What is Social Justice? When talking to others and using the term “social justice" do they know what that term means? I did a little web searching, to find an easy answer to "what does Social Justice mean". Wikipedia says, “Social justice refers to conceptions of justice applied to an entire society. It is based on the idea of a just society, which gives individuals and groups fair treatment and a just share of the benefits of society.” At the website of the Social Justice Training Institute, I found this: Adams, Bell and Griffin (1997) define social justice as both a process and a goal. “The goal of social justice education is full and equal participation of all groups in a society that is mutually shaped to meet their needs. Social justice includes a vision of society that is equitable and all members are physically and psychologically safe and secure.” Another definition from the Social Justice Training Institute gave this definition: “Social policies that allow all people to live with dignity, including access to adequate food, clean water, shelter, security, healthcare, meaningful work, and the freedom to participate in decisions that govern their lives". H.G. Wells and friends, in their Declaration of Rights, tell us: “Every man is a joint inheritor of all the natural resources and of the powers, inventions and possibilities accumulated by our forerunners. He is entitled, within the measure of these resources and without distinction of race, color or professed beliefs or opinions, to the nourishment, covering and medical care needed to realise his full possibilities of physical and mental development from birth to death. Notwithstanding the various and unequal qualities of individuals, all men shall be deemed absolutely equal in the eyes of the law, equally important in social #life and equally entitled to the respect of their fellow-men.” This view is exemplified in the United Nations assertion that: Human rights are based on respect for the dignity and worth of all human beings and seek to ensure freedom from fear and want. Poverty In the early 200's Uniting Care Australia urged us to accept that all Australians are entitled to a decent #life, in which they have access to work, education, housing, food and recreation. They also reminded us that a significant minority of Australians lack such a decent #life. 10 years on the message is no different. Race Few would disagree that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are the single most disadvantaged group in Australia. The appalling and often repeated statistics tend to produce a numbed response in any audience and a sense of helplessness amongst many policy makers. To our shame, we have third world problems in our first world society. All this is doubly important because societies which have the greatest differentials in wealth and income are also the most unequal in access to other resources, including power and influence. The International Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (article 1) does not define "race" but it does define "racial discrimination" to mean "any distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference based on race, colour, descent, or national or ethnic origin which has the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing the recognition, enjoyment or exercise, on an equal footing, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural or any other field of public #life." Ethnicity is explicitly subsumed under this definition by the term "race". Most human rights treaties simply refer to "race" and do not use the terminology of "ethnicity". Disability People with Disability Australia Incorporated have a vision that states: "We have a vision of a socially just, accessible, and inclusive community, in which the human rights, citizenship, contribution, potential and diversity of all people with disability are respected and celebrated." They further state that: People with disability, irrespective of our age, gender, cultural or linguistic background, geographic location, sexuality, or the nature, origin, or degree of our disability • Have a right to #life, and to bodily integrity • Are entitled to a decent standard of living, an adequate income, and to lead active and satisfying lives • Are people first, with human, legal, and service user rights that must be recognised and respected • Are entitled to the full enjoyment of our citizenship rights and responsibilities • Are entitled to live free from prejudice, discrimination and vilification • Are entitled to social support and adjustments as a right, and not as the result of pity, charity or the exercise of social control • Contribute substantially to the intellectual, cultural, economic and social diversity and well-being of our community • Possess many skills and abilities, and have enormous potential for #life-long growth and development • Are entitled to live in, and be a part of, the diversity of the community • Have the right to participate in the formulation of those policies and programs that affect our lives • Should be empowered to exercise our rights and responsibilities, without fear of retribution. Basically,this is all that social justice and equity are about- the very straightforward notion that a society should be somewhere where everyone has a place, and where everyone is of equal value and importance Ian Parsons (Oliver Twist has asked for more) SOCIAL