Social change is an inevitable condition in organizations. In essence, social change in an organization typically occurs due to variations in the behavioral aspects of the constituent people. It can also occur due to the consistent alterations dictated by time changes. Moreover, it can also occur following the need for transformation in an institution. Social change agents, social workers serve an essential function of initiating and implementing behavioral change in a social change organization. Social change is justified as a coping mechanism for an alteration in an aspect(s) of an institution. Social change is unavoidable in learning institutions. The administration of public achievement program in learning institutions requires a significant application of social change knowledge to achieve the desired change in younger students. For instance, a coach, the social worker should have sufficient social change knowledge to be in a position to devise the best approach as well as apply it on imparting the right knowledge and skills to students while dealing with bullying. Different frameworks have been developed in social change organizations; they include the Freirean, PJU, community-organizing general, Dewey-Learning Power, and the Alinskyite Tool Kit. Through analyzing Freirean and Alinskyite Tool Kit, the best ideas in the two models will be compiled to generate a new model that can be used to bring about social change in a learning institution.
Alinskyite Tool Kit
The model emphasizes on three elements; events relating directly to organization campaigns, focusing on entire organization development, and leadership development whereby an organizer serves as a guide. The first activity involves the recruitment of new affiliates to the social change organization. The second action is usually concerned with SCO’s coffers and reputation. Besides, it integrates every individual in SCO rather than individuals’ interests and skills (Su 47). Alinsky developed a set of codes governing community organizing whereby the first step involves a disruption of the existing interaction patterns. The process includes the mobilization of the individuals, in particular, setting into citizens’ participation whereby the groups focuses on winnable issues. The rule stresses on practical construction of an organization rather than building a social movement. Alinsky depicts education and leadership development as important aspects of organizing. Alinskyite model utilizes the notion of self-interest as a source motivation as well as mobilization. Potential participants are primarily recruited with an explicit explication of what they will accomplish following their support. Self-interest connects organizational deeds to the wants and desires of the members by drawing experiences as well as interests that participants can instantly relate (Su 48). The model focuses on the large-scale actions primarily at those aligned to the policy as well as institutional change. Furthermore, they shape organizations to live beyond single campaigns. Through engaging in more than two campaigns leaders are more likely to acquire transferable skills following handling of more than one responsibility (Su 101). These leaders eventually get transformed, and they apply the changed states to the entire organization that leads to social change.
Freirean Tool Kit
The Freirean approach highlights the need for more research on the SCO that challenges the dominant inequality system but showing practices falling outside the community organizer or the service provider precincts. It assists education organizing groups to bring about individual development as well as build maintainable support bases (Su 77). According to Freirean approach, the cultural practices encompass activities that in the initial steps do not appear to be relevant to the campaign content or drawing upon the aspect of self-interest. Moreover, it focuses on individual members rather than the entire organization and the leadership development whereby the organizer acts as a partner. The main elements that differentiate Freirean category from the Alinskyite are its three components that are clearly interlocking parts unlike the separate features in the Alinskyite. According to Freire, campaigns or winnable concerns are not readily available that makes the critical reflection a sufficient condition. A true reflection leads to action (Su 78). It implies that a situation that requires an action calls for critical thinking. Such a scenario need leaders to draw links among their school reform issues that require attention, personal experiences, as well as the social forces that may impact the change(s) (Su 78). Critical reflection lays the foundation for a better redress to a given issues and thus it is imperative for effecting change. Besides, it may work out other pragmatic targets. For instance, it offers a leader an opportunity of focusing on earlier mistakes and thus devises a better method of handling matters. The Freirean model does not focus on the building of an organization since social change is perceived to take place within individuals. Despite an emphasis on a collective action, Freire argues that it is meaningless without personal transformation (Su 79). The Freirean approach requires the organizers and the leaders to have a differing relationship. However, the organizers and the leaders such as the teachers and the students are expected to work collectively as partners. Such a partnership leads to leadership development.
Freirean approach argues that SCOs should work towards progressive goals such that they will give rise to an emergence of a radically new society. The model divides the community into two, the oppressor and the oppressed. Such a focus brings into focus the idea of individual development since Freirean concentrates on the manner in which the oppressed will eventually develop. The interaction between the organizer and the leader is imperative since it leads to the individual leader development. The Freirean model stresses social change as occurring in individuals rather than the entire organizations. The two models, Alinskyite, and Freirean do not show the manner in which organizers go back to the community to launch campaigns. Besides, they do not advise organizers to introduce campaign ideas. However, they advocate for spending more time in learning about the goals as well as the pressures of leaders before assisting in the development of concrete campaigns (Su 79).
