Sports Equity and Inclusion in British Rowing

Sports Equity and Inclusion in British Rowing British Rowing: A critical review Rowing is a sport which involves propelling a boat on a body of water using oars to push against the water and produce a force to move the boat. Rowing itself can be recreational or competitive and competition in rowing can be traced back to Ancient Egypt. Modern rowing as a sport dates back to the 10th Century in London. The arrival of Boat Clubs, for example, the Leander club in England, and the formation of University and public school rowing teams, especially at Oxford, Cambridge, and Eton in the early 18th Century, propelled the popularity of the sport to other Universities and boat clubs around the globe including the U.S and Germany (Burnell, Page, 1997).   Rowing is also one of the oldest Olympic sports. Initially it was part of the 1896 Olympics but the racing could not go ahead due to bad weather. Since 1900 it has been present at every Olympic Games with competitions ranging from individual races (single scull) to eight-person shells (coxed eight). Rowing has also had women participants from 1976 and Paralympic athletes from 2008 (Olympic Studies Centre, 2015). Despite being an amateur sport, rowing in Britain has always reflected the division of social classes by being synonymous with the more upper classes. Sugden, Tomlinson (2000) support this by suggesting that involvement in Henleys boating regatta can be a clear sign of high social status. Social classes, in their most basic form can be described as a division of a society based on social and economic status (English | Oxford Dictionaries, 2017). Later in the report I will analyse this further using different theories and concepts. During the rise in popularity of sports in Britain in the 18th century some sports, for example, football and Rugby, were more associated with the working and lower middle classes and other sports, for example, tennis and golf, where more associated with the upper middle and upper classes (Wilson, 2002). This can be attributed to all cultural consumption, including sports consumption, which requires the right tastes and preferences as well as knowledge and skills. This is called cultural capital. (Bourdieu, 1986, cited in Holt, 1998). Cultural capital is defined by access to cultural processes and products. These include the way by which educational, social and intellectual knowledge can used to advantage the social and economic position of a particular individual or group (Bourdieu, 1986, cited in Beedie, Craig, 2010, p. 268). The access to higher levels of educational knowledge in the 18th Century was achieved through the public schools which required fees to attend. Therefore, th ey attracted students from more economically advanced backgrounds and wealthy families that could afford the fees. These included schools like Westminster, Harrow, and the previously mentioned Eton (UK Parliament, 2017). As rowing was only available at boat clubs, universities, and public schools, all of which were out of reach to all but the ruling class, rowing became the preserve of the higher classes. People in poverty and low social classes, therefore, found it harder to participate in the sport. Rowing in England today is governed by British Rowing. The organisation was founded in 1882 and oversees both indoor and on-water rowing. They are responsible for the development of rowing in England and the selection of crews and individual rowers that represent Great Britain. They are affiliated with the International Rowing Federation and the International Olympic Committee. British Rowing has roughly 30,000 individual members that range in age from 11 to over 80. Individual members are usually linked to one of 550 associated rowing clubs, which in turn are within ten rowing regions in England. Each region has a regional rowing council and representatives who represent them on British Rowings Council. The British Rowing Council is made up of the members of the Board, the Regional Chairmen, the Honorary President, the Honorary Rowing Safety Adviser, the Regional Representatives, Home Nations Representative, and Honorary Life Vice Presidents (Governance British Rowing, 2017). The m embers of the Board are the Directors of British Rowing who meet regularly to manage the business of the organisation. This is headed by the chairman, Annamarie Phelps, CBE. Together they create and govern the policies and initiatives of British Rowing. This report will look specifically at the Equity and Inclusion policies and initiatives for British Rowing. Equity is about being fair and impartial and examines inequalities resulting from race, class, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, age, religion, or disability (Fletcher, Dashper, 2014). Being inclusive is about providing many different options to suit people of all ages, skills, and backgrounds, in the most appropriate manner that is possible. Therefore, Equity and Inclusion in sport can be defined as being fair and providing a range of opportunities for different people from different backgrounds to participate in sport. By being equitable and inclusive, a sporting organisation, or sport in general, can help to tackle inequalities that are present in wider society. In sociology and sport the idea of inequality has been broadly characterized and has been connected to different political ideologies. Inequality, as characterized from the right, is unavoidable, or is important for society to cope well. Conversely, from the left, inequality is a social detriment and ought to be killed by vote based or progressive means. This can mean democratically via policies and initiatives or even via revolution and forced change. As indicated by Donnelly (1996), Sport by its very nature, produces, and displays inequality. Early research proposed that sport reflected existing inequalities i.e., it was a microcosm of society. Regardless, more critical research of sport has since uncovered that, as opposed to being a passive component and simply reflecting inequality, sport, by means of social operators collaborations with sporting spaces, is effectively involved in creating, repeating, supporting and indeed, acts as a site for resistance when it comes to inequal ity (Dashper, Fletcher, 2013). Jarvie, Thornton (2012) add to this by stating that Inequality is often limited to two notions of inequality namely inequality of condition and inequality of opportunity. Inequality of condition refers to factors such as time, income, occupation, and education, whereas, inequality of opportunity focuses on the individual and the degree of freedom they may have. Equity and inclusion policies should aim to negate these inequalities. In order to correctly analyse the equity and inclusion policies and their impact on a group within society an organisational SWOT analysis will be conducted for British Rowing in regards to their Equity and Inclusion policies and initiatives (Appendix). A SWOT grid / matrix is a grid that highlights the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats associated with an organisation. The strengths are positive factors that are internal to the organisation and within their control. The weakness are also internal factors that may hinder the organisations ability to attain their goals. Opportunities are external factors that the organisation can use and take advantage of in order to progress. Threats are also external factors that could jeopardise the organisations progress.   