JUSTICE STARTS AT HOME- it should certainly be hugely evident in a community organisation. How on earth can we work so hard to maintain that everyone is equal whilst still demonstrating that we hold prejudices against the very people we work with? Sometimes we all need reminders to : Celebrate others Celebrate those who are a bit 'zany' we need bright optimistic and bubbly people in our lives Celebrate those who have a lot to say when we are so 'busy' we haven't got time to listen- you might be surprised and delighted by what they have to say Celebrate those who take a bit longer to do things- they are teaching us to be patient- maybe we will live longer because of it How arrogant we are to actually be 'annoyed' by other people who are simply being themselves. Today, try not to react with irritation to anyone- celebrate their difference All these are good definitions, but this #quote from Archbishop Helder Camara really helped clarify social justice for me, distinguishing it from charity: “When you give food to the poor, they call you a saint. When you ask why the poor have no food, they call you a communist.” Social justice means asking the hard questions. Merely feeding the poor is charity. Charity is fine, but it doesn't address the question of why the poor have no food. Social justice asks the question, finds the answer, and works to see to it that, from now on, the poor will always have food. Social justice asks why some schools have 30 year old text books while others have the latest texts and a computer for every student, then works to make sure the latest texts and computers will always be available in every school. There's an old story that takes place in a village on a river bank: One summer in the village, the people in the town gathered for a picnic. As they leisurely shared food and conversation, someone noticed a baby in the river, struggling and crying. The baby was going to drown! Someone rushed to save the baby. Then, they noticed another screaming baby in the river, and they pulled that baby out. Soon, more babies were seen drowning in the river, and the towns people were pulling them out as fast as they could. It took great effort, and they began to organize their activities in order to save the babies as they came down the river. As everyone else was busy in the rescue efforts to save the babies, two of the townspeople started to run away along the shore of the river. "Where are you going?" shouted one of the rescuers. "We need you here to help us save these babies!" "We are going upstream to stop whoever is throwing them in!" Social justice means going upstream to stop whoever is throwing babies in the river.

power of positive thinking The fundamental principle of the law of attraction is the belief that #life energy attracts like energy. This means that if a person is emitting positive vibes they will draw good things to them and if they are emitting negative vibes they will draw bad things to them. The mind is a powerful thing, and where the mind goes the feet will soon follow. The foundation of any success you are going to encounter in #life is not the ability of your physical body to overcome the obstacles but of your mind to believe that a way lies around them. “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” When your mind can believe that there is a way and refuses to accept there is not, then the way will open!

You have no need to understand or affirm me as I have no need to understand or affirm you but I offer this for your interest - or not. I don't think I could be any stronger in my humanistic view That is: A system of thought that rejects religious beliefs and centers on humans and their values, capacities, and worth. except to say that I mingle that with a strong spirituality which keeps me at peace with who I am and what I will become. The working definition of spiritually under which I operate is "one's undestanding of the structure of everything, one's place in it, and how one relates to that place." I have had experiences that keep me deeply respectful and cognizant of my place in everything, that have had little to do with whether or not I believed in a creator or deity at the time. I believe that it is possible to matain that awareness of the everything without a necessary entity as mediator or facilitator. " Secular spirituality emphasizes humanistic qualities such as love, compassion, patience, tolerance, forgiveness, contentment, responsibility, harmony, and a concern for others, aspects of #life and human experience which go beyond a purely materialist view of the world, without necessarily accepting belief in a supernatural reality or divine being. " - Wikipedia What about an after#life? No, I don't believe in that. But then what’s the meaning of #life? The meaning of #life is in the living of it. I can not live my #life purely on the basis that I will have a better one when I die! That's a cop out for this #life. What I do now- I do for me and for you - not for a later reward! As I have lived I have developed a spiritual bond to people, places and things. I cannot believe in God, gods, a seen or unseen supreme being, or even an indifferent force, simply because when I arrive at the point where reason ends and faith begins, I cannot make the leap -- I simply stop, take a look around and believe there is nothing there. But I feel the web of #life in myself and I respond to it in