the people there will appreciate any help that you may be able to give them.

Sisters help in Colachel, Tamil Nadu

Human Rights

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“Before you finish eating your breakfast this morning you’ve depended on half the world. This is the way our universe is structured ...... We aren’t going to have peace on earth until we recognise this basic fact.” Martin Luther King Jr. Since the dawn of civilisation people have enhanced and extended their lives through

• trade. Trade has progressed

from being a simple barter transaction between two parties to become a complex, global interrelated network of producers, manufacturers, private investors, banks and transnational corporations. We have moved from the silk road to the information superhighway, from the market place to the ‘free market’. Trade impacts on all our lives. The products that we as consumers buy and the goods our nations export, affect for good or ill, the lives of thousands of others around the globe. The business of trade however, is about more than economics, there is an ethical dimension to trade that must also be considered. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has ratified 180 conventions on workers rights, yet hundreds of thousands of people worldwide still work in substandard conditions for household name companies, whose products we readily consume.

Win n ers & Losers

High Income countries will gain more than twice as much as the rest of the world because of liberalised world trade rules. For underdeveloped countries trade can be a way out of

• poverty. However, in a system that creates winners and losers,

it seems the poorer players consistently lose; not only money but autonomy. In agriculture, which is the major economic activity for the developing world - involving 80% of the people in some countries - the main issue is food security. With the

• pening of the world’s economies under the multilateral

trading system, and the flooding of the market with subsidised exports, poor producers are finding it increasingly difficult to compete on the world stage.

Ban an as!

Five companies control just under 90% of the world’s banana trade. Growers in Central America have faced problems setting up trade unions with strikes often ending in mass firings. The banana trade is environmentally destructive -

• ne-third of all pesticides used

worldwide are used on bananas. Often, workers’ health is at risk as pesticides are sprayed from helicopters while they work. In 1994 Chiquita lobbied the US Government to file an international trade complaint against the EU for giving preference to bananas from small farms in former European colonies in the Caribbean, where bananas provide over half of all export earnings. The US claims that the way the EU gives preference to bananas from these countries is in breach of World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules. Taking away the preferential treatment will leave these countries unable to compete. Without the banana industry, their economies would become

• unviable. Yielding to US pressure, the EU has now promised

to phase out its criteria for bananas by 2008.

(Adapted from Concern’s development issues - world trade 02)

Imelda Car ew is pr ogramme leader for Hu man Rights & Ecology

Global Week of Action for Trade Ju stice.

April 10 -16, 2005 This will be an opportunity for all of us to get involved in this vital issue.A meeting on this topic will be held on March 19th. For deta ils a nd further informa tion ema il: presnagle@jmin.iol.ie

Global Trade an d Pover ty

By Imelda Car ew

“In a system that cr eates win n ers an d losers, it seems the poor er players con sisten tly lose; n ot on ly mon ey bu t au ton omy”