SOCIAL IMPACT 2018 - 3d PARIS SUMMER SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK July 2nd -July 27th 2018 PARIS - FRANCE - Epss
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3d PARIS SUMMER SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK
July 2nd -July 27th 2018 PARIS - FRANCE
epss ou
r futu
re is your
s
2018
SOCIAL IMPACT
PROJECTS
A WORD OF WELCOME
What kind of society do we want? As individuals, we have values, passions and
rebellions.
But what can WE change with our own two hands?
What is that teeny, tiny thing that we can do to change the world?
Some small projects do big things, but they all begin with a single individual’s wish
and determination. First comes the willpower. Not the funding, or the stats.
So, what is your idea?
Let yourself be bowled over the Paris Summer School participants’ passionate plan
for change and let’s roll our sleeves up!
Creating something new together is the first step to building a better the world!
Olivier HUET
Director General
CULTIVATING FUTURES
CULTIVATING FUTURES
Alexa Aliberti, Antonya May, Sheroz Naimov,
& Jorden Hayes
and reduce existing disparities between them
(Paisley, 2016). Additionally, one of the major
Social workers are expected to keep up with challenges for public authorities is to fight school
various forms of current research that discuss inequalities, promote educational achievement
the most successful interventions, treatments, for all young persons, and facilitate their access
policies, ethics, and so much more. Additionally, to employment (Paisley, 2016). While vocatio-
they are expected to identify the gaps in previous nal integration and employment training seems
literature and discuss a more efficient way to logical to be incorporated in education, it is not
reach success specific to their proposed program, always a primary concern for childcare facilities.
project, or policy. Generally speaking, Retaux Therefore, the employment aspect of support is
and Fabienne (2016) state that there are public often insufficient and deemed as less important
reports that highlight the lack of knowledge of when compared to socialization, accommodation,
the child protection domain and policy: limited health, and finance (Retaux & Fabienne, 2016). It
information systems and references in terms of is safe to say that youth workers are often under-
the various practices and intervention methods qualified and do not always have the resources
with little or no evaluation. Thus, there is a and tools, such as specific skills and professional
growing need to implement observation, study, network, that are required for work.
and development initiatives in this domain Based on previous research, childcare facilities
(Retaux & Fabienne, 2016). When experiencing should partner with a donation-based, not-for-
the different operations of facilities that focus on profit project, known as Cultivating Futures,
the youth in Pairs, a specific social issue became to provide this population with extra help. Da
evident—unemployment for young adults who are Beer (n.d.) mentions the relevance of training
aging out of the childcare system. and apprenticeship programs for resolving the
problem of unemployment among youth in
Background and Description France, and further implies that trained youths
In relation to exclusion, the French system results have the talents to enter professional life under
in individuals facing difficulties obtaining wor- better conditions than those directly coming from
king papers, and therefore difficulties obtaining academics. Cultivating Futures would consist of
a job. According to the CIA, the unemployment workshops that focus on job/interviewing skills
rate for youth, ages 15-24, in France is 25% for and would prove to be beneficial in doing just
males and 24% for females, with a youth depen- that, cultivating the futures of the young adults
dency ratio of 29.1. Additionally, the school-life aging out of the childcare system. In addition
expectancy (from primary to tertiary education) to the workshops, a fashion aspect would be
is merely 16 years, males being 16 years and included, in which formal work attire, such as
females being 17 years (CIA). It is estimated that suits, blouses, dress pants, dresses, etc. would be
approximately 110,000 young people per year donated from local citizens and/or from stores
leave the school system without any qualifica- themselves. After the workshops, the users would
tions. The percentage of young people (15 to 29 be encouraged to try the clothes on and keep
year-olds) who are unemployed and no longer in what they like to get them excited for their future
the education/training system is an average of careers.
14.9% (Paisley, 2016).
Evidently, some policies and institutions surroun- Statement of the Problem
ding obtaining/needing papers for work impact As mentioned previously, the vocational
this youth population. The main challenge for na- integration of young people is currently a major
tional youth policies is to help promote young per- concern in France and the European Union.
sons’ autonomy, improve their living conditions, Approximately 2% of young people under 18
are cared for under the child protection system, Another goal of Cultivating Futures is to find pas-
with the majority being teenagers in which sionate mentors that become regular volunteers
educational and vocational guidance is crucial. to engage with the youth within 6 months of
When this population begins to age out of the becoming an established organization, on a ratio
system, many of them drop out of school very of one mentor per two youths. Awareness for the
early because they are forced to quickly become need of mentors would be publicized by ads and
autonomous, but then they unfortunately lack the brochures, as well as publicizing the organization
necessary resources to live an independent life on websites built to find volunteer opportunities
(Retaux & Fabienne, 2016). Although institutions in order to generate a flow of volunteer inter-
have been slowly embracing the theme of the views. Publicization will evidently allow for poten-
autonomy of young people cared for under the tial volunteers to be aware of the opportunity to
child protection system (for example, in 2011, the partake in Cultivating Futures, as well as allow
FNFPE financed 48 projects to provide adapted for a large enough pool of potential mentors
care to children and teenagers faced with in order to choose only qualified mentors. This
multiple hardships and reinforce the autonomy would provide qualified and altruistic mentors to
of the young people leaving the child protection young adults within the community in an effort to
system), the decline in funding has made it connect the youth to resources, as well as establi-
impossible to maintain such projects. Lack of sh a positive adult figure within the youths’ lives.