Once the grid has been filled the information is analysed to ascertain the limitations and issues affecting the organisation. The benefits of a SWOT analysis are that it is cost free, quick and easy to use, anyone can conduct it, it can highlight strengths, weaknesses, deter threats, capitalise on opportunities, provide a better understanding of the organisation and help develop goals and strategies. There are, however, limitations to a SWOT analysis. A S WOT analysis cannot provide solutions, doesnt prioritise issues, it is open to human error, can produce a lot of useless information and doesnt address complex two sided factors that could be considered a strength or a weakness. Taking these into consideration I have listed 3-5 key points in each grid and will expand on them during the analysis. The first strength that was highlighted was that the British Rowing Equity Policy identified key principles in regards to equity in rowing. It stated that Sports Equity is about fairness in sport, equality of access, recognising inequalities and taking steps to address them. It involves changing the culture and structure of sport to ensure that it becomes equally accessible to all members of society (BRITISH ROWING EQUITY POLICY, 2014). It goes on to explain that no members will be treated differently due to certain factors (age, class, gender etc.) and that anyone can have an equal opportunity to participate. This shows that the equity policy has considered the two notions of inequality as previously discussed and that it will try to address these issues. The second strength highlighted was the implementation of an equity action plan to display their commitment to sports equity. The action plan is 5 points and one key point is the commitment to tackle under representation should eff ort be unevenly distributed. They also state the need to review the policy annually which is good practice. The third strength highlighted was the recognition of the legal requirements to be fair and equitable. This includes The Equality act: 2010 among others. The forth strength highlighted was the Adaptive rowing initiative designed to encourage people with disability to join rowing. Through this initiative, they also recruit people to participate in the Paralympics. This is an excellent strength and one that is surely equitable. The final strength was a statistic from 2013 showing that 52% of new recruits were men and 48% were women which displays a very even split between the two genders. This shows their equity policy is working to break down gender barriers as previous stats showed a 60/40 split in favour of men (British Rowing, 2013). The first weakness in the equity and inclusion initiatives was that participation from state schools remains low. 7% of the U.Ks school children are educated by independent schools but 54% of Great Britains elite rowers from the 2012 Olympic games were educated at independent schools. Those from state schools learnt almost entirely from boat clubs (Brown, 2016). The second weakness was that the cost of equipment/membership. Membership at clubs can be on average  £150-300 for a junior participant and even more for adults (Club rules, forms and prices, 2017 and Smithson, 2017). There is also a membership fee with British Rowing from  £17 for a junior to  £1150 for a lifetime membership. These fees may not be affordable for those who are struggling financially and who are in poverty and therefore the costs of the memberships act as a barrier to participation for those individuals. The final weakness is that equity policy states that British Rowing will publicise this to all employ ees, members, volunteers and officials through its website, Almanack, magazine and club mailings (BRITISH ROWING EQUITY POLICY, 2014). This is good to an extent but there is no mention of publicising its equity policy beyond its members and inner circles. By publicising its equity policy to a wider and more diverse audience in the public it is possible to encourage more participation from individuals that may not realise the opportunity is there to join the sport and that it is inclusive. The first opportunity highlighted was the increased popularity in rowing after the success of the 2012 Olympic games in London. British Rowing endured a spike in new recruits of 12.2% in the final 6 months of 2012 (British Rowing, 2013). British Rowing could take further advantage of this by specifically targeting certain groups in society that have low participation levels. The second opportunity is related to the first. It was that the one of the Olympic legacys goals were Promoting community engagement and achieving participation across all groups in society through the Games (London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games Annual Report February 2011). The final opportunity is that rowing is one of Britains most successful sports. They have accumulated 68 medals, including 31 gold, in mens rowing alone at the Olympics, 3rd overall in the history of the games. This can inspire more people to join and be part of the sport. The first threat highlighted was that costs may remain high or even grow with inflation. Costs to participate is a barrier for individuals but the cost for state schools to build facilities and buy equipment, such as boat houses, indoor rowers, storage rooms etc., can be a major factor in state schools deciding not to become involved in rowing. Another threat is that, despite being one of Britains most successful sports, rowing still falls behind other sports such as football, rugby, tennis, cricket, badminton, swimming, and athletics, in terms of popularity (Russell, 2014). Other sports may be more appealing to new participants and sports that are played regularly at both state and independent schools will inevitably have higher participation levels and a more diverse participation pool. The final threat is that now that the 2012 Olympics is long over, and the buzz around rowing is diminishing, the opportunity to encourage state schools and people from social deprivation backgrounds to participate could be fading. From the SWOT analysis, we can see there are issues and challenges for people in social deprivation and in the lower classes of society. To fully understand the context and impact of this, definitions must be understood and sociological theory must be applied. Sociology, as defined by Giddens (2001), is the study of human social life, groups and societies. A theory is a framework for understanding, but it always develops within a particular cultural context and is always provisionalà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ theory provides us with a starting point for our understanding but it begs to be expanded, contradicted, refined, replaced (Birrell, 2000). Therefore, a sociological theory is a framework of understanding around the study of human social life, groups, and societies. Three key terms must also be understood and they are ideology, power, and politics. Ideology