A New Model
The new model is generated by combining the best ideas drawn from both Alinskyite and Freirean. It will be used in addressing the problems experienced by the young students. The new model’s first step will be the recruitment of students with the aim of attaining winnable solutions to the challenges. The recruitment of students will target a particular problem at a go. It implies that each issue will be handled separately from the other. The initial step will be accomplished through the disruption of the existing organization patterns and then organizing a new one that will comprise of the recruited students. Just like Alinskyite approach suggests, the development of codes is essential in the new model is crucial since it will serve as an overall guide for the entire process. The set rules provide an outline of the manner in which the SCO will be required to operate. For instance, the rules will provide a framework of mobilizing the students into citizens’ participation whereby the primary focus will only encompass winnable issues (Su 47). The new model will concentrate on practically establishing a new organization that will comprise of the students either facing a particular challenge and or perpetrating a specific problem. Since the model will primarily focus on young students, self-interest will be built rather than focusing on meeting a group of students having self-interest. The motivation into participating will be generated from an external source, unlike the Alinskyite model that revolves rests on meeting a group that already has self-interest. The new design will focus on a large-scale attainment as well as individual benefits. It implies that the large-scale actions will lay emphasis on institutional change as well as personal transformation. In the new model, the organizer will serve as the guide. Student development regarding imparting the right knowledge and skills will be the primary guiding principle of the approach.
The design will integrate critical reflection for purposes of linking the leaders experience with the current aspects of a particular situation. Critical thinking will also enable the students to articulate the present concern as a product of both their past experiences and the current state of the problem. An analysis of the past and the present will facilitate the students with sufficient basis for the evaluation of the effects of the concern and the ascribed benefits and thus motivate them towards behavioral change. On the other hand, the organizers will require to have a critical reflection on the situation and integrate it into the desired targets as well as the social change forces that are likely to affect the change process adversely. The organizer will have the duty of ensuring that all the factors are coherently interlinked for particular young student change as well as the learning institution’s change. Even though both the two models, Freirean and Alinskyite do not advise organizers to introduce campaign ideas, as a community worker, an organizer should initiate campaign notions that will make the new paradigm unique as opposed to the two.
Application of the New Model
Bullying is one of the main challenges that most of the young students learning institutions usually face. As a coach, it is important to comprehend the right style of adopting to ensure that proper integration of a change in the students. In coaching the students about the better methods of dealing with the situation, it is important first to disorganize the usual setting and then come up with more manageable groups, SCO that can be handled more conveniently as suggested in the new model. Establishing a good relationship with the students can make the coaching process efficient and more appealing to the students. A good association with the students’ draws a sense of one community that makes them integrate to it hence fostering the acquisition of knowledge as well as skills for dealing with bullying. It is crucial to carry out research on to the better methods that can be used to stir up the change process. For instance, most of the young students like computers. It implies that anything to do with computers is likely to interest them. It means that self-interest is likely to influence their actions towards the change. Computers can thus be used in the research of issues surrounding bullying that can eventually see behavioral change.
Critical reflection into the all the areas is crucial, for example, the primary target in the context is bullying behavioral change, establishing relationships with the students, and their interest in computers. Critical reflection will assist the organizer, coach to devise the best method to apply for the attainment of results more efficiently. Principles lead the entire process of bullying behavioral change. Initially, the tutor utilized commanding words to the students. However, the student was not positively receptive to commands that made the organizer start using appreciating language as one of the codes. The students showed a significant change following their coach transformation. Besides, a serious take on such a project is likely to deter its achievement. The project should be a source of fun to students. The fun will make the young students comprehend the little they have learned and apply it in real life situations. It is also imperative to focus on individual change while undertaking the bullying evasion training since an organization cannot fully transform without personal change.
Conclusion
The new model is the best approach to handling issues affecting students in learning institutions because it emphasizes on personal change as well as organizational transformation by incorporating the best views of both Freirean and Alinskyite toolkit. It will also foster leadership, student change as well as development.
Works Cited
Su, C. "Rt-Streetwise for Book Smarts Z." Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2011.
