Lorraine M. Gutiérrez School of Social Work University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI

 Will present some tools to use, modify to engage in this kind of work  This work is a journey - a process - for which there may be multiple paths  We have developed an open ended, participatory format for our work together

Rebecca Muñoz Gutiérrez

political activism high self esteem pulling oneself up from one's bootstraps feeling good taking responsibility

EmPOWERment GAINING POWER BECOMING POWERFUL

All social systems have power Power can be generated through social interactions There are many forms of expertise and knowledge Success is collective, not individualistic

LevelProcess: consciousness, confidence, connection Practice: educational, participatory, capacity building Outcome: Personal, interpersonal, political Individual Group Organizational Community

Being Powerful ability to get what you want and need ability to influence how others think, feel, act, or believe having influence over the distribution of resources in a social system - e.g. family, organization, community, society

Think about your present work situation and identify your present bases of social power in that setting Discuss your answers with two people near you for five minutes What power do you have? How do you use that power? How could you use that power?

ability to influence the allocation of resources in an organization or community Use of formal or informal strategies

Consciousness Confidence Connection

Strategies for empowerment are Educational Participatory Strengths based

Analyze our power resources Develop our interpersonal power resources Build coalitions and partnerships

Apply these lessons to our own work situations Recognize the power we already have Build power through developing knowledge and skills Get involved in your communities and workplaces

Identify one goal for increasing your own power Turn to two people near you and share your goals Discuss possible strategies – goals, needs, resources Make a commitment to take one action during the next month WRITE IT DOWN

Listen Connect Believe

Only practitioners who have believed deeply that people can change and that environments can be transformed have been able to work from an empowerment perspective in a sustained fashion. Barbara Simon (1994). The Empowerment Tradition in American Social Work, Columbia University Press.