is the shared ideas or beliefs which serve to justify the interests of dominant groups (Giddens, 2001). Power is the ability of individ uals, or the members of a group, to achieve aims or further the interests they holdà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Many conflicts in society are struggles over power (Giddens, Sutton, 2013, p. 584). Politics takes place wherever conflict exists about goals and the method of achieving those goals (Houlihan, 2002). The way in which society develops unequal layers based on wealth, income, status, and power is defined as social stratification (Beedie, Craig, 2010, p. 116). Karl Marxs Conflict Theory can be used to better understand the social stratification from the perspective of poorer groups and less powerful of people. Karl Marxs work on conflict theory can be best understood by taking into consideration the context of the social world in which he lived. He developed his work during the mid-19th Century, which was a time of deep political and social unrest, due to the rapid expanding system of industrial capitalism and the political and economic issues that accompanied it (Foster, 1979). These political and economic tensions helped to further divide society in the form of social classes, that competed against each other, forming a class conflict. The Marxist view on social class can be basically divided into two main groups but the reality is that there are at least four groupings, which Marx identified to a certain extent. They are the lumpenproetariat, the proletariat, the petite bourgeoisie, and the bourgeoisie. They can also be called the underclass, the working class, the middle class, and the upper class. Each have their own problems and goals and are interconnected and interdependent to a ce rtain degree. This makes it hard to allocate class labels at times as it be a fluid and elastic term that is ever changing. Nevertheless, Marx describes the upper class as the class in control of the means of production and the classes below are the ones that make these means possible by selling their labour for wages. This division of labour causes relationships between classes to become exploitative where the upper classes exploit the lower classes by maximising commodity production for profit rather than need. This profit driven ideology is based on and creates inequalities and these inequalities between the classes cause conflict. This relates back to the definition of power where by conflicts in society are struggles over power and that the groups that wield the most power (upper class) can further their aims and interests that they hold. This also then relates back to our definition of politics; that it takes place wherever conflict exists about goals. This explains why some o f the most powerful people in society are located at the summit of politics (Rigauer, Tomlinson, 2002). When applying this sport, it is important to understand, as previously mentioned, that sport can act as a microcosm of society and reflect the fractures and divisions within society. If modern sport was developed in the 19th Century in tandem with the rise of industrial capitalism, then it is understandable that the same divides and conflicts that were in society at the time were reflected in sport. Houlihan and Malcolm (2016) add to this and state that Sport reflects and reproduces the ideologies of capitalism like aggressive individualism, ruthless competition, elitismà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦These ideasà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦in sport, reflect the broader structure of capitalist society. Having considered the historical context of rowing at the beginning of the report, it is clear to see how Sugden, Tomlinson (2000) suggested that rowing was a sport more associated with the upper classes. As rowing as a competitive sport began to form in independent schools, which became less and less accessible to the lower classes with the rise of industrial capitalism, the only class with the opportunity to participate in the sport were the upper classes that attended the high fee paying schools and as a result rowing, with its lack of lower class members became a sport for the upper class in the 19th century.   Beedie, Craig (2010) support this with an example of the town of Bedford. Bedford is a town with a tradition for rowing due to the River Ouse which flows near it. The grass roots entry points to rowing here were dominated by the fee paying independent schools and thus, any school children from state schools wishing to get involved in rowing had a very little oppor tunity to do so. They go on to state that rowing does not reflect the cosmopolitan diversity of social groups living in Bedford, but instead remains populated by those privileged educationally. Despite conflicts of social classes being less volatile and society being more integrated in the modern era of sport, the class divide in British Rowing is still clear to see. Of the 12 board members in British Rowing, only 2 attended state schools and of all the elite athletes that represented GB, 54% were educated in independent schools. Despite the organisations significant steps to improving inclusion for disability and female participants, it still has an identity as an upper-class sport. This could be further explained again using Marxism as Marx suggests that the ruling elite à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦controls the means of mental production (Storey, 1993). If the people in charge of British Rowing and the lead figures and elite athlete are constantly coming from upper class backgrounds, then the image and idea of rowing being an upper-class sport cannot be changed. As I have previously mentioned, equity and inclusion polices should seek to negate the inequalities associated with that spo rt. One of those inequalities was highlighted as a lack of opportunity for people in poverty and the lower classes as poverty is at the core of exclusion (Collins, Kay, 2014). To combat this inequality and exclusion, I recommend that British Rowing should seek to reach out to other organisations to form a partnership with the goal of bringing more water sports to state schools. Craig, Mellor (2010) state that the recognition of, and involvement in, common activities enables and promotes social cohesion. Therefore, if more and more people from poverty and social deprivation backgrounds can have a better opportunity to participate in rowing it would improve relations between social classes even more and help to alleviate any barriers. For British Rowing, it will also provide a much larger pool of athletes to choose for elite level competition, for example the Olympics, and this could boost Great Britains success in the sport even further. They have proven that initiatives for specific populations (Female, Disability etc.) can improve participation and success in those groups and further effort for people in poverty could boost participation for that group a lso. Other potential means of improving participation could be to place a cap on membership fees so that they cant rise to a level that will become unaffordable to more people. Reaching out to state schools and providing them with equipment would be highly costly to the organisation. As sport becomes more commercialised and media heavy it is perhaps an option for British Rowing to negotiate a TV or sponsorship deal to raise capital for initiatives to improve equity and inclusion in their sport. Events at the Olympics and The Boat Race are the two main televised rowing events. As The Boat Race is one day per year and events at the Olympics only come once every 4 years, opportunity to highlight the sport to wider audience is not as frequent as some of the sports competitors. Staging exhibition races or creating completions for television could get more regular coverage and help to spread interest in rowing and also raise funds for initiatives to improve equity and inclusion. As sport not only reflects society but also helps to shape it, by using rowing to break down social barriers within the sport, and within social groups, society too may be effected in a positive way. Breaking down these barriers will help to provide more opportunities for participation and to be more fair and equal.

