Crisis Response
Oxford Brookes University (Gipsy Lane Campus)
Enhancing Agency in Social Welfare in an Age of Displacement: The Case for Critical Practice View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Paul Stepney
Social work practitioners report that they are regularly faced with a number of practice dilemmas, in particular, the need to find more effective ways of managing risk when working with vulnerable adults and children. Research has consistently identified three crucial dilemmas: how to promote prevention alongside protection in responding to everyday crises, how to enhance stress resilience in coping with adversity, and the need to balance effectiveness with a commitment to social justice. The refugee crisis in Europe, with over 8 million women and children displaced from Ukraine during the past year, has only intensified these dilemmas and the pressure on social welfare agencies. There have been numerous research projects in Europe, Australia and the United States concerned with prevention and resilience, but unfortunately few of the lessons appear to have been incorporated into mainstream services. The latter remain heavily focussed on protection and risk management. In this presentation the case for critical practice will be examined, informed by findings from cross-national research with practitioners in three welfare states. This will indicate why, in an era of displacement and social change, critical practice offers the most effective way of responding to the dilemmas facing social welfare agencies on the front line.
The Social Resilience of the Affluent Class to Environmental Pressures in Jakarta, Indonesia View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Michal Jan Grzegorzewski
This inquiry aims to understand social perceptions and adjustments to floods and environmental stresses in Jakarta, including attitudes towards relocating the capital to Borneo. The focus is on the affluent segments of society, which has received little attention. The research examines how these groups, with significant resources at their disposal, respond to the environmental crisis. While resilience is typically analyzed in the context of vulnerable communities, wealthy residents also strengthen their resilience. This research seeks to identify global patterns of behavior, decision-making, attitudes and influence. It can be extended to different locations globally, to build more comprehensive understanding of the role of wealthy individuals in the context of pressing climate change. A qualitative ethnographic approach and bottom-up perspective are used to observe and describe how wealthy residents perceive climate-induced risk and maneuver in their spatial, social and economic contexts. In-depth interviews, search on online forums, and physical participation in the relevant events are the main tool of data gathering.
Immediate Design Solutions after the Turkiye Earthquake: Designing a Mobile Urban Module for Children View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Yasemin Albayrak-Kutlay, Didem Kan-Kilic
Following the devastating earthquakes that hit Turkiye's southeast region in February 2023, millions of people were displaced and suffered significant losses. In response, a project was developed by design students from five different departments at the Izmir University of Economics as part of the Collective Act elective course. The aim of the project was to provide immediate design-oriented solutions to create a positive change, especially for earthquake survivor-children particularly inhabiting the container district in Izmir. The project used a co-design workshop session to gather insights and determine the needs of the community in temporary residential areas, offering an interdisciplinary and participatory approach to the design process. Based on the workshop session findings, a mobile urban module was designed to circulate within different parts of the city and host activities according to the needs and dreams of the community. Collaboration and the “PLAY” concept were the central aspects of this social responsibility project; therefore, design students worked together with children and collaborated with the İzmir Metropolitan Municipality to design various aspects of the mobile unit, including graphic identity, service-system strategy, interior design, and product design. In addition, we believe that children need to be actors in their own lives and raise their voices in the situations and decisions that affect them. This approach allows them to be included in the design process without disregarding their ideas.