opportunity, autonomy, and self-determination This project intends to create a positive
remains in the daily lives of the young adults atmosphere for the youth to develop and insert
who are homeless and who are aging out of the a strong adult that becomes a go-to person in
child protection system (beginning at age 18 the youths’ lives. In order to create a positive and
years old). There are group homes and services motivating atmosphere within the organization,
for young children, as well as for adolescents; a feedback loop will be implemented in which
however, once they reach adulthood, they volunteers and staff give suggestions and
appear to be on their own, some even without constructive criticism on leadership on a 3-month
identification or health insurance, lacking periodic system. Every three months, each
services and basic human rights. Autonomy is a volunteer and staff member will be sent an
key aspect of social and vocational preparation, evaluation email with a short anonymous survey
and this principle needs to begin before young asking questions about what they would improve
people leave the system so that they can commit about the project; the questions will vary each
to vocational integration, be advised on career period based on the CEO’s discretion. All team
guidance, and preserve continuity between members will have the chance for their voices,
childhood and adulthood. opinions, and inputs to be heard in a constructive
way every three months. The CEO will have
Methods/Goals and Objectives access to these surveys and go over each one and
The main goal of Cultivating Futures is to present them to the board to discuss any changes
help the targeted population enter the workforce, or improvements. This will help to assist service
easing the transition between childhood and users professionally and with well thought-out
adulthood and giving this population the sup- strategic influence.
port to flourish in adulthood. These young adults In order to create a lasting agency, the members
would be prepared through a series of mock of the project will find connections and build
interviews and offered constructive criticism to relationships in the community. Additionally, in
sharpen these imperative communication skills. order to build a network, it would be beneficial to
The success of this project would be measured by reach out to similar organizations, donors, local
the amount of people that undergo this prep and politicians, journalists and other news-related
successfully find a job. In order for this project to mediums. This would give Cultivating Futures
be successful, the project would rely on donations name recognition and positive publicity within the
of formal attire and access to haircuts so the community. The objective is to host a marketing
youth could look professional for the interviews. banquet on behalf of Cultivating Futures every 12
In order to acquire the hair cutting services, the months as an introduction to fostering agencies.
organization can look for sponsors and/or dona- Other fostering agencies come along beside Culti-
tions. vating Futures and become involved with their
fostered youth.
Environmental Forces Evaluation Plan
Something that has become evident is that many For reaching the goals and the mission of the
laws are not created by the represented people project, there will be an evaluation every three
themselves—in this case, the youth aging out of months by survey. The evaluation will be based
the childcare system. The government promotes on 3 categories: for the youth who are being
laws pertaining to the childcare system, but does helped, for staff and volunteers, for the partner
not often implement them. Almost a quarter of organizations to evaluate the work of the project.
young people are seeking employment, and this The survey for the youth will mostly focus on the
situation remains very uneven in relation to the help they get from the volunteers and NGO. Some
levels of diplomas. For example, in 2010, three questions the surveys intend to answer are: did
years after leaving the education system, 85% they really need the support, what differences
of graduates of higher education obtain employ- can they see in their life after the workshops, is
ment compared to 48% of non-graduates. The the support they are getting from the volunteers
reasons for these difficulties are: an educational helpful, in what area they mostly need support,
system that poorly prepares youth for a wor- how well are volunteers doing their jobs, and how
king life and a failing guidance system (Paisley, can they be better to be supportive? For staff
2016). The lack of resources enforces the idea and volunteers, the surveys will mostly address
that society is responsible for the stigma behind how the youth users are doing, the differences
unemployed youth, and it is a social worker’s job they notice from the beginning and months later,
to remind the politicians and society of the fun- what the users are mostly looking/asking for,
damental human rights, incorporating the words recommendations about what else the staff/vo-
and experiences of the users. Overall, Cultivating lunteers can do for the youth, what support they
Futures will strive to beat the stigma and improve may need from the management of the project.
the employment rate for young adults by educa- Conclusively, all of this information will go to the
ting and preparing the youth for the workforce. CEO and the management team will evaluate the
Financial Resources work and see if the goals are being met in terms
In order to make an impact in these young adults of helping the targeted population.
lives, Cultivating Futures will operate mainly from
government funding, fundraisers, volunteers, and
donations. Research states that about 740,000
young people enter the workforce every year.
However, youth employment has declined more
than total employment since mid-2008. The goal
is to get the community involved and excited
about helping better the lives of these young
people. Volunteers will call local businesses to so-
licit donations of clothing and haircuts. Cultivating
Futures will host an annual auction, raffles, and
event ticket sales, in an effort to earn additional
funding. Various businesses and agencies will be
asked to volunteer their time to organize clothing
and donate supplies or gifts to the organization. References
In efforts to secure jobs for the youth, Cultivating Central Intelligence Agency. The World Factbook. Retrieved
Futures will partner with several local agencies from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-wor-
ld-factbook/geos/fr.html
that are interesting in hiring young adults who De Beer, A. (n.d). L’apprentissage en France. Futuribles,
have been prepared for the workforce. In other 318, 77-79.
words, once the youth complete the training, the Retaux, M., Fabienne, F. (2016). Abeona: An effective
agencies that partner with Cultivating Futures can response to care leavers’ professional integration. National
begin to hire service users who have completed Report. Retrieved from http://www.abeona-project.com/
wp-content/uploads/2016/07/National-report-France.pdf
the training process. The ideal goal of Cultivating Paisley, J. (2016). Country Sheet on Youth Policy in France.
Futures is to have 100% of the youth who suc- Youth Partnership. Retrieved from https://pjp-eu.coe.
cessfully partake in the project and workshops be int/documents/1017981/9038134/Country-sheet-
placed in a job with a local agency. France-2016.pdf/08abb89b-cc83-4ab2-8f26-29ffe-
0545d2e
CHILDREN: REFUGEES’ RECONSTRUCTION IN FRANCE
CHILDREN: REFUGEES’ RECONSTRUCTION IN
FRANCE
Carlen Franklin, Caroline Garrett, Ashley Johnson, the courts. If the child is considered a French citizen,
Freya Lundeberg a parent can also apply for citizenship through this
method, but the process time takes just as long.
