Fear of Stable and United Africa

Question: What do you know about Africa, and what have you been taught or told about it? What images have you seen on TV? Have you visited? Do you know any Africans? Think about the impressions that you have of the continent, its people, and of the countries that comprise it…now let’s flip the script… 

Imagine for a moment that all 54 sovereign nations in Africa were 1) at peace, 2) politically stable, 3) economically independent/viable, and 4) united in official economic and political partnership through an African Union. Imagine an Africa that controls 100% of its own natural resources which are responsible for everything from the diamonds in your jewelery, to the cocoa in your chocolate, to the chips in your cell phone. Imagine an Africa free of rampant disease and poverty. Imagine 1 billion+ Africans (almost 15% of the world’s population) with a united voice and purpose working toward peace, and prosperity, with the aim of rectifying past wrongs and striving toward a brighter future – controlling their own collective destiny. In the same way that the rise of China is making the rest of the world sit up and pay attention, the rise of strong and united African nations will upend the Euro-American hegemony that currently pulls the strings of world events. 

We currently operate in a world driven by globalization and capitalism or perhaps more accurately, the globalization of capitalism, as spread by Western nations throughout the world for both economic and political purposes. It is a system that claims to benefit all, yet mysteriously only advantages the fortunate minority who already control the majority of the world's capital. We seem to live in a world operating with Orwellian, "Animal Farm" logic in which, "all humans/nations are equal, but some humans/nations are more equal than others." Apparently Africa falls into the "less equal" category as evidenced by its history. No other continent has been invaded, conquered, enslaved, raped, pillaged, exploited, subjugated, and impoverished for as long or in as systematic a fashion as Africa. I am careful not to play the "who suffered more" game, nor am I ignorant of the role that Africans themselves play (in recent history) in perpetuating the status quo. What I am trying to draw attention to is the fact that it is in the direct and best interests of the "powers that be" (A.k.a. the permanent members of the UN Security Council and most industrialized Western nations) to keep Africa poor, uneducated, fearful, and as destabilized as possible in order to maintain the current balance of world economic and political power.

Two simple observations: people who are more concerned with their daily survival do not have the time, energy, or even presence of mind to concern themselves with issues beyond meeting their basic necessities. People who are poor and hungry are easily controlled – a fact most effectively exploited under feudalism.

On the other hand, people with resources, education, courage, and stability are not easily controlled – in fact, they are very DANGEROUS! 

There are few things more dangerous than unrealized potential, so it benefits the “powers-that-be” for Africa to remain stuck in the purgatory of “what could be.” 

Borrowing from a spoken word poet named Shadokat, this is the first of many “mind-rocks” I will be slingin’ at the establishment in an effort to call attention to and dismantle a long broken system…

Pick up your mind-rocks, this is a call to arms…

The revolution will not be televised…

Peace,

A-i-T

PS. This is the Africa they never show you on TV – if the world continues to think of us as perpetually poor and struggling, it then becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy…

Where Are The Men In Helping Professions?

In the days leading up to Father's Day in 2009, President Obama reminded men everywhere that their responsibilities do not end with conception. Paraphrasing, he went on to say that the measure of a man is not his ability to create a child, but having the courage to raise one. It is clear that the absence of the male presence in the home is endemic in the US, and has a serious impact on the upbringing of children. Given my current surroundings, I wonder if the lack of men in the helping professions (social work, counseling/ therapy, teaching, etc.) is having a similar impact on youth and wider society in this mission field?

I currently attend Teachers College (Columbia University) where I am pursuing a Masters in Mental Health Counseling. Focusing on my specific program, I am one of approximately twelve men in a cohort of over 100 students! What's even crazier is that due to the recent recession driven return to grad school, I learned that my program has two or three times as many men as normal! This means that under normal circumstances I would be one of maybe 3-5 men total in my entire program. Taking an institutional view, the current figures reveal a gender (im)balance in of 76.8% female to 23.2% male in a student body of 5,388. This effectively means that a miniscule 1 in 4 students is male. This may be the accepted status quo, but to me, it poses a problem. We all know that the helping professions have traditionally been dominated by women -- the underlying issue being socialization around gender and gender stereotyped career paths. Unfortunately outside of 75%-25% ratio at institutions like TC, the world that helping professionals (HPs) serve is basically split 50-50. How well can HPs fully address the needs of clients without close to matching representation?

