47th and 48th WeeK

MY PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE

I was doing my practical placement in an After School facility Blegdams Remise, in Østerport, in the centre of Copenhagen, and it’s a good zone. The After School was inaugurated 22 years ago with the same philosophy than nowadays. The children used to be from middle-high class, so usually they don’t have to work with social problems. There are sixty five children, and only two of them are immigrant.

MY CONCLUSIONS

I have to say that for me to know this kind institution was a discovery because I didn’t know anything about it before. It was a different practical placement for me, because of the communication. I realised the importance of the verbal communication because I couldn’t understand anything, and I feel frustration when the children spoke with me in Danish and I couldn’t say anything. It was a strange feeling, but although I learned to express myself through gestures and non-verbal language. It was so strange to be in a place where I couldn’t understand anything but despite all the children were with me, and I could play with them. Moreover I think I learned to be imaginative, because I had to interpret what the kids were saying to me and tried to give them an answer.

So, I had a different and good experience in my practical placement, and I assess it positively for my future job. 

A LITTLE COMPARISON

In Spain we don’t have this kind of institution. I guess because of the children finish their school at 5:00pm. If they want to do something else, extra-school activities, they have to choose something specific: football, basketball, theatre, plays the piano… And if they don’t want to do any activity, usually their grandparents take care of them until 7:00pm or 8:00pm when their parents finish their work. This is something very different than in Denmark, the schedules are very different, I guess because of the weather.

If I think about some institution it seems as an After School facility, I would choose a “summer school”, where the children used to go in summer to enjoy their free time in their vacations, although it’s impossible to compare, because in a summer school exist a structure and a planning for everyday. The children cannot do whatever they want all the day, just some moments during the day. 

46th WeeK

We continued with the workshops, and we had to prepare some activities for the rest of the class. On Thursday we present our own activities to our classmates. I was in the volleyball group and we did a match with the others, it was fun! And then I went to the music room to see what they prepared for us, it was really amazing!!!! And finally we went to see the exposition of the people who were doing arts and crafts, and again it was so good!! There were lots of imaginative things!!

I was thinking that all of the workshops are a good way to work with people, and it’s something to consider in my future job. 

45th WeeK

We spent this week doing the workshops. I was in the sports one. On Monday the teachers make an introduction about the different workshops, the purposes on each and the different Danish institutions where we could work through these creativity workshops.

Also we went to do a practical visit in an institution, and I went in a youth club where they are working through the football. It was so amazing for me and also surprising. And I realised that there are many ways to work with children and young people, and football was a good idea, because the children like to play football and the professional can work with them indirectly.

 During the rest of the week we were trying to climb, and it was fun because I’d never do it before, and I could enjoy the feelings when you’re up of the wall. Moreover we could realised that it can be a tool to work with children, because when the child is climbing, he/she has to trust in you because you are holding them, so you can construct a relationship with the kid, cause you are improving the confidence, that is something very important in our job. Through the climbing, and the volleyball as well, you can work the social skills with the children, also their personal skills and of course the technical skills.

As a conclusion I think I could use the sports as a good and different way of working with different target groups. And also you can work a lot of things of the person.  

44th WeeK

Sabine Schäper was the guest teacher during one day in the international course to talk about the special needs of the children in different European countries. She puts emphasis in the importance of the international conventions. I think it’s too important to share the “problems” every country has with the others, and how each government works in it, because it can help everybody to try to solve their own troubles giving and receiving some ideas of the way of working in other places. I guess this is one of the reasons of the creation of the European Union, to share ideas to improve every country.

She posed us something that makes me think a lot. As a professional in the social field, should we ensure to the autonomy of the children or take care of them? I think it’s a good question even though it’s too difficult to answer. In my personal opinion the most important is to ensure their autonomy, but at the same time while you’re doing it you are taking care of them, so really I have no idea what is the correct answer for this question. I think even I don’t have the answer, everybody have their own opinion about it, and all the point of views are correct.

In this class I was reflecting about the concepts of inclusion and integration, related with the schools. Maybe this is because in Spain nowadays we have some problems with the immigrant children who are coming in the schools, and many of that children don’t know the language, so there are many discussions about this issue. And my question is: we have to include the children in the class or we have to help them to integrate in the class with the other kids? I really don’t know, again, the correct answer. Of course these children have their own language, their culture and so on, and who am I to say them: you have to integrate in the class; you have to be like the others…

I remember this class because makes me realise of many things and I was thinking a lot about it.