Statement of the Problem:
Children and adolescents of the refugee population
are limited in the enhancement in biopsychosocial
Background and Description areas of human development that may lead to long
In the 1990’s, a camp was built in the city of Calais to term effects. Seeking a place of asylum could take
help refugees seek asylum. The France government weeks, months, or not at all, resulting with deporta-
dismantled the camp in hopes that the refugees tion. During this time, children and adolescents wait in
will seek another city and decrease the amount of their detention centers until further instructions given.
immigrants coming into their country.It was reported There have not been many reports of what methods
that the camp lasted for years but after the Syrian are being incorporated during the wait time that will
War, France government created and built a wall to encourage the progression of reaching social, biologi-
prevent immigrants to cross over the English Channel. cal, and psychological milestones.With severe delays
The Calais wall is supported today by cameras and in reaching these milestones, it sets up the individual
bobwires to prevent immigrants, mostly men, from for more challenges manifesting in early adulthood.
crossing over to Britain and limit children to adult
interactions. With the continuous debate of the Methods
construction and deconstruction of barriers, the fate This project will begin by reaching out to the workers
of thousands of children is unknown for the children at asylum seekers’ facilities and telling them about
are separated from their parents (McAuley & Adam, our mission and how we can help the children in their
2016). organizations. Once we have made a good connection
Detention centers are described as a process of with one place, we will arrange with them to have
holding individuals who have commit criminal trea- volunteers come in once or twice a week. When we
son with possible deportation unless the government arrive, we will start off this project by having all of our
decides otherwise. Facilities include sleeping mate- volunteers on arrival introduce themselves to the kids
rials such as a blanket and/or cots. Meals may or may and mothers. It is important to have some time at
not be provided depending on the center, country, etc. the beginning to meet them and make connections -
Reports of children being separated to other facilities maybe by bringing snacks and drinks to make a more
in other countries were discussed and implemented. relaxed and positive environment. After this, we are
In addition, reports from the transfers to and from im- going to get all the kids together as a group and do
migration detention centers displayed an increasing some interactive activities that are high energy and
child labor and/or sexual exploitation. . fun. Then, we will split the group into four different
France’s advocacy for the protection and human groups - one for ages 5-6, one for ages 7-8, another
rights for refugee and immigrant children continued for ages 9-10 and a final group for children from the
to evolve in March 2016. This law was to encourage ages of 11-12. However, if there are some kids who
families to stay with their children during migration are more advanced or delayed they can go into either
to a new country. One of the contributing factors of higher or lower level groups. As well, if there are kids
increase of children refugees was the challenges and that are outside of these age ranges but would like
time consumption to become a citizen. Retrieving to participate that is allowed - the only hesitation is
documentation and the process appeared easier for that our resources will be less tailored to their needs
the child than completing as a family unit. Children than those of the kids within the target demographic.
who come unaccompanied may seek citizenship in We would have at least four volunteers, so each of
France if they are under the age of 15. By this time, these groups will have at least one facilitator. Within
a social worker is aiding them in receiving the ap- these groups, we will implement the more acade-
propriate documentation while they reside in foster mic and mentally stimulating activities, games and
homes or MECS. With families, the parents must go books. Each group will have resources tailored to
through a very long process at which they must apply their levels and needs. An example of this is that the
for citizenship through the Cergy Prefecture and wait group with kids from 5-6 years old will have building
close to 6 months for a decision. In many cases, 95% blocks to help them with their spatial awareness and
are declined for asylum although they can appeal to picture books that will be read to them in order to
help their vocabulary and grammatical growth. On the able to help themselves.
other hand, the older groups will have more complex
puzzles that will make them think more critically - Environmental Forces
potentially like Sudoku - and more complex books. An open attitude towards refugees and an
However, the book levels will all be based on the understanding of the complexities of child
French or English that they already have. Ideally, we development are crucial factors behind the
would be able to talk with the workers at these orga- acceptance of this program. Though France’s border
nizations to find out what languages are most com- policies may be more strict than some countries such
monly spoken by the residents, and we would be able as Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey; France’s upholding
to find some resources in their mother tongues as of human dignity far surpasses that of other countries
well. We would like to come to the same organization such as the US. In 2015, France welcomed thousands
twice a week in order to build relationships with the of refugees from Syria, while the US refused to open
kids and mothers that we will be teaching and playing borders to them (Tharoor, 2015). In France, asylum is
with. Instability of people around them and their envi- considered a constitutional right (Library of Congress,
ronment can be disruptive to children’s development, 2016). Asylum seekers can bring their families and
so having some type of consistency with these visits apply for refugee status, and those who receive
may be helpful to their social development. (United refugee status become naturalized French citizens.
Nations, 1989) As well, having the kids do activities The Convention on the Rights of the Child, which
together with other kids their ages may also help their France has ratified, outlines certain entitlements for
social growth and promote cohesion within the group. children: the right to a family environment, special
When it comes to the mothers, they can either parti- consideration due to a difficult background such as
cipate as well, or just take time to themselves during exposure to war, no discrimination due to origin or
the activities. However, it might be helpful to have nationality, respect for one’s cultural background, and
some mothers who speak French to participate in the right to developmentally appropriate recreational
order to have them translate in case some of the kids activities, to name a few (United Nations, 1989).
don’t speak any French. Our program would focus primarily on the right to
developmentally appropriate recreational activities.
