Here is a post I wrote on the Equality Partner’s blog yesterday:
A few weeks back, I attended a workshop by the Three Rivers Community Fund, on how to submit for their grants. It was an especially good day, full of information, and I wanted to capture a part of the discussion here. The basis for this was the fact that TRCF funds social change project and does not fund social service projects. While service is critically important, there are other funders and organizations that do social service, so TRCF focuses where there are few opportunities- to find real social change. Do you have an awareness of the difference between social service and social change work? Here is what I left the meeting understanding.
Social service work is essential and revolves around providing services to those who need it. Homeless shelters, free clinics, food banks- these are all examples of social services. I say they are essential because people have these needs, and if no services were offered, these folks would be worse off than they already are.
Social change work is also essential, because if we never do social change work, then the need for services will just keep growing and growing, because the root cause of the problem is never addressed. If people are hungry and children are undernourished, feeding them is social service, and doing something that keeps people from becoming hungry and undernourished is social change.
This is the problem with here conservatives’ attacks on the poor, and their desire to stop funding a social safety net. It blames the people who needs services, and chastises the services for not ending the root cause of the problem. Social services are not intended to solve root causes, merely meet needs. Real social change is needed to stop people from falling into the conditions of needing social services.
The old proverb about a fish is an example. If you want to feed a person for a day, give that person a fish; if you want to feed them for a lifetime, teach them how to fish. This is very true, even if it is a bit too simplistic. It posits that the root cause of the problem was a lack of Education (and that may or may not be). But aside from the simpleness of the example, it holds true.
A compassionate society that cares for all, provides social services, but at the same time places importance of eradicating the obstacles that stand in the way of folks. This may be about education, building self esteem, providing people with a voice, access to information, and resources… it can mean many things.
In our culture ruled by the 1%, the rich get richer, and little is done to identify and then eradicate the hurdles to equity. Social service is labeled as a commodity, and tarnished/dismissed as waste because the need seemingly never ends. The end never will come because the efforts and resources are not adequately applied to social change.
Where do you fit in? Do you seek to provide services or are you a force of social change? Both are needed,and yet if we do not accept and commit to the social change we will be forever simply trying to keep up with the need. What can you do to be a greater force for social change?