On Friday of this week, Jan Storo came to the class to talk about the young people’s transition from care to adulthood. He was explaining us the way of doing it in Norway, which is mostly the same as in Denmark. Young people in these countries move of their parent’s home soon, when they are too young, of course young for me, because in Spain is practically unimaginable to can do it as here. I guess it can be consequence of the welfare systems, because maybe in Spain the young people are dependent of their families because they don’t have other option and here in Denmark and in Norway as well the have an important support of the government, so it’s easier for them to get independent of their families. I remember this class because the teacher was really good, and also the topic was very interesting for me, because of the differences between the countries, that are completely different.

SOMETHING ABOUT THE TUTORIAL

It’s important for me to say something about this tutorial because it was so interesting. We were in the three groups, and the teacher asked us to explain our own experience about the process of being in an international project group, the best and the worst things we experimented.

It make me realised that I was so lucky with my group, we didn’t have problems. During the project I was learning many things like…I improve my writing in English, some specific vocabulary, and of course about our target group, and the different ways of working in the different countries. But also it was difficult for me the communication, because maybe I wanted to say something but I didn’t know how to explain it to the others so I didn’t say anything…and also the way of working it’s too different, and the worst was the different rhythms.

Any way I realised the importance of the verbal communication when you are working in a team, and it’s too easy to misunderstand the other people, what they try to say and also how you understand what the other is trying to explain. However I assess it as a very positive learning. 

In this tutorial it was so interesting to listen the other people, the problems and the improvements they have had experienced. 

43rd WeeK

During this week I felt very nervous because of the oral presentation. For me it’s so difficult to speak in public, I really don’t know why but I’m always very nervous to do the oral explanation. Moreover it was in English so it’s still more difficult, but I’m so happy because the presentation was good, and I feel very good with myself.

I have to say that my group was really good and I’m too happy with them, and also I think we did a very good work. It’s always difficult to work in group and even more if we are from different countries, so we have different ways of working. But, as I said before I worked really good with my group mates: Mia, Alexia, Bente and Dani.

About the project…I didn’t know almost anything about the topic of teenage mothers before we made the project. I think it’s too interesting to research information about that issue, because there is not too much information about it in Internet, but everything we found was really important. In the beginning I thought it would be easy to find information but I was wrong…we had to visit the ministries web site to find something interesting.

For me the most interesting thing that we did was the comparison between the three countries: Denmark, France and Spain. I realised that there are many different ways to work with that kind of people and for me the most surprising were the differences of the benefits that received in Denmark than in Spain or in France. Also I didn’t know that there are not laws about that topic and there aren’t specific benefits to help them.

Also it was surprising for me to see that the tasks and roles of the professionals are so similar between the three countries although they have different names. The main difference is that in Spain social educators work a lot the relationship between the families and the girl and in Denmark it is not very usual. However the rest of the tasks are more or less the same.

About the institutions which work with that target group are also very similar in the three countries. I think that the welfare system is too important, because in the three countries are different, so the organization of each country is also different, the values are different, and the way of thinking is different…

We had some dilemmas during the process of the project. The principal one was the importance of the religion in each country, because of the abortion law, in Spain for example the church is still important, due to the strong economical structure and the support of the monarchy, and they have some important presence in the social work. In Denmark and in France the religion doesn’t have any importance in the social field.

We were talking also about the importance of the mass-media in this target group, because in Spain and Denmark exist a television program about teenage mothers where all the girls where a disaster, and they are in a bad way of life so it’s a wrong vision of them because not all the young mothers are like these; also I think that it’s a bad influence for the teenagers because they could think that is they have a child they could appear in the television program and get rich and famous, what is not true.

Any way, for me this project was so interesting because, as I said before, I didn’t know anything about that target group and I can work with them in my job when I finish my education.   

42nd WeeK

The autumn break!! I was expecting that week because of the vacations...as everybody I imagine.

Well I went to Poland for six days. I went there with Abi, Maria, Giovy, Regina and Arianna (fantastic company!!!).

