Socio-cultural animation

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Sociocultural animation (or briefly: socioculture ) describes the creative engagement with people in social projects. It is possible to work with individuals or in groups. The method is often carried out by specially trained social workers .

Individual people are networked with each other and at the same time (or thereby) joint activities with regard to individual interests and investments are organized and promoted. The individual is considered in a special way and his personality and sense of belonging is strengthened. The focus can be specifically placed on the social and cultural skills of the participants, whose developments in the respective projects are monitored and professionally supported.

The term animation can be misleading , since the described method ideally aims at the self-efficacy experiences of the clientele . Playful attempts are made to generate empirical values ​​in the individual that can then be transferred to more essential areas of life. In contrast, the animators in the tourism industry , for example, are responsible for entertaining their paying customers .

Sociocultural animation is sometimes a profession, sometimes a method. Sociocultural animators promote social networks, cultural activities and political actions by people of all ages - mainly in the leisure sector. They are characterized by the fact that they create connections between social, cultural, political and economic issues and actions.

Origin of the term

The expression comes from France, where it was naturalized between 1950 and 1965. It is also used in French-speaking Switzerland . In German-speaking countries, a bachelor's degree in sociocultural animation can be completed at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts. Also at the ZHAW Zurich Department of Social Work , sociocultural animation is a specialization within the social work course . In Germany the same areas of activity fall under the designations of leisure education , youth welfare and community work . The Bologna reform at the universities adds another, important term: Recently, sociocultural animation has been understood as a continental counterpart to the Anglo-American tradition of community development.

history

Before 1968

In France, sociocultural animation emerged from various movements that have parallels in other countries. For the time before 1968 the following origins can be mentioned (Moser et al.):

The éducation populaire movement or the workers' education movements of the early 20th century. Within these movements there were socialist and religious tendencies, as well as overlaps between the two. Today, authors of sociocultural animation also refer to the tradition of the pedagogy of liberation, as formulated by Paulo Freire in Brazil in the 1950s and 1960s. Organizations for meaningful and healthy vacation planning for workers were often associated with the workers' education movement, for example in Switzerland the Friends of Nature , and in France the Club Méditerranée .

The youth centers and scenes of the 1960s were preceded by youth movements, in Germany for example the Wandervogel movement , the boy scouts and the denominational youth associations. When the youth and leisure centers were established, there was a need for professional employees. Since the professionalization in France was already advanced, people began to be interested in this tradition - the impetus came from French-speaking Switzerland. In German-speaking Switzerland, the first "basic animator course" was offered in 1971, which taught animation methods for a wide variety of professional fields. A little later, the specialized training for youth work was founded in Lucerne . In the past 35 years, these and other training courses have developed into a degree at a university of applied sciences (Bachelor).

Since 1968

Since 1968, other important sources of the self-image and professional theories of sociocultural animation have been added:

The youth unrest of 1968 and 1980 (Zurich, Bern, Berlin) had a major impact on open youth work in Switzerland. The demands of the young people for their own space for an autonomous youth culture have flowed into the training courses for sociocultural animation and into the subsidy practice of municipalities (municipalities) and cantons (states). The broader movements for the democratization of art , which are not only focused on young people, are also of great importance for sociocultural animation. In the English-speaking world today there are interesting connections between the community arts movement and social movements. There are also countless examples of interventions in German-speaking countries that combine art with a social claim.

While the animators initially strictly demarcated themselves from community work because they did not see themselves as part of social work , this demarcation is becoming increasingly soft today. Important authors such as Hongler and Willener (1998) refer, for example, to classics of community work such as Saul Alinsky and Jane Addams . What is special about sociocultural animation remains the focus on cultural forms of expression.

The growing subsidies and research on health promotion and prevention have resulted in new fields of activity in this area. Sociocultural animation is one of several professions that claims to have a suitable repertoire of methods for the organization of preventive activities. For example, preventive activities were already part of the curriculum in the Swiss Basic Course Animator from 1984 to 1987.