Goals and Objectives Human rights ethicist Martha Nussbaum emphasizes
There are many goals we have to help better the de- the importance of play in the capabilities approach to
velopment of these young people waiting in asylums. ethical reasoning, which has been supported by the
We want to provide the kids with activities and people United Nations Development Plan (Kleist, n.d.). From
to look up to in order to help them during this tough this perspective, everyone, just by being human, has
time. We will provide games and activities for various certain inherent rights, without which, their status as
age groups in order to promote mental stimulation. human is delegitimized. In order to be considered a
We want to achieve this goal of providing kids with just nation, a country must ensure these rights for all
some sort of stimulation when they are waiting in the people within its borders, regardless of citizenship
asylum for deportation because lack thereof could status. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR, n.d.) also
have lasting negative effects on their development emphasizes the importance of play for promoting
into adulthood. As stated previously, the volunteers resilience in refugee children.
will be split amongst certain age groups and will come Alongside promoting a healthy and holistic child
in once or twice a week which gives time for the kids development, our program would need to do so in a
to look forward to the volunteers. This is our overall culturally competent manner, as respect for cultural
goal because the young people waiting in these background is another ratified right. We can do so by
asylums get looked over easily and need to have requiring all volunteers to take an orientation course
someone advocating for their needs even if it is them on cultural sensitivity and providing either translation
waiting to be deported. What we plan to see once we or direct communication in languages common to
have reached this goal is positive attitudes from the refugees, such as French and Arabic.
young people as well as continue to see their cognitive
development progress. These goals are absolutely Financial Resources
attainable if we take our time in putting the right In order to ensure this project gets off the ground and
volunteers in place and making very clear from the can flourish, we need to have funding in place. We will
beginning what we plan to see ultimately take place. have volunteers who come in and donate their time
We also have to ensure we put this plan out there to work with the kids as well as accepting all kinds of
to enough people so that we can receive the correct donations form outside people. The volunteers will be
amount of funding from grants, and from donations from various age groups starting at 18 and we predict
from people and various organizations. These goals many of them will be around college age in order to
are relevant because it is innately in social workers to receive college credit for their work. We will take do-
help people at any cost especially those who aren’t nations in different forms from reaching out to various
companies and asking for them and from word of
mouth people spreading the word and those who feel Bibliography
moved will donate. Another way we plan on receiving Collins, L. (2017). Europe’s child refugee crisis. The New
funding is through way of applying for grants, we will Yorker. Retrieved from
take a poll of the effect of our efforts and submit that https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/02/27/eu-
in the form of a proposal in order to receive funding. ropes-child-refugee-crisis
Gouvernement. (n.d.) France opposes introduction of mi-
grant quotas. Gouvernement.fr.
Evaluation Plan Retrieved from
After receiving consent from the participant, pre- https://www.gouvernement.fr/en/france-opposes-introduc-
questionnaires will be proved and completed for each tion-of-migrant-quotas
participant. The questions will include but not limited Kleist, C. (n.d.). Global ethics: Capabilities approach. Inter-
to the following: age, native language, previous net Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved
education level, strength and improve areas in the from http://www.iep.utm.edu/ge-capab/.
certain tasks, and current mood. These questions Library of Congress. (2016). Refugee law and policy: France.
will modify accordingly. Volunteers would work with The Law Library of Congress.
the participants during various activities each visit, Retrieved from https://www.loc.gov/law/help/refugee-law/
france.php
establishing and implementing social interaction
McAuley, J. & Adam, K. (2016). France gets ready to dis-
that will dictate whether there will be regression or mantle ‘the jungle’. But what happens
progression in the emotional, cognitive, and social to the refugee children? Washington Post Europe. Retrieved
areas over time. Data would be collected about these from
particular areas with monthly surveys from both the https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/france-
participant and the volunteer. The participant will gets-ready-to-dismantle-the-jungle
answer questions in regards to what they learned, -but-what-happens-to-the-refugee-
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way. historical-review-americans-view
This project evaluation has its advantages and disad- s-refugees-coming.aspx
vantages. There are advantages of using the question- Sirin, S. R. & Rogers-Sirin, L. (2015). The education and
naires. The questionnaires are simple and convenient mental health needs of syrian refugee
and most of the information can be received on the children. Migration Policy Institute. Retrieved from
arrival of the participant thus making the process qui- https://www.migrationpolicy.org/research/educational-
ck. It gives feedback to program assessor and allows and-mental-health-needs-syrian-re
fugee-children
the participant to be their own advocate. Volunteers
Tharoor, I. (2015). France says it will take 30,000 syrian
would not be required to use large amounts of their refugees, while US republicans would
volunteer time retrieving data thus not taking away turn them away. Washington Post Worldviews. Retrieved
from the participant’s learning. from
There are disadvantages to the have the question- https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/
naires as well. The questionnaires are vague and wp/2015/11/18/france-says-it-will-tak
could be not be accurately answered. Participants e-30000-syrian-refugees-while-u-s-republicans-would-turn-
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crc.pdfPROJECT R.E.S.T
PROJECT R.E.S.T
Christine Connelly, Monika Dudova, Kiambu Turner,
Emily Wilson peer support.
According to the National Institute of Statistics and
Economic Studies (INSEE), 141,500 people were
homeless in metropolitan France in early 2012;
which is an increase of nearly 50% since 2001 (IN-
SEE, 2012). Within this homeless population, 30,000
Project R.E.S.T. (Respect. Emergency. Safe. Teens.) were counted as children. According to research, only
Respect (Le respect). Emergency (La nécessité ). 3,000 people were counted as homeless in Paris.
Safety (La securité). Teen (Le adolescent). However, it is difficult to accurately count all people
that are living in a homeless situation. Homelessness
Background can take on multiple interpretations. Project R.E.S.T.