During these days we were in three different cities: Warsaw, Wroclaw and finally Krakow. For me the best one and more beautiful was Krakow, it’s so nice. We went also to visit Auschwitz; it was really striking for me, and also made me thinking a lot about everything that happened there not many years ago…

In any case it was a fantastic week!!! 

41st WeeK

On Monday we were working with the group work and on Tuesday and Wednesday came Bill Cleary to talk about the religious values relevant for the education of social worker in the post modern society.

In these classes he tried to compare Denmark and Ireland, where he is come from. On of the questions was: in which way does religion influence our concept of “education”? Depending of the religion and the values it’ll influence the way of education of each country. For example in Denmark they are Protestants differently of France, so they’ve different values. Another question is: In which way does religion influence our concept of “social work”? I think we’ve an unconscious influence from the religion when we are talking in professional terms.

We were reflecting about the importance of the religion. A lot of educational terms are from a historical religion values like psychology, sociology…It’s important to know that the religious values are not the same than universal values because these last values have a religious influence. Also religion is a way to socialize.

One important part of the class for me was the comparison between social work and social education, because in my country I’m studying social education not social work, so I expected to know exactly the difference between these concepts. It’s necessary to know that our personal background always influence your didactic methods. A social worker and social educator is becoming to be the same differently of about twenty years ago. Nowadays the bases are almost the same. Any way, social work in Denmark means that it has to be an action and social education it’s give to a person the way of learn.

The end of the week we finished our project and we had to hand in to the teachers. 

40th WeeK

Tim Gully was the guest teacher. He is from England and he came with two English students. I have to say that this day was really stressful for me because I expected a lot about this class but the level of English language was really really high! I couldn’t understand everything and it was a little bit frustrating for me…in any case I liked a lot that class, it was so interesting and the teacher was very good! The topic was “Angels and demonds” and he was speaking about what is the way to work with the youth criminals. Which is the best age to punish the children? In every county is different.

Before the classes we had to read something about “James Bulger murder and his killers Thompson and Venables”, this text was really surprising for me because they only were ten years old, and I never heard anything about it, and it was not too many years ago.

This class made me reflects a lot about that issue. How we had to act against two murderers only ten years old? It’s the best way to put them in a centre until they come of age?  Exist any way that these children learn what is right and what is not…and the main question: WHY two ten years old children decided to kill a kid who only is two years old? Why in this way?

Well the rest of the week was dedicated to the group work. This week we started to write the project, the comparative study between the three countries: Denmark, France and Spain. 

39th WeEk

In this week we had classes only two days because of the group work. Marcus Breuer was the guest teacher who came on Monday and Tuesday. He was talking about Roma, a different culture and lifestyle. In the beginning I didn’t know the meaning of Roma, because I used to use another word to mention that kind of people, gypsies.

We were talking about the immigrant families in the schools in the different countries. The different measures enhancing between schools and immigrant families, in general education. It was surprising for me that Spain has the three measures as possible, because I don’t think that it is real, maybe exists the law but in the practice sometimes is not possible to apply it.

In these classes we also made a little project. We had to think and write some aims and activities about the Community Gardens and intercultural dialogue. With my group work we did a project, where the main aim was the cooperation between Roma children and “normal” children in the school trough take care for a garden. Our project was called “Multicolour garden”.

So as a conclusion I think that the inclusion of Roma children in the schools is something that all the countries have to improve a lot. That children need to feel that there are part of the school. In my point of view the most important thing to work is the relationship between the Roma families and the school, because I think that is too important that the parents understand the sense of going to school for their children.

About the rest of the week we were working in the project group. In my group we decided to spend these days to looking of information in our topic: teenage mothers.

38th WeeK

We started the project in groups! I’m going to work with Alexia, Dani, Mia and Bente.  At the beginning I was really interested to know something more about the young criminals and the way of working that field in other countries…but finally in my group we decided to do the project about the teenage mothers. I think is an interesting issue, the truth is that I didn’t think about that topic before, but when my group mates proposed that issue I agreed with them. I don’t know anything about teenage mothers so I think I gonna learn too much in that project! At least I hope so.

I think that the most difficult to do a group project is the beginning. It’s difficult to find a unique way to work, because everyone has their own way of working. The first days of meeting with the group work we were discussing about the “index” of the project, and our first aim was to search some information about our own countries. So at the moment I think we are in a good way…

Richard Lee Stevens came to the class to give us a lecture about the  social policy and social work practice in Europe.

