Summary

During adolescence, comprehensive changes take place, which are accompanied by demands that the social environment places on the adolescent. In the course of this process, the various socialization instances confront adolescents with diverse ideas about which values, interests, and competencies they should have developed at which point in time in order to successfully manage the transition to adulthood. How do young people, whose social situation is precarious look to the future? What wishes and hopes do they have? The data basis is formed by 16 guideline-based interviews with young people aged 15 to 21 years. The data collection took place in the youth detention center Berlin-Brandenburg, the youth probation center Berlin and in the context of the "street". The data analysis was multimethod and based on the documentary method and grounded theory. The boys and girls represent traditional values that are reflected in their desires and hopes. In view of their fragile biographies and family histories, most of the young people interviewed wish for an typical, "ideal" family in which they and their partners each take on the classic, gender-specific roles and raise several children. Their parents serve the young people as a negative foil to their own life desires and dreams. They not only want to do better than their parents in raising their children, but they also want to have a "good job" one day and to be financially independent of state benefits. Many of the young people, especially the boys, would like to be "rich" and flaunt the associated status symbols. Since almost all the young people left school without a diploma, many of the plans can be described as unrealistic and unreflective. In order to ensure the well-being of young people in precarious living situations, social work must integrate the young people's vision of the future.

Keywords (separate with commas)

Youth, poverty, prospects

Summary

Poverty, inequalities, and intergenerational trauma are, among several other factors, the causes of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). These can lead individuals, families, and communities to experience multiple intersecting layers of stigmatization, discrimination, and exclusion. Through collaborative, participatory research (e.g., photovoice, community cafes), we generated conversations with lived experience people, family members, cross-sectoral service providers, and communities. The knowledge and experiences shared through this method helped us understand how community-inclusive-mobilization approaches can overcome stigma and promote dignity. We approached this topic through a reflective narrative format that creatively weaves together critical, feminist, intersectionality, anti-colonial, anti-oppressive and social justice frameworks to co-create knowledge and explore possibilities for future actions. As a result, we identified and named essentialized narratives and stigmatizing labels often imposed on lived experienced and communities affected by FASD. These findings helped to build the connection between social inequalities and FASD while proposing a community mobilization and inclusion approach to promote dignity, the 'Reverse Co-construction Framework to promote dignity' that challenges the 'dominant Biomedical Perspective' of FASD. The methods became participants' tools to amplify their voices to shift public perspectives away from stigmatizing to attitudes and actions that support the dignity of people with FASD. These tools provide relationship-building opportunities for caregivers and service providers working with people with FASD in different capacities to include, connect and share knowledge and resources. They invite reflection, reimagining and redefining what FASD means to lived experienced people, their significant others, service providers and the community. This presentation will share this research project's process, stories and findings. It will also provide our perspective on community mobilization and inclusion to promote dignity. We conclude by identifying ongoing tensions and suggest shifts of paradigms to expand a dignity community of practice (CoP) beyond the traditional practices labelled just for FASD.

Keywords (separate with commas)

Poverty, Inequality, Intergenerational Trauma, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, Stigma, Dignity, Community Mobilizing Inclusion, Photovoice, Community Cafe, Participatory Research

Summary

The rise in urban migration across Sub-Saharan African countries has given rise to a unique phenomenon known as the Blesser/Slay Queen Phenomenon, driven by factors such as the high cost of living, materialistic expectations, and limited employment opportunities. Blesser relationships have emerged as transactional relationships where young women, referred to as "Slay Queens," engage in sexual relationships with older men known as Blessers in exchange for financial benefits and lavish gifts. Poverty and the pursuit of survival needs have been identified as root causes, leading adolescents to engage in transactional sex and participate in Blesser relationships. However, girls and young women in Blesser/Slay Queen relationships remain a vulnerable and understudied group. Existing research has focused primarily on health outcomes, such as HIV/AIDS, or motivations for becoming a Slay Queen, without a comprehensive understanding of their subjective experiences, including trauma, psychological adversity, and the impact on social and familial relationships. By employing qualitative methods, this study aims to address the gaps in research by exploring the prevalence of Blesser relationships in Malawi, examining the mental health impacts on Slay Queens, and understanding their perceptions of these relationships and their effects on their mental well-being and close relationships. This study holds particular relevance for the social work profession in Africa, as it advocates for social justice and gender equity. The research findings will contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the women's perceptions, support networks, and facilitation of interventions that can effectively support the mental well-being and autonomy of young Malawian Slay Queens. Additionally, by increasing transparency on the severity of marginalization and mental health problems among young women/girls in Malawi, this study aims to raise awareness and advocate for policies that will promote gender equality and equal economic opportunities to improve the livelihoods and mental well-being of vulnerable women.

Keywords (separate with commas)

Blesser, Slay Queen, Mental health, transactional relationships, Malawi

Summary

Research in Canada has documented the ways in which race, income, gender and lack of cultural knowledge by educators and service providers intersect to influence the experiences of Black children in the child welfare system. The role of child welfare needs to be understood through the structural and institutional forces that target and increase the likelihood that Black families will come to the attention to child welfare. This must be done jurisdictionally to allow for the appropriate development of responses. This research uses a qualitative case study design to examine the ways that culturally adapted services are provided to Black children and their families. We compare three different service models in Alberta, Ontario and Quebec. The Alberta model consisted of a third-party collaboration between the child welfare agency, a multicultural health broker and a Black-led community organization. The Ontario model involved the creation of a Black worker team within the child welfare agency. The Quebec model included a formalized partnership between the child welfare agency and a Black community organization. \ Our findings raise important considerations for how best to provide culturally relevant responses to Black children and their families. Based on these findings, we identify gaps for addressing racial disparity and consider shortcomings to Black community agency under current child welfare policy and practice.

Keywords (separate with commas)

Child welfare, racial disparity, community response, community-based, policy