Project R.E.S.T. was created in efforts to provide a considers homelessness to be a young person or adult
safe and warm place to rest for adolescents who are that does not have the basic needs to live in a home,
suffering with substance abuse and homelessness. house, or shelter. According to the PLoS Medicine
R.E.S.T stands for Respect, Emergency, Safety, and Editors (2008), homelessness is having roots, identity,
Teens. Our mission is to serve all our clients with res- security, a sense of belonging and a place of emotio-
pect while providing teens a safe place to sleep during nal wellbeing. There are many causes as to why an
emergencies. Therefore, based on our studies, field individual would become homeless, however, Project
visits and placements; the target population we want R.E.S.T. would like to focus on those who are battling
to serve does not have many resources when it comes substance abuse. The European Monitoring Centre for
to adequate shelters. According to Monsieur Matos Drugs and Drug Addiction (2017) has reported that
at La Salle de Consummation a Moindres Risques, “young people aged 15-34 years reported the highest
teenage substance abuse users struggle with finding prevalence of cannabis, cocaine, and MDMA use.” Pro-
a safe place where they can feel comfortable to freely ject R.E.S.T. will make every effort to serve this popu-
fight their battles. At this facility, the project creators lation with great respect and dignity while decreasing
learned that a great percentage of the adults that fre- the number of homeless teenagers.
quent the injection center started using drugs at the
young age of 13 or 14 years old. Methods
All things considered, we would like to propose a In order to have an organization succeed, efficient
project that will support adolescents from the ages of resources and staff are necessary. Firstly, a space
13 to 18 years of age. Project R.E.S.T will provide this is needed. A house with at least two floors that
population with a warm bed, resources, counseling, can fit an office, kitchen, three bathrooms, multi-
self-help meetings, and a community of peers who purpose room, two male bedrooms and two female
share a similar situation. In addition, we are excited bedrooms. The office will be used for administration
about offering creative therapy in multiple ways; such and individual counseling. This office will need two
as art, music, dance, etc. We believe that these types desks, two computers, and resources for addiction,
of activities will stimulate the mind and decrease the homelessness, etc. The kitchen will need a normal
use of drugs throughout the day. sized fridge, two tables and ten seats for each table.
For the bathrooms, one will be for the male residents,
Statement of the Problem one for the female residents, and one for the R.E.S.T.
In France, there is a high proportion of homeless workers. The male and female bathroom will need
individuals with substance abuse problems (Policy to be stocked with appropriate toiletries. The multi-
Research Associates, 2014). There are shelters and purpose room can be used for meetings, group
safe injection sites strictly for adults over 18 years therapy, art, music, lounge, movies, etc. There will
old. However, homeless adolescents with substance be bi-monthly meetings that are optional to attend
abuse problems do not have many places to go when similar to AA meetings, called Recovery Support
it comes to shelter, support and resources. Sleeping meetings. Different activities will be held weekly for
in the streets with addiction issues especially before the residents and the public for whoever wants to join.
the age of 18 is extremely dangerous and life threate- Each bedroom would have to fit two or three bunk
ning. Homeless adolescents with substance abuse beds. Ideally, Project R.E.S.T. aims to have 5 bunk
problems need a place to sleep, receive help, and gain beds for males and 5 bunk beds for females. This way,the house can shelter 10 males and 10 females at daily basis. This is because actions of state agencies
a time. This will be a twenty-four hour center with a affect health services, social services, schools, welfare
curfew set at 22:00 P.M. Project R.E.S.T. will accept re- benefits and more. Families and individuals rely on
sidents until 23:45 P.M. to prepare to close the doors these services every single day. Agencies operate ac-
and ready for the night. There will be a need of social cording to policies and laws brought on by the govern-
workers specialized in substance abuse on the hiring ment. Some departments that social policies impact
staff. R.E.S.T. will need to have at least two social families include marriage, divorce, abortion, birth
workers at the shelter at all times. This is a temporary control, and foster care. Policies involving child care,
shelter, therefore the residents can only live in the schooling, housing, and crime will also affect families.
home for two weeks continuously. However, they will When it comes to this specific population of homeless
be welcomed and encouraged to come back for acti- people, there are discriminatory policies that crimina-
vities, therapy, and group meetings. If they still need a lize them. For instance, laws have been created that
place to go after two weeks, the counselors will work restrict the areas where they can sit or sleep (National
with them to find a group home to transition to. Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty, 2011). There
are policies that disadvantage this group because of
Goals and Objectives their age as well. There are shelters and injection sites
The imperative goal of Project R.E.S.T. is to offer that will deny underage users. This leaves them with
young people aged from 13 to 18 with substance no place to sleep or safely use.
abuse issues a safe place to sleep and receive sup- The forces of oppression towards homeless indi-
port. We aim to be a viduals are social, political, and economical. There
low-threshold program. The main idea is to provide are deep-rooted prejudices towards homeless people
background and support to adolescents from because of ignorance towards the marginalized group.
the town of Paris. The mission is to motivate and Many people do not understand that being homeless
to support children and young people to active is not an individual choice, it is a result of disadvan-
approach in solving personal situations, particularly in tages. Politically, France has discriminated homeless
adolescence, to provide social service and available individuals against accessing social services, social
offer free-time activities (art classes, sport activities, housing, and shelters (Evangelista & Jones, 2013).
education activities, etc.). By offering weekly activities, The economic influences that impact homelessness
R.E.S.T. aims to reduce social risks from conflicting include the financial resources from the government
social situations, lifestyles and risky behaviors. towards shelters and support services.
R.E.S.T. intends to do outreach programs and The target population is vulnerable because they
streetwork. The outreach programmes are services are young, homeless, and suffer from addiction.
of active search for adolescents in their natural This project takes these factors into consideration
environment and qualify as the vulnerable population. when it comes to assessment, interventions, and
R.E.S.T. hopes to recruit adolescents that would want methods. There will be social workers on site that
to use our services. Another objective of R.E.S.T. is to specifically specialize in addiction and substance
become a therapeutic community with the bi-monthly abuse because they are the most knowledgeable
Recovery Support Meetings and substance abuse on how to treat individuals with alcohol and/or drug
social workers attending every shift. dependency. Bi-monthly recovery support meetings
When it comes to the residents, the project aims for will be implemented to give adolescents a chance to
them to arrive sober when requesting a bed. Another exchange stories and find peer support. These group
aim is for the residents to not use drugs or alcohol meetings will be a safe place for them to discuss
while in the shelter. These rules will be made clear and reduce feelings of isolation and hopelessness.