As a social worker (social educator) when you are working with young people, the most important thing, for me, is that you should have to be real, because you are a professional with a knowledge to help the other, but also you are a person with your own problems. So for me the methods you use are not enough, the most important thing is to be real.

Another issue we were talking and I would like to say is that we’re going to work between two different worlds: on one hand the subjective world, as an informal way; and on the other hand the objective world, as a formal way. One of the basis of the social work is to communicate this two “worlds”. For example to work with young people is too important to consider the interests of young people, so this is part of the subjective world, but you as a social worker are in an objective “world”. For me these are the most relevant ideas I learned in that lectures.

37th WeeK in Kovenhavn

In this week we did a “student forum”, it means that we were in three small groups to work and discuss about two different texts. I think it’s a very good idea to be in a small groups because I think that it’s an opportunity for everybody, to participate in the discussions, and say whatever he/she want. I’m a shy person and it’s too difficult for me to talk or to participate in a big class, but in a small groups it’s very different, and for me it’s like a “free space” because I can say everything I want.

Well we was discussing a little bit in a groups of three about the first text related to the Social Work in Europe and then we were discussing about “the influence of national cultural traditions on pedagogy: classroom practice in England, France and Germany”. The first text make me think about the difficulties to find a unique way of understanding the social work, because there’re many different countries and each one have its own culture, traditions…and also each country have different needs, different problems to solve, so it’s difficult to find only one way of work.

On Friday morning came to the class the first guest teacher, Anne Mette Danielsen, who spoke about the rights of the children. I think that it’s very important for me, as a social educator to have a minimum idea of the rights that the children have, because I would like to work with that collective, so I think it was helpful for my education. 

36th WeeK in Kovenhavn

In that week the first day we were talking a little bit about the history of Denmark. It was an interesting class for me because I like to know something more about the country where I’m studying. I was really surprised when the teacher told us that Denmark is a “new” country, because “only” 20000 years ago it was only ice (the last iceberg).

In the same week we had the opportunity to visit two different Danish institutions. It was really good because I could see the way of working in a Nursery and in a Children’s Home.

Last year, during my practical placement in the University, I was working in a Children’s Home and it was a really good experience for me, both personal and professionally. So it was very nice to see, as I mentioned before, the way of working in a Danish Children’s Home, and I could compared it with my previous experienced in the same field.

The most surprising for me was the geographic situation of the house, because it was a very rich zone of Kovenhavn and that is not usual in my country. Moreover, the way of working of the pedagogues in the house is very similar than the work of the social educators in Catalunya.

My first week in Copenhagen!

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The first week in Copenhagen is passed and it was quite intense!

The first days were too difficult for me since I didn’t understand what the teachers and my classmates said... and it was a bit frustrating for me! Probably I’ll improve it time by time.

The first days of classes we were working about the educational system established in our own countries, and I realized that all are very different.

We also spoke about the prejudices, prejudgements and preunderstandings. Everyone have prejudices but we should be able to minimize them, because we can’t put everyone into the same box. For example, not all the Japanese people have to know everything about the computers!!!

“Intercultural meeting”

This concept was the protagonist in our multicultural class. I personally think that there are many ways of understanding this concept and everyone is respectable. In my point of view the “intercultural meeting” means that in some place, different cultures are interrelated with each other, it could be through the food, through the language… For example, the camp where we went last week was an intercultural meeting because we were living together for three days, and we are from different countries

My expectations of the international course

In that course I would like to know different methodologies of work in the different countries that are represented in the class. I think it’s really interesting to be in a multicultural classroom, and a good opportunity to learn about other cultures and lifestyles.

Something of myself

Well, I am Laia and I'm from Sant Julià de Vilatorta, a little town near Barcelona, I use to speak catalan with my family and friends but I can speak Spanish too. I'm 20 years old and I’m studying to be a social educator. I’m in my third year and the last one. I think that I’m a happy person but I’m a little bit shy.

This International course is a personal challenge for me, and I think it could be really interesting to know other people, from other countries, with different lifestyles, different points of view…

About my hobbies…Well, I love football and I’m really fan of BARÇA. I like to go out with my friends and stay with my family.