The Definitions of Community Development

The Definitions of Community Development This study is focused on community development work. It identifies the definitions of community as an initiative to the study and gradually expands the study to a broader extent of the field of community development. It analyses the strengths and problems in communities and then the consideration was given to identify how to develop marginalization Social exclusion. After expanding the study in above area it is analyzed the knowledge skills requirements in Community Development for a community worker under that several important areas has been discussed. Facilitation of Community Development worker in community initiatives is the next section described in this study accordingly it was separately discussed contribution made by community development worker, role of community development worker in empowering community, importance of Knowledge skills of the community to sustain and the methods of devolving responsibility for sustaining a project The impact of project work on communities has been discussed under the next section of this study accordingly under that area the potential long term short term effect of projects of projects on communities, Potential barriers for successful community development activities and the ways of overcoming barriers to community development has been described. As a whole when it comes to the whole study area it can be explained that this study covers a vital area of the subject area and it expands the knowledge and skills of a student to discover his or her potential to in the field of studies. The each and every section of the study provides the opportunity to identify and analyze different areas under the field of study in a broader context. Rather than providing just theoretical knowledge to the student the structure of the study provides a very good framework to get a practical knowledge on the field of study. Examine Definitions of Community Community Development Definitions of Community Community Development Definitions onCommunity According to the studies and analysis of a team of research members of the department of Town Country Planning University of Moratuwa it is explained a community as a social group of any dimension whose members exist in a specific locality and share government, and mostly have a common cultural and historical heritage. Further they elaborate a community is a social, religious, occupational, or other group who are sharing most of common features or interests. According to the above definition it is informed that there are several social groups exists in the society and according to their social group people gather in a same locality and create a common culture among them, further according to that definition most of these social groups develop these communities in accordance with the religion, occupation or their social status or etc. As described by the www.ourcivilization.com it is explained that a community is set of people sharing a common perceptive who expose themselves by using the same language, manners, customs and law, which is known as their tradition. This definition is also provides a meaning as above which says a community is a group of people who are having same type of interest and living pattern. Another study on community explains a community as a social group of any magnitude whose members reside in a specific locality, share government, and often have a common cultural and historical heritage. Accordingly when consider about all these definitions about community, a community can be defined as a gathering of set of people who is having same characteristics and behavior and living in a specific location which empowers their behavior pattern. Definitions on Community Development Community development can be explained as the process of serving a community strengthen the community and develop in order to achieve e its full potential. The facilitators on community development work in partnership with local people and organizations to meet identified needs. According to the study of Prof. W.G.Kularatne, Social science professor of University of Colombo, Sri Lanka describes Community Development means enhancing the quality of peoples lives and increasing their potential to shape their own futures through improving their access to opportunities to better themselves. As per the web site www.envision.ca/templates/profile.asp describes community development is not economic development economic development is only a part of it. Community development is the procedure or attempting of building communities on a local level with emphasis on building the economy, forming and strengthening social ties, and developing the non-profit sector. Strengths Problems in Communities Strengths of the Community When there is a community there is a feeling of belongingness among the members of the community, this creates many more potential for them to develop as a team. This feeling leads them to create their own values and identities. When there is a particular community is established an effective educational delivery system could be developed easily for the wellbeing of that community. When there is a community a core health system and a sanitary system can be easily developed for that community which will lead for the well-being of them. When there are established religious communities it is easy to undertake their religious activities without interruptions. A community develops a better culture and it creates a better living standard for that community. Problems in Communities There are several problems associated with communities. Communities creates gangs, this means when people are living for a long time in a particular one community it creates the we feeling among them, this we feeling is really good for a society but in most cases this we feeling in communities has become dangerous because when they form together they are tend to do illegal things. Formulation of communities can be dangerous when they are formed with the intention of very stick rules and regulations. For an example when there are people formed merely on the basis of religions sometimes it can be harmful for the other