and visible. The primary objective is to prevent home- Research shows that involvement in support groups
lessness, preventing the risks associated with drug significantly increases an individual’s chance of
abuse, or undesirable behavior overall. R.E.S.T. is fo- long-term recovery (National Council on Alcoholism
cused on supporting young people entering adult life. and Drug Dependence, 2018). Different activities
We are giving an effort to help children in their natural will be offered weekly to give adolescents a sense
environment, always with an emphasis on their indi- of togetherness and accomplishment. Making new
viduality. As a start-up project starting in France, we friends and spending less time with the friends they
would like to be opened for everybody, who is in need would use with, will assist in their recovery.
and who is trying to find a solution. In every case,
we work with this principles: Le respect (respect), La Financial resources
nécessité (emergency), La securité (safety), Le adoles- Many financial resources are needed to implement
cent (teen). this project. To raise money, Project R.E.S.T. will apply
for grants from EU financial assistance programs. Mo-
Environmental forces ney, food, clothes, bedding, books, and toiletries dona-
Social policies impact individuals and families on a tions will be accepted. In addition, Project R.E.S.T. willcollect 2 euros from each adolescent every night they
sleep at the shelter. The reasoning behind charging for
a bed is that if they have money for alcohol and drugs,
they should be able to have money for the bed. With
this concept, we are hoping they will have less money
for alcohol and drugs, while also raising money for the
project. This money will ultimately go back to them in
the form of food, clothes, toiletries, etc. that they will
have access to at the shelter.
Evaluation plan
The evaluation for this target group will be ambiguous.
Comprehensive surveys of the effectiveness of
low-threshold primary treatment programs are not
available due to the heterogeneity of this program
and clients anonymity. In the case of the creation
of an individual plan with the client, in which it is
possible to evaluate the individual objectives that the
client himself has set at the beginning, there will be
evaluation of the individual plan of each client (once
per six months).
If it is not possible to evaluate an individual plan of
client, we will use an evaluation questionnaire or in-
terviews with children/young adults (if the visits of the
agency help), analysis of the program data, number of Bibliography
clients, visits, contact with family, institutions (facility
statistics) and eventually discussion of the worker. European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction
Anonymous surveys can be given to adolescents who (2017). Drug use in France
continually use the services. For instance, after the 2017. Retrieved from http://www.emcdda.europe.eu/coun-
tries/drug-reports/2017/france/drug-use_en
first six months of Recovery Support meetings, the
meeting leader can ask the adolescents to participate Evangelista, G. F., & Jones, S. (2013). Mean Streets: A Re-
in the anonymous survey. This survey can ask the port on the Criminalisation of
participant many questions about their progress and Homelessness in Europe. Retrieved from http://www.hou-
how they feel about the service. The same method singrightswatch.org/sites/default/files/Mean Streets - Full.
can be used for the activities offered. After six months pdf
of weekly activities, the adolescents can be given an
anonymous survey specifically asking about how acti- National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence.
vities have helped them or have not helped them. (2018). Self-Help/Recovery Support
Groups. Retrieved from https://www.ncadd.org/
people-in-recovery/hope-help-and-healing/self-help-recove-
ry-support-groups
National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies.
(2012). L’hébergement des sans-domicile
en 2012. Des modes d’hébergement différents selon les
situations familiales. Retrieved from https://www.insee.fr/
fr/statistiques/1281324
National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty. (2011).
Criminalizing Crisis: The
Criminalization of Homelessness in U.S. Cities. Retrieved
from https://www.nlchp.org/Criminalizing_Crisis
PLoS Medicine Editors (2008). Homelessness Is Not Just a
Housing Problem. Retrieved
from http://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/ar-
ticle?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1000003
Policy Research Associates. (2014). Homelessness in Paris.
Retrieved from
https://www.prainc.com/homelessness-in-paris/MORE THAN MEALS
MORE THAN MEALS
Victoria O’Leary, Harry Hunter, Loren Ginn,
Simona Denes of stress hormones. Social isolation can increase
the risk of heart disease by 29% and stroke by
32%. Loneliness can speed up the cognitive de-
cline of older adults, and people who are socially
Background and Description isolated are twice as likely to die prematurely
The social justice issue that we will be addressing than individuals who have frequent social inte-
in this proposal is the social exclusion of the older ractions. Loneliness also is considered a risk for
adult population in France. Our target population premature death that is similar to obesity and
will comprise retired older adults and older adults smoking (Khullar, 2016). In addition, retirement,
who are no longer working. Social exclusion is a bereavement, and health challenges can limit
key social justice issue for the older adult popu- the ability of older adults to be connected socially
lation because of the stressors of living alone, (Cornwell & Waite, 2009).
struggling with family disputes, and receiving Our goal is to focus on improving the fee-
declining social support (Yur’yev et al., 2010). lings of solidarity among the older and younger
GROUPE SOS (2018) developed “the adult populations in France to reduce the social
concept of plural solidarity,” which means that isolation that older adults often feel. Groupe SOS
“each individual has something to offer to the so- (2018), a social enterprise based in Paris, France,
ciety in which he or she lives” (para. 2). GROUPE reported that “more than one and a half million
SOS believed that social exclusion can be re- people in France today are over 85 years of age,
duced by “providing innovative solutions” (para. 25% of whom are dependent” (para. 1).
2). This call to action by GROUPE SOS concurred Grimaldi shared in his lecture on December 7,
with the French definition that “social work is 2018, that between 20% and 25% of the French
carried out within the framework of the principles population is more than 60 years of age.
of solidarity, social justice and takes into account Marlowe (2018) reported the following
the diversity of people” (Letellier, 2018). data:
Statement of the Problem Nine percent, or 6.1 million people, over
When older adults feel lonely and isolated, their the age of 75 years live in France. More than
self-esteem suffers. Older adults who live alone 600,000 members of the older adult popula-
also have the highest risk of suicide (Yur’yev et tion live in 7,200 retirement homes, referred
al., 2010). A decisive theme in social exclusion to as EHPADs (établissements d’hébergement
is the social dimension, which focuses on rela- pour personnes âgées dépendantes). Marlowe
tionships with others, such as family members, identified this situation as the “ghettoisation”
friends, neighbors, and so on. This relationship of older adults resulting from ageism. De Beau-
network represents social capital at the individual voir wrote in her 1970 book, La vieillesse, that
level. It can serve as a “life net” that can be acti- “Today’s technocratic society does not believe
vated when necessary for emergencies or transi- that knowledge increases with age, but that it
tional challenges not only for emotional support becomes outdated. Age has become a disquali-
but also for material assistance (Pirani, 2011). fication” (as cited in Marlowe, 2018, para. 10).
