Working with the working class -
the urban poor -
the bottom end of our society,
in some peoples view!!
The work with them has so often been 'working' for them and not with them'.
So often the superior attitudes by in-comers into their communities, has been paternalism.
This is so often rejected and resented.
Because ...... they have been too verbal,
only 7% of communication is verbal, and conceptual.
55% is facial expression.
The rest is all the rest of our human frame.
Communication and
human lives lived
needs to be experiential and solidly concrete.
The working class poor can read us like a book - even if they don't read books.
Books have been replaced by so many.
The main thing is authenticity.
That is another word for love.
They can tell if we love them.
They read us.
I do some training in the issue of 'Participation'
because many Housing or Youth projects are
under pressure from government, and monitoring groups,
to 'involve' their clients.
The problem, so often,
is that the whole organization is top down paternalistic.
Too verbal and conceptual
and does not encourage participation
NOT EVEN amongst professional staff.
So much for the incarnational ...........