communities. Communities are viable for fights. Even the members in the particular community living with common interest still there is a strong possibility Marginalization Social exclusion Marginalization and social exclusion can be developed due to several reasons. One of the main reasons is the income of the people, income acts as a main reason for peoples marginalization and exclusion when people do not have enough money for their social living they hide out from the society. The education level is also a critical factor for social marginalization, when people have low education they are living only in a particular social level as a result certain group of people marginalizes in the society. The religious and cultural believes is also a reason for social marginalization. Due to some cultural believes and as well the religious believes people live away from the society. Knowledge Skills Requirements in Community Development Knowledge Skills Requirements in Community Development Community Development Initiative Community Development Initiative (CDI) provides a diversity of training and learning opportunities for communities. It is initiated with the development of social work. Under community development initiatives it identifies the various people in various level and identify their requirements and provide and implement programs for their wellbeing. Process Involved in Harness Community Action There are several ways involved in harness community action but this method is mostly used in community action projects and plans and even in Belfordshire Universal health care home which is well known in Bedfordshire is also using the following methods in their community development initiatives. Step One Start with Where You Are If we need to harness the best out of community action the first thing we have to do is educate ourselves. It means the conducting person or the decision making team should understand the method and the benefits of community action. Otherwise this will be a total misconduct. As we know anything will be success if only the leader is a effective person. Otherwise other subordinates cannot implement the project effectively. Accordingly the team or the person who is going to undertake the community action plan should get educated himself. He or she can refer relevant books and articles that speak to the importance and benefits of community action plan and also refer project related Web site for annotated bibliographies of research, articles, news and other resources. And also another best method is get people talking Have conversations with your own personal networks. Share Last Child in the Woods. Find out who else might be interested, because the practical experience is more important than reading. Your research and analysis will identify a wide variety of characteristics within the community, contributing to the value of the discussion, the richness of the vision, and the resources available. The participant analysis looks for perspectives based on such elements as specific interests, location in the region, their connection to education or nature, occupation, gender, age, economics, and religious practice. From this you will get yourself familiar with the project. Step Two Create Connection This means get connect with the community knowledge base about what is happening in your community and who might have a natural affinity for this issue. As you conduct these interviews, natural champions will emerge with the passion for the issue and skill place you need. Some or all of these champions will become your small group of community leaders who will perform the functions of the Initiating Committee (IC). Be sure to follow up this initial interview with appropriate communications-a summary of your interview and meeting notes, thank you e-mails, notes or calls. Step Three- Create Initiating Committee The Initiating Committee (IC) is consisting of five to fifteen community leaders. These leaders are selected from researching and interviewing the relevant members of selected community who appeared during your mapping process. Members of the IC should reproduce the variety of the community and present credibility to the process by their involvement. Their primary responsibility is organizational development. This small operational group will focus on several distinct and important tasks such as defining the capacity of the project, humanizing the process, identifying a diverse group of stakeholders to come together to work or make groups for implementation of the results, beginning essential and useful research, and providing the structure to support the work that follows. Step Four Identifying and Recruiting the Stakeholder Group Stakeholder group is the group who is doing the planning consisting with stakeholder group of 40 to 70 people who reflect the diversity of the community. A systematic analysis of the comfort and perspective that exist within the community will be created. They will contribute to discuss about the richness of the vision, and the resources for implementation of the strategies. The participant analysis should be based on such elements as specific interests, location in the region, occupation, gender, age, economic condition, religious practice, and any other descriptive elements identified by the IC. Step Five Kick-Off Event This means a kind of a large scale public awareness even and it can be a awareness by walking. At minimum, it should involve the stakeholders identified by the IC. Participants should be formally invited to the kick-off no later than 6 weeks prior to the event and ideally as many as 10 weeks in advance. The formal invitation should itself be a reflection of the unbiased variety you hope to achieve at the event and should be issued from the leaders of at least two or three partnering organizations. The Stakeholder Group begins its work with a kick-off event. The kick off serves to inspire the participants, create an understanding about the initiative and provide an opportunity for the stakeholders to get to know one another and begin the development of a high performance team. The kick-off event should be part social gathering, part pep rally, and part media event. Then after that get the ideas of the participants. Step Six Kick-off event and Afterwards This means stakeholders will develop strategies and products. This can be done as group works. Then they can come out with alternative ideas. Step Seven Community Outreach Throughout the planning phase of the process, you will want to conduct a number of outreach activities to support the effort. It is critical to make sure that there is widespread public awareness of the work to make the project that anyone who is interested can have input into the plan through the Stakeholder Group. The outreach strategy should encourage a two-way dialogue between stakeholders in their planning work and the community as a whole. Step Eight Implementation This may include Managing the ongoing implementation process. Serve as a central clearinghouse and resource to the task groups. Monitor and support individual activities and projects. Help to make resources for individual activities and projects. Provide course to the in general initiative Coordinator. Step Nine Monitoring, assessment