Often, older adults are treated as second-class In Europe, 40% of older adults who live in retire-
citizens who have little to offer society. This ne- ment homes are dealing with depression. France
gative view of older adults can result in ageism, leads the suicide rate among older adults over
a type of bias that can affect older adults’ daily the age of 75 years.
lives (Yur’yev et al., 2010).
Research has indicated that people with
fewer social connections have more disrupted
sleep, altered immune systems, and higher levelsMethods effort to gradually encourage reintegration of
The main activity that will be used to the older adult population to be more involved in
accomplish the reintegration of the older adult society. Socialization of the older adult population
population is the ever-traditional sharing of is often pushed aside, as the medical needs often
meals. The premise of “Plus Qu’un Repas” is for override the social needs of these individuals.
younger adults to be invited into older adults’ There is a trend of social exclusion in French
homes to help cook dinner and share a meal society and so “Plus Qu’un Repas” will maintain
together. The focus of sharing a meal reflects a generalized goal to promote solidarity. A se-
the importance of food within French culture. condary survey, with a focus on progression of the
For isolated older adults, the welcoming of one project, will be distributed both before the initia-
individual is not foreseen as being too overwhel- tion of the project and following the three-month
ming and will encourage further socialization. As period to measure the success of the project. A
noted previously, the primary target population Likert scale will be used to measure the older
is isolated older adults, over the age of 65, who adults’ level of socialization and the younger
are living independently and have an interest in adults’ intergenerational knowledge (Appendix
socialization. The secondary targeted population B). The expected outcome is that each population
are young adults, ages 18-35, who would be inte- will increase by at least one point on the Likert
rested in the program on a voluntary basis, po- scale.
tentially for college credit pending a collaboration
with various universities. Through advertisement Environmental Forces
via churches, non-profit organizations, and social France, like other industrialized countries, has
work networking, older adults will be recruited for a continuously aging population. If in 2015 25%
the program. Through the advertisement of the of the population was over 60 years old, in 2030
program at universities, the secondary population that figure is projected to reach almost 29.9%,
will be recruited. and by 2050 31.8% (Global AgeWatch Index,
The project focuses on bringing together one 2018). This trend calls for changes in policies and
older adult and one younger adult for dinner on for a dedicated effort to ensure the well-being of
a regular basis. Volunteers will have to commit this population. The Global Age Watch Index ana-
for one dinner per week for three months, or the lyzes the factors that impact the economic and
general length of a college semester. Because social well-being of the older populations. France
this project will run on a voluntary basis, there will ranks 16th out of 96 countries, having a 100%
be no process for hiring staff. Instead, each older pension coverage and one of the lowest old age
adult and volunteer will be asked to complete a poverty rates (3.4%). France also ranks very high
compatibility survey (Appendix A). Questions as- related to health, having a 25 years life expectan-
ked will seek to find common interests amongst cy at the age of 60, and 18.8 healthy life expec-
the older adults and volunteers. The survey will tancy at 60 (Global AgeWatch Index, 2018).
also inquire if that individual has a gender pre- The current French pension system was imple-
ference, in order to provide as much comfort as mented after World War II and is based primarily
possible when completing matches. A photo of on payroll contributions. It offers high replace-
each individual will be necessary to be apply, also ments rates, with people with a full contribution
to ensure a level of comfort upon first meeting. record receiving around 75% of their last salary.
The technicalities of meals will be worked out The existence of a minimum pension for the
amongst the matches. “Plus Qu’un Repas” will lower income pensioners also helped reduce
accept donations of non-perishable food items the poverty rate for this population. While in the
to provide to service users, but the project hopes 1970’s over 25% of aged households were living
that deciding what meals matches will prepare, under the poverty threshold, by the mid-2000’s
cook, and eat will help cultivate the developing that figure dropped to 10%. This was done at a
relationship. very high cost, that would be difficult to be main-
tain considering the current trends regarding this
population (Béland & Durandal, 2013).
Goals and Objectives Although the French government has done much
The social objective of “Plus Qu’un Repas” to aid the financial welfare of older adults, it is
is to treat this program as an intergenerational the social exclusion that plagues this popula-tion that is becoming increasingly concerning to References
social workers. Ageism is still a widespread and Béland, D., & Durandal, J. (2013). Aging in France: Popula-
tion Trends, Policy Issues, and
relevant form of discrimination. Stereotypes and Research Institutions. The Gerontologist, 53, 191–197.
misconceptions about the older adult population Capitaine, J., & Caufron, F. (2017). Report on the French
often lead to mistreatment and loss of dignity Ageing Policy . Paris: Ministère des
(Capitaine & Caufron, 2017). Our ultra-technolo- Solidarités et de la Santé.
gical society has transformed the way we regard Cornwell, E. Y., & Waite, L. J. (2009). Social disconnecte-
dness, perceived isolation, and health among older
older people. Once seen as the age of experience, adults. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 50(1), 31-48.
wisdom, and detachment, old age transformed Retrieved from http://libproxy.usc.edu/
into something feared and fought against with Global AgeWatch Index. (2018, July 16). Global AgeWatch
all means. Knowledge is not seen as something Index 2015. Retrieved from Help
that increases with age, but as something that Age International: http://www.helpage.org/glo-
bal-agewatch/population-ageing-data/
becomes outdated. This has lead to the “ghet- Grimaldi, Y. (2018, July 12). Disabilities & aging [Lecture].