Follow me for a moment: I was at the beach recently with my wife and another couple. As we observed some very engaged fathers playing with their young children, our discussion turned to whether it is better to be raised by a single mother versus father. After clearing the initial hurdle of the different needs of girls/boys, we agreed that many of the problems faced in adolescence and adulthood relate back to absent fathers. The term "daddy issues" pervades pop-culture as a somewhat sarcastic but truth-containing label, often placed on women who can't seem to be in "healthy" relationships, or the out of control teenage boys (stereotypical examples, I know). The term "mommy issues" hasn't quite caught on - partially because mothers rarely forsake their children, in addition to the the tangible differences in impact of each parent on a child's development. As mentioned in a previous post (Daddy Issues Recognizing the...) no matter how great a mother is, she cannot MODEL for her son what it means to be a good man. She also cannot MODEL for her daughter how she should expect and demand to be treated by men and what an example of a good husband/father looks like - this latter point applies to both. The operative word here is MODEL. Bringing the conversation back to the helping profession, the same issue applies, given the tangibly differential impacts between male versus female HPs on clients -- based on this ability to model...

Let's not get it twisted, this is not about one sex/gender being superior the other within the helping field. Predicated upon the goal of meeting the needs of the population, shouldn't HPs ideally be as diverse as the communities they serve, be it by race, ethnicity or gender? There are certain ways that a male social worker or therapist might be able to connect with a troubled teenage boy and show him how to better channel his aggression etc., that may not be accessible to a female counterpart. A teenage girl who has often suffered in her relationships with the male figures in her life might benefit from experiencing a healthy male/female relationship with her male case manager. With the predominance of women in the field, these opportunities are simply being lost, and it is the clients who suffer. Ultimately, this discussion is a recognition that men are needed to step up not only as fathers, but also to fill the ranks in a professional area that is critical within society. 

Fellow A-i-Ts, do you work as a HP and do you also see this trend? Do you agree/disagree that more men are needed? Let me hear your thoughts. 

Peace,
A-i-T

Advice Needed: A-i-T is Going Back to School

I’m starting grad school in a couple of weeks, and my mind is racing as are my emotions. It’s been a full four years since I last sat in a classroom, wrote a research paper, or studied for an exam. Since leaving that focused environment, I feel slightly more than rusty in those areas, and find myself excited as well as anxious about being back in the trappings of academia. Raise your hand with me if you feel a little less smart (in certain ways) now than you did in college…? I know I do… (especially after reading some of my old essays!)

Grad school was always something I was working toward in the near future, but now that it’s finally here, part of me is still in disbelief. This is my first tangible step toward leaving behind jobs, albeit good ones, and embarking on a career in the field that I feel is my calling. I will be pursing a master's degree in Counseling Psychology, with hopes of ultimately becoming a therapist in private practice. This is one of those big life steps that can make you feel equal parts ecstatic and queasy.

“Am I ready and can I really do this?” “Am I as smart/hard working as the other people in the program?” “Do I remember how to skim for content?” “APA format, what’s that?” “How do I make it sound like I did the reading assignment?” “Who’s Cliff again?” “How do I get a good job so I can pay off this debt?” These are just some of the questions swirling in my mind.

I comfort myself with the fact that I am blessed having already been accepted – that’s at least 50% of the battle right? Now comes the fun part…! (a small hint of sarcasm on that)

Aside from the academic concerns, my thoughts also turn towards lifestyle changes ("wait, there's no paycheck!?!?"). I recently got married and am still adjusting to my newly acquired role as a husband. Working a 9 to 5 job allows you to leave your work @ work (which is lovely). Being back in school, I'll have to reacquaint myself with the concept of "homework" and the fact that there is always something you could/should be doing. How will I balance being attentive to my wife during those precious evening hours, while making sure to deal with the copious amounts of reading and writing I will inevitably have to do? It's enough to make a young A-i-T's head spin...

So I turn to you, my fellow Adults-in-Training: What advice can you offer me and anyone else getting ready to go back to school? How does one adjust to being back in academia? How does one juggle this new form of work/life balance? What are the most important issues to address to make this thing work?

This is a big step, so I want to make sure we do it right! Thank you in advance for your input for me and anyone else who is in the same shoes!!!

Peace & Love,

A-i-T