and refinement mechanisms This step is enormously important to maintain the interest and involvement of as many of the stakeholders and the strategic planning process participants as probable while continuing to recruit new help. Motivation for progressing participation often arises from the ownership the participants experience for the plan they have created and the wish to see their information get hold. Early success during the implementation stage allows this. Facilitation of Community Development worker in community initiatives Contribution Role made by community development worker The community development officer has to play a vital role in community development. It is not wrong if we say that successfulness of community development totally depends on the contribution of the community development officer. Community development officer works in different aspects to ensure the successfulness of community development programs. Under community development the community development officer has to contribute as a good negotiator to the society because in community development activities different type of people are met and they acts differently therefore a community development officer has to act as a good negotiator when deal with different type of people that contribution of a community development officer is essential for the successful community development. The Community development officer should work as a interpreter to ensure his successful contribution. When work with different communities there education and level of understanding is different, therefore the community development officer should be interpret and describe properly for the community. Another important contribution of a community development officer is a community development officer should work as a role model; otherwise the community development activity does not become successful. Most of the people in the community look and tries to imitate the community development officer as their role model, therefore every community development officer should, contribute to its development by being a role model. As a whole to ensure the successfulness of community development programs the community development officer should contribute by doing his duty not as a job but as a social service, that is the main contribution expected from a community development officer. Importance of Knowledge skills of the community to sustain In community development the knowledge and skills of the community is highly importance in order to ensure the successfulness of the program. In one hand their skills is useful because it helps for the community development officer to absorb the initiatives done in the program. It is not successful to implement program for a people who are totally unskilled and not willing for change and development. On the other hand the knowledge of the community becomes helpful because when they are in knowledge they provide more participation for the initiative. The participation of the community is highly required for the successfulness of the community development programs. Anyhow it can be defined that to make sure the programs are successful it is required to have at least a minimum level of knowledge and skill for the community. Methods of devolving responsibility for sustaining a project Partial responsibility should be given to the community in order to ensure successfulness of community development programs otherwise the development initiative become only a one-way program which doesnt successful at all. Accordingly there are several methods where we can distribute the responsibility for the community. Accordingly one of the successful methods is taking the ideas of the community in each and every part of the project. In that some key persons from the community is selected and then let them to work with the community development officers to deliver the responsibility to the community. This is very effective because this method allows people to work with the officers and accordingly the community becomes the real participants of the program. One of the other methods is providing monitoring for the community. In this method the monitoring part of the program is delivered to the community, then the community ensures to unstopped implementation of the program which is also highly effective. Impact of Project work on communities Potential long term short term effect of projects on communities There are several long term and short term potential effects on projects. Accordingly in short term people get aware about the development initiatives and tend to work with that basically in long term the project outcomes works out an gradually it becomes a tradition of the community. Normally in most community development projects in short term there may be different unusual behaviors seen from the society this means let say a community who lived in a shanty houses very transformed to a housing apartment, as a result of that immediate transformation of the living environment, it affects totally on the lives of them. Sometimes in short term they may behavior very unusually sometimes they may be doing different unacceptable activities. In short term all this happen because human being take some time to admire to a change. But in long term people accepts the change. Potential barriers for successful community development activities Ways of overcoming barriers to community development In community development there may be several barriers, one of the main reason is un-willingness of community to accept the initiative. Due to un education or any other reason in most times at first the communities rejects the change, so to avoid that the best thing we can do is give proper awareness about the initiatives that we have planned out. Another potential barrier is the influence of few powerful groups of people. This means in most cases when majority accepts the program only few people who are very powerful in the community influences and break the initiative, only thing we can do is give proper awareness to the majority. Conclusion This study covers a wide area on community development. Accordingly the study firstly assessed the definitions on community and community development which provided a broader area of knowledge on its definitions. After working on that the next study was o identifying strengths and as well the problems in the communities, accordingly it was found that there are huge potentials in a community and as well several problems when gather as a community. After that it was identified the reasons for the social marginalization. In the next section it was studied community actions as a sequential process. After that the consideration has been given to studying on facilitation of Community Development worker in community initiatives under that it was deeply studied the Contribution role made by community development worker , Importance of Knowledge skills of the community to sustain and methods of devolving responsibility for sustaining a project. In the latter part of the study impact of Project work on communities has been described. As a whole this study provides a good knowledge in the community development while providing the opportunity to get more practical knowledge on the subject area.

