THE BOYS OF ICEHEARTS AND THE ‘HOOD : a perspective on the everyday realities of growing up in a disadvantaged neighbourhood in Finland
Mattila, Meri-Tuuli (2014)
Mattila, Meri-Tuuli
Diakonia-ammattikorkeakoulu
2014
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2014112416530
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2014112416530
Tiivistelmä
ABSTRACT
Mattila, Meri-Tuuli. The Boys of Icehearts and the ‘Hood: a perspective on the everyday realities of growing up in a disadvantaged neighborhood in Finland. 65 pages. 2 appendices. Language: English. Helsinki, Fall 2014. Diaconia University of Applied Sciences. Degree Programme in Social Services. Degree: Bachelor of Social Services (UAS).
The premise of this thesis is to present the case of young boys growing up in a relatively disadvantaged neighborhood fairly typical of its kind in contemporary suburban Finland.
It aims to give a voice to the everyday realities and lived experience of its target group through ethnomethodological descriptions of young boys growing up in the suburb of Mikkola in northeastern Vantaa in the capital city region, and the exposure method created in the context of diaconal community development work in mainland Europe. Moreover, the Icehearts method is explored in as much depth as is feasible within the scope of a Bachelor’s Thesis in Social Services from a University of Applied Science. The key concepts of validation and acceptance, and disadvantaged childhood with its everyday realities are explored from the perspective of the integral theory in social work and critical theory in social science research.
The Icehearts method, simultaneously applied in school work, free time activi-ties and hobbies, can act as a mediator bridging communication and co-operation between schools and homes, acting as a local force for change and a channel of communication between a given neighbourhood, the district social services and school boards, municipal government as well as national politics. It is a cross-functional multi-professional approach for bringing together the needs of local children and families, and the objectives of schools as well as national social policies implemented on the municipal level, whose common goal is often underscored by voluminous legislation and massive bureaucracy coupled with the scarcity of available resources.
The findings suggest that in countries with a highly developed welfare infra-structure, such as Finland, team sports have consistently been gaining ground as a social work method for children that brings social work to the neighbour-hood level, close to the families, schools and communities. Sports can be ther-apeutic, sports can be used as a tool for democracy, and sports can be, and are used as a method in social work worldwide.
Asiasanat: lapset, pojat, syrjäytyminen, ennaltaehkäisy, varhainen puuttuminen, lastensuojelu, etnometodologia
Mattila, Meri-Tuuli. The Boys of Icehearts and the ‘Hood: a perspective on the everyday realities of growing up in a disadvantaged neighborhood in Finland. 65 pages. 2 appendices. Language: English. Helsinki, Fall 2014. Diaconia University of Applied Sciences. Degree Programme in Social Services. Degree: Bachelor of Social Services (UAS).
The premise of this thesis is to present the case of young boys growing up in a relatively disadvantaged neighborhood fairly typical of its kind in contemporary suburban Finland.
It aims to give a voice to the everyday realities and lived experience of its target group through ethnomethodological descriptions of young boys growing up in the suburb of Mikkola in northeastern Vantaa in the capital city region, and the exposure method created in the context of diaconal community development work in mainland Europe. Moreover, the Icehearts method is explored in as much depth as is feasible within the scope of a Bachelor’s Thesis in Social Services from a University of Applied Science. The key concepts of validation and acceptance, and disadvantaged childhood with its everyday realities are explored from the perspective of the integral theory in social work and critical theory in social science research.
The Icehearts method, simultaneously applied in school work, free time activi-ties and hobbies, can act as a mediator bridging communication and co-operation between schools and homes, acting as a local force for change and a channel of communication between a given neighbourhood, the district social services and school boards, municipal government as well as national politics. It is a cross-functional multi-professional approach for bringing together the needs of local children and families, and the objectives of schools as well as national social policies implemented on the municipal level, whose common goal is often underscored by voluminous legislation and massive bureaucracy coupled with the scarcity of available resources.
The findings suggest that in countries with a highly developed welfare infra-structure, such as Finland, team sports have consistently been gaining ground as a social work method for children that brings social work to the neighbour-hood level, close to the families, schools and communities. Sports can be ther-apeutic, sports can be used as a tool for democracy, and sports can be, and are used as a method in social work worldwide.
Asiasanat: lapset, pojat, syrjäytyminen, ennaltaehkäisy, varhainen puuttuminen, lastensuojelu, etnometodologia