other living and inanimate beings. No one taught me to be on the look out for this bond, and I don't have a name for it -- in fact, I think naming it would limit its range for me. What a pleasure it is to be a small part of everything we know or dream about. Yes, indeed, I believe there is a spiritual bond to our existence that had no beginning, was the work of no entity other than existence itself, and has, I hope, no end. I personally don't believe in a Christian, Islamic, or Judaic version of a God. But I believe that there is something more powerful out there causing the world to happen. I believe that #life as a collective just continues and keeps on the fight for survival, causing the awe inspiring spectacle of nature. I believe that the universe functions as its own entity and drives the spreading of space. I see the whole just as collective of all the individual parts that comprise it, rather than being run by an omnipotent, omnipresent being. Nature as a single entity is awe inspiring, comprised of all creatures fighting for survival or land that has existed for many years beyond my own comprehension. To look up at the stars and see the horizon of our own galaxy is amazing, and to look out upon the universe. That's what I believe in. I believe that I'm part of something greater than myself, and I find comfort with that. There are mysterys in this amazing universe that our very simple minds will never fathom. Far more mysterious than the symplisitc answer of a GOD that we come up with as an answer. I like the idea of Jainism - if I simply had to choose a religion/ dogma- although it flies in the face of spiritualism and would be a choice between lions den and #life! Jainism is an ancient religion from India that teaches that the way to liberation and bliss is to live lives of harmlessness and renunciation. The essence of Jainism is concern for the welfare of every being in the universe and for the health of the universe itself. Jains believe that animals and plants, as well as human beings, contain living souls. Each of these souls is considered of equal value and should be treated with respect and compassion. Jains are strict vegetarians and live in a way that minimises their use of the world's resources. Jains believe in reincarnation and seek to attain ultimate liberation - which means escaping the continuous cycle of birth, death and rebirth so that the immortal soul lives for ever in a state of bliss. Liberation is achieved by eliminating all karma from the soul. Jainism is a religion of self-help. There are no gods or spiritual beings that will help human beings. The three guiding principles of Jainism, the 'three jewels', are right belief, right knowledge and right conduct.

We must challenge and advocate against all discrimination across all sectors of our community and communities beyond. We must ask the hard questions and are willing to work toward solutions to solve those questions that appear unanswerable. We must recognise that ‘care’ services are often the very reason people remain dependant all of their #life. Offering assistance in one area of someone’s #life such as cooking and cleaning for a person who is physically able to do so themselves and never assisting a person to do these tasks themselves is to deny that person a #life of their own. We must not believe that helping someone to stir a pot is going to lead to independence either. Helping people move forward requires a belief that they can eventually do the whole process themselves, unassisted. The independence of meal preparation may vary from preparing, cooking and serving a whole meal to lifting the lid from a prepared meal and putting into a microwave- if done alone, this is independence! The road to independence no matter how small, requires transformational leadership. Leadership from every area of FSG Australia. Recognition that hand outs must become hand ups; recognition that supporting must become coaching; recognition that everyone has potential and that we must have a willingness to search for ways for them to reach that potential. Everyone thinking about what opportunities and options can be offered will result in an abundance of both. Everyone just doing their own little part without recognising they are only a cog in a wheel will result in the wheel ceasing to turn. Transformational leadership calls for deep engagement with many different partners. What many organisations/enterprises often forget is that these partnerships MUST come from within your own organisation before they will ever become successful externally. If managers are at odds with the operational staff or at odds with each other, then there is no synchronicity of purpose. Ego’s get in the way and the wheel looses a cog. Everyone believes that what they are doing is vitally important without aligning their hard work to the whole purpose. Transformational leadership is leadership that works for the greater good and encourages everyone else to do so! Transformational Leadership requires Transformational thinking. This is a willingness to open up with honesty to the possibility that things could be done differently. We need to open up our vulnerabilities to explore what we do that may adversely affect people, rather than holding fast to the belief that we ’do good’. When we do that, we may be surprised at how some practices do not faithfully align with the purpose of the organisation.