1. PURSUING THE WELFARE OF SOCIETY BY DR. STEPHEN M. GARRETT Basic Competencies and Values of a Social Pedagogue

2. Basic Competencies & Values of a Social Pedagogue What is the function of a social pedagogue in society?

3. What is a Society? “The state or condition of living in company with other people; the system of customs and organization adopted by a group of people for harmonious coexistence or mutual benefit.” “A community of people living in a particular country or region and having shared customs, laws, or institutions.” --Oxford English Dictionary

4. What is a flourishing society? What does it mean to flourish?  To grow. To thrive. To bloom or blossom. In what ways?  Health? Wealth? Emotionally? Can human beings flourish without perfect health or wealth?

5. Beliefs, Values, and Society “Behavior is belief” in that “what is part of our culture is also part of our lived religion.” --T. S. Eliot, Christianity and Culture, 104 “Culture is not simply a humanistic endeavor but is often the place where people within a society express, whether they realize it or not, their beliefs about God, the world, and themselves.” --Stephen M. Garrett, “Pursing the Peace of the City”

6. Source: http://www.tamu.edu/classes/cosc/choudhury/culture.html Beliefs & Values Rituals Heroes Symbols Practices Relationship of Beliefs & Values to Society

7. Values of a Social Pedagogue Love, Compassion, and Empathy Patience Tolerance and Understanding

8. Values of a Social Pedagogue Honesty A Sense of Justice Hope

9. Basic Competencies of a Social Pedagogue Understand what it means to be a human being Understand what it means for a society to flourish Understand what it means to believe or not believe in God and its impact on how you live

10. Basic Competencies of a Social Pedagogue Be quick to listen and slow to speak Be solution oriented Be imaginative and creative

11. Ideas for Developing Values and Competencies Find a place of service, a place to volunteer Volunteer in a place where you are uncomfortable Read, Read, Read… …History, Poetry, and Literature

12. Resources Robert Bolton, People Skills: How to Assert Yourself, Listen to Others, and Resolve Conflicts (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1979) Parker Palmer, The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher’s Life (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1998) Inga Balciuniene and Natalija Mazeikiene, “Educating a Socially Active and Tolerant Citizen: Compatibility Between Religious and Civic Education,” Socialinis Ugdymas, 12(23) 2010: 106-119.