Comparing Dostoevskys Crime and Punishment and Ralph Waldo Emersons Self-Reliance :: Comparison Compare Contrast Essays

Comparing Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment and Ralph Waldo Emerson's Self-Reliance "It is only as a man puts off from himself all external support, and stands alone, that I see him to be strong and to prevail..." -Emerson Ralph Waldo Emerson's stance on human nature as seen in Self-Reliance is antithetical to that of Dostoevsky's in Crime and Punishment. It is my sincere hope that, had Emerson read this novel, he would have considered more carefully the implications of embracing a self-reliant human nature. A self-reliant nature infers that the self is not relying on the divine for wisdom, but on personal judgments, scientific conclusions, and moral convictions. A self-reliant human being is one that believes that (s)he is capable of arriving at the same plane as God; divinity lies within. Following this nature leads to pervasive feelings of isolation from others because one feels independent from the thoughts of all human beings and thereby rejects any commonality among humans. By failing to recognize the fallibility of the self and the limitations of personal thought and experience, one transcends and also defies his own humanity. Svidrigailov, the pernicious, obstinate character who successfully defies humanity, personifies Emerson himself. Emerson's words echo Svidigailov's resolute theory on human nature: "... If I am the devil's child, I will live then from the devil. No law can be sacred to me but that of my nature. Good and bad are but names very readily transferable to that or this; the only right is what is after my constitution, the only wrong what is against it. A man is to carry himself in the presence of all opposition as if every thing were titular and ephemeral but he" (Emerson, 260). Emerson and Svidigailov share in the amoral belief that Truth is found only by following one's own nature. Because divinity lies within one's nature, it is logical that not following one's nature is to reject the will of God. Emerson's words spell out the very point Dostoevsky wishes to refute. Dostoevsky conveys that this notion of a personal "constitution" is the very cause of immorality and misery among human be ings. For it is in one's personal "constitution" where isolation begins and the common Truth in all beings is defied. Raskolnikov, the self-righteous student who tests his ability to transcend human nature by committing murder, cannot fully accept his personal constitution as truth. He is dubious of Svidigailov's character and thus Emerson's theory.

A Response to 2001: A Space Odyssey Essay -- 2001 Space Odyssey Essays

A Response to 2001: A Space Odyssey I love having the Blue Danube waltz in 2001; it's my favorite part of the movie. What I find most amusing about it is that it ties in so well with the smoothness of a space orbit. In the first space scene, anything that is free floating, like the pen or the ships themselves, is perfectly in balance with the music. Nothing in orbit is ever rushed, and at no time does it ever falter from its halcyon state of existence. The Blue Danube matches this perfectly, and it contrasts sharply with the forced human stellar endeavors that are also present. For example, when the attendant is attempting to walk along the spacecraft aisle, she looks like a toddler who is just learning to walk, and the music that accompanies her is so sublime and unencumbered. Even the pen she is reaching toward looks like a champion athlete in comparison to her awkward movement. On one level, this can be seen as a symbol for the general idea of humans fighting with nature itself. Humanity has always tried to se parate itself from the "beasts;" we have intricate eating customs that involve utensils, we wear clothes that are much more intricate than those that would be required by basic needs, and most importantly, we do everything we can to make our societies totally disconnected from nature. If this message is, in fact, a part of Kubrick's statement, then it is directly comparable to Nietzsche's ideas on science and technology. Specifically, I refer to the story on science in "Thus Spoke Zarathustra," where Zarathustra discusses the aspect of science that acts as a security blanket for mankind. As a race, we develop theories and inventions to understand our existence and force our e... ... though. Specifically, he makes me dread the scenes that showcase his creations of strife and pain. If Kubrick intended me to raise my blood pressure during the first space-monolith scene, then his use of Ligeti did the trick. Maybe that's exactly what he intended. Maybe he was trying to communicate the anguish that is inherent to the change embodied by the monolith or the incomprehensibility that overwhelms our imaginations if we think too hard about the infinite stretch of space. Or, maybe he just wanted something that made those particular scenes stick out and appear ripe for interpretation in any of numerous ways. Either way, regardless of the intelligence at work in the non-Strauss scoring, I still viscerally liked the Strauss and not much else musically. That's ok, though, because the Blue Danube and the introduction to Thus Spoke Zarathustra are just that good.