toization” of the elderly in France, concentrated Retrieved from 3rd Paris Summer School of Social
among themselves, sometimes against their will, Work, EPSS, Paris, France, https://drive.google. com/
in permanent residences until the end of their Group SOS. (2018). Seniors. Retrieved from http://www.
days. After the fear of physical deterioration, the groupe-sos.org/
Khullar, D. (2016, December 22). How social isolation is
fear of social isolation plagues the elderly (Mar- killing us. The New York Times.
lowe, 2018). Sometimes their interactions are re- Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/
duced to only a caregiver, or maybe not even that Letellier, F. (2018, July 3). Compared definition of social
if they are still able to live independently. This is work [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from 3rd Pa-
where we hope to create an impact and improve ris Summer School of Social Work, EPSS, Paris, France,
https://drive.google. com/
the well-being of this population. Marlowe, L. (2018). Elderly in France are excluded and
“ghettoised.” The Irish Times. Retrieved from https://
Financial Resources www.irishtimes.com/
This project will be relying on volunteers and Pirani, E. (2013). Evaluating contemporary social exclusion
donations to function. The purpose of this is to in Europe: A hierarchical latent class approach. Quality
& Quantity, 47(2), 923-941. Retrieved from https://search.
create a collaboration between service users and proquest.com/
people in the area. We will use contacts at diffe- Yur’yev, A., Leppik, L., Tooding, L.-M., Sisask, M., Värnik,
rent service agencies to provide the necessary P., Wu, J., & Värnik, A. (2010), Focus on prevention in
provisions and man power to spark and maintain psychogeriatrics. International Psychogeriatrics, 22(Suppl.
the project. Since we will be using resources on a 8), 1337-1243
donated basis, the cost of operations is zero.
Evaluation Plan
The aim of this project is to connect generations ANNEX 1 COMPATIBILITY SURVEY (NOT INCLUDED HERE),
AVAILABLE ON GDRIVE)
through a mutually beneficial facet of sharing not
only a meal, but life experiences. The success of
this endeavour will be measured in two ways; end
evaluation survey and a review of the compatibi-
lity survey to test accuracy. Compatibility survey
can be reviewed in Appendix A of this paper.
After the 3 month period or general length of a
college semester is completed, these evaluations
will take place. Both parties will receive similar
questionnaires to assess the effectiveness of the
project and their partnership. This assessment
can be found in Appendix B. Following the as-
sessment, the implementation team will decide
if the partnership should continue or if either
party should be transferred to a more suitable
partnership. The overall success of this project
will be measured every 3 months. Such frequent
evaluation will allow for the team to make neces-
sary changes to the operations.POSTAL PREVENTION PROGRAM
POSTAL PREVENTION PROGRAM
Miranda Cazin, Autumn Lowery, and James use. Instead of the potential of using unsanitary
Villanueva materials, which spread infectious diseases, they
can use sterile needles, syringes, and other mate-
Background Information rials.
It should come as no surprise that individuals
living in cities around the world have more access Statement of the Problem
to resources than those living in rural communi- Harm reduction services tend to work well in
ties. When one lacks access to necessary re- major cities, specifically in Paris. However, what
sources, their vulnerability increases. It becomes about those using drugs outside of the city? Are
nearly impossible to improve your circumstances. they any less entitled to services because of
While this general description covers a multitude where they live? We believe that every human
of issues, it most certainly includes substance should have access to necessary resources,
users and their access to care. So, what does regardless of their address. Every individual that
care look like for a substance user? uses drugs is still an individual who deserves
In France, we see an emphasis on harm reduc- to have their rights upheld, including their right
tion resources. According to the Harm Reduction to have access to care like harm reduction re-
Coalition, “Harm reduction is a set of practical sources. To be clear, the problem arises when
strategies and ideas aimed at reducing negative most services for drug users are offered inside
consequences associated with drug use. Harm re- of Paris, but those who live outside of Paris have
duction is also a movement for social justice built extremely limited access to said services. While
on a belief in, and respect for, the rights of people the issues they face as drug users are the same
who use drugs (Health Department Releases no matter where they live, they lose the right to
2016).” These authors believe that harm reduc- services in a sense when there is a lack of access.
tion strategies help remove the negative stigma Additionally, living outside of Paris combined with
that often surrounds users. Instead of viewing a lack of resources can prove to be very isolating
drug users in a negative light, they are greeted as for the individual in need. Having community
human beings who have a valuable life. By pla- surrounding you is very important in terms of im-
cing value on these individuals through access to proving one’s situation. Especially for drug users,
safe using materials, they can be shown that they as drug use is a social activity. Therefore, drug
are still humans who deserve respect and to have recovery should also be social. So, the question
their rights upheld. Instead of imposing one route becomes, how can we bring these resources to
of recovery for everyone, harm reduction simply individuals outside of the city? There is one thing
meets people where they are. Meeting people for certain that everyone has access to regardless
where they are, also referred to as a person-cen- of where they live, and that is La Poste. By utili-
tered approach to care, actually empowers indivi- zing La Poste, we will provide resources to drug
duals to change whatever they deem necessary. users that reside outside of major cities who lack
When people feel valued, loved, and taken care access to clean materials in order to reduce the
of, they are able to make decisions out of that spread of infectious diseases, while also encou-
place rather than a place of desperation. It allows raging self-determined recovery and communal
individuals the freedom to choose for themselves. support.
Self-determination is crucial for every individual.
By introducing harm reduction strategies, they Methods
are able to do so in a safe environment. These au- To begin the initial planning stage of this pro-
thors want to ensure such safety for those outside gram, surveys will be administered via La Poste
of Paris. Harm reduction strategies largely reduce to collect data regarding interest in receiving
the negative consequences associated with drug materials for drugs use. These surveys will include
questions pertaining to what types of materials
people are interested in receiving, how often theyYou can also read