Political Stability and the History of Weather in Brazil Essay

The political stability of Brazil has always relied heavily on the abundance of natural resources to be found in the Amazon rainforest, and has been severely tested in eras of colonization, periods of boom-and-bust, world wars, and civil wars. Populations migrated from Asia to the Americas when sea levels were lowered by 100 meters due to the expanding glaciers and ice sheets of the last ice age, and dry land linked Alaska to Siberia (Lamb 112). One group, the Incans, settled along the Andes. Since the only beast of burden, the llama, was too small to carry a man, they lived mostly sedentary lives. They also stratified their populations on the sides of the Andes to take advantage of the different capacities of the land (growing cotton at sea level, maize on the piedmont, and potatoes in the highlands). For people living in the Amazon basin, the climate induced them to be even less materialistic. Belongings left in a thatch-and-pole hut by semi-nomadic people would be destroyed through a combination of humidity and insects by the time the roamers returned to the settlement (Place 22). The Indians also developed a social structure in which each individual Indian would be responsible for possessing mentally all the necessary information for making a living in a tropical rainforest: hunting practices, habits of particular game animals, rituals, food manufacture, and crop varieties (Roosevelt 23). After the arrival of the Europeans, indigenous peoples died from new diseases like smallpox, measles, and typhus in what was eventually called the â€Å"largest demographic collapse in history† (Webb). While the indigenous populations were struggling to survive, European colonizers were moving in with horses, dogs, cattle, chickens, and slav... ...ssed 20 November 2004. Place, Susan E., ed. Tropical Rainforests: Latin American Nature and Society in Transition. Wilmington, Del.: Scholarly Resources, 1993. Roosevelt, Anna. Amazonian Indians from Prehistory to the Present: Anthropological Perspectives. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 1994. â€Å"Rubber: War.† Pulse of the Planet. National Science Foundation. Program #2233, September 2000. http://www.pulseplanet.com/archive/Sep00/2233.html. Accessed 20 November 2004. â€Å"Rubber: Boom.† Pulse of the Planet. National Science Foundation. Program #2232, September 2000. http://www.pulseplanet.com/archive/Sep00/2232.html. Accessed 20 November 2004. Steffen, Alex. â€Å"Fome Zero.† WorldChanging: Another World is Here. 4 December 2003. http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/000168.html. Accessed 20 November 2004. Webb, James. Lecture. Colby College. 7 March 2004.

Just Below the Surface

Just below the surface The story is written by Kate Nivison and takes place in a London suburb in an upper class environment (p. 41, l. 14) in modern time (p. 42, l. 23). It is a first person narrator so we sympathize with Indrani. Indrani: * Is an Indian woman (p. 42, l. 37) * Is education, but not highly educated * She is very bigoted (p. 42, p. 29-30) * She thinks the British people are xenophobic (the woman in the shop and the men from the council, p. 43, l. 5) * She is very concerned about what other people think about her (p. 42, l. 19) * She feels suppressed (p. 43, l. 16) * She wants to be a good wife and desperately wants to keep up her appearances (p. 42, l. 1) She wants to keep her pride that is typical for the Indian culture. * The British people are biased against her (p. 43, l. 13) * She is trying to assimilate to the society, but the society hasn’t assimilated to the foreigners because the foreigners want to keep their values (p. 48, l. ) * She develops through the story; in the beginning she doesn’t mind the racism against her. She doesn’t notice it. But in the end she gets an eye-opener. * She is dependent on her husband (p. 44, l. 6) * She tries to avoid conflicts Barry: * He is a hidden racist (p. 48, l. 14) * Is very ironic (p. 4, l. 31) * He uses metaphors (p. 47, l. 15) * He is insolent * He is very biased There are a lot of dialogs and direct speech in the story. Also colloquial language because of the direct speech.There can be drawn parallels to the story My Son the Fanatic because in both stories there is a person who tries to integrate to the British society. There can also be drawn parallels to Mrs. Frost and Barry because they are both very bigoted. There can also be drawn parallels to Robin Cook’s speech. He says the immigrants are good for the country while Barry wants to get rid of them. The rats symbolize the immigrants according to the Barry. The kitchen symbolizes her facade.

Books and e-books Essay

In time of technical progress e-books are getting more popular day by day, but still most of the people prefer hard copy of books and do not support new fashion wave. Book has always been the best present for any kind of occasion, it is something that does not have an expiration date and it will always be in fashion. However, you cannot give e-book as present, of course you can send my e-mail, but you cannot put your sign and it sort of loosing meaning as a present, because you cannot touch it. On the other hand prices for e-books are lower and you can get a variety of free e-books, so everyone can enjoy literature from all of the world, but you should have special gadget to read e-books, and it is additional expanses for reading. In contrast, printed books are sort of pricy, and you cannot buy as much books as you want, as a result you are not trying to read new authors whose creations had not become bestsellers. Spending money on books is good investing, because you can collect a library and after you can leave it for next generations, as I mentioned before book is the product that does not have an expiration date. Having your library in an electronic devise it is a risky business, by reason on viruses that attacking devises every day and deleting all information from them or you can just loose an e-reader with all your book collection. Also hard copy book does not need to be charged and you can read as much as you want and wherever you want, unlike e-book is charging from electricity.