For many, open youth work is an introduction to sociocultural animation, but it is rarely a career for life. The ambition of the animators is often to train themselves in the direction of district development , urban planning and regional planning . This is expressed, for example, in master’s programs at universities of social work. However, the reality is that animation in this field is in competition with specialized, university disciplines. Nevertheless, the literature and project experience in this area has a growing influence on the self-image and the professional theories of sociocultural animation. In Germany, as part of the nationwide program " The Social City ", important experiences are made and documented.

From the very beginning, the project method of sociocultural animation was strongly oriented towards the participatory methods from development cooperation (Hongler & Willener). This source of inspiration gains in importance with the stronger orientation towards the Anglo-Saxon tradition of community development.

Occupational theories

Some authors (Moser et al. 1999, Spierts 1998) stand for a direction that does not formulate an independent professional theory for sociocultural animation. They offer simple models of action that make it easier to think about practical work in youth and community centers. In the center of the model by Moser et al. there are four intervention positions: "Animator", "Organizer", "Mediator", "Conceptor". This makes a claim on the animatorial activity clear: The role of the professional changes constantly, depending on whether someone works with completely unorganized, passive residents of a retirement home, with an already active neighborhood association, with provocative youth groups or with quarreling factions in a parish. Each role is associated with specific methods and skills.

Jean-Claude Gillet (1998) is the most important author of sociocultural animation in France. His theory is a structure that is fed by various sources (for example psychoanalytically oriented institutional analysis and social psychology as well as French, neo-Marxist theorists). It is characterized by a strong, humanistic impulse and reflects the optimism typical of the new social movements and citizens' initiatives of the 1970s and 1980s. For Gillet, the central subject of animation is the social relationship. In view of the accelerated social change , it is a matter of strengthening relationships between people and thus expanding their opportunities for personal initiative. Increasing participation in the social and political shaping of living conditions turns people from objects to subjects of change. The core of Gillet's theory is expressed in seven key pairs of terms: Instead of predefined activities, animation promotes self-determined action; instead of programs for people, projects with people, animators should not seek consensus, but rather resolve conflicts, etc. a.

A fruitful further development of this approach can be found in the Zurich School of Sociocultural Animation, as represented by Hanspeter Hongler (Züfle 2004). Here the transition space is a central concept: A space between different social areas, between ages and above all between the personal inner world and the social outer world. Based on the psychoanalyst Donald W. Winnicott , this term is made fruitful. In addition, the reference to the Argentine school of the Grupo Operativo helps to gain a deeper understanding and a differentiated technique of coordinating groups.

In a broader sense, this tradition can include those attempts that use the critical theory of the Frankfurt School and the sociologist Pierre Bourdieu to give thought to sociocultural animation a theoretical depth of focus.

In dealing with health promotion and prevention, a new professional theory is emerging that is based on the systems theory of Niklas Luhmann . Such a concept is available from Michel Voisard (2005).

As is clear from the historical representation, the sociocultural animation is characterized by the fact that it moves between different social areas and scientific disciplines. This means that occupational theory is also open to a variety of connections. The reference to the theories of community work , leisure education and social education is particularly important .

Methods

A central method is the project method . The basics are the same as in project management , as used in business and research. The peculiarity of the project method that Hanspeter Hongler and Alex Willener (from the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences ) have developed for sociocultural animation is the consistent focus on the participatory conception and implementation of projects. The task of the project management is to develop something new with a group of people. That is why the methods of generating ideas are of great importance in sociocultural projects .

In order for good projects to emerge, however, continuous relationship building within a community is necessary. This “everyday work” is treated less often in the methodological literature. The aim is to keep youth cultural centers or district centers running . In addition, outreach youth work ( street work ) is becoming increasingly important in the context of the socio-spatial orientation of many providers.

The work of sociocultural animation practically always takes place with groups , mostly with groups of volunteers . Therefore methods of group moderation and leadership are very important. The tradition of group dynamics , as it was first formulated by Kurt Lewin , has an influence on the training in sociocultural animation . The Grupo Operativo approach also found widespread use in the 1980s and 1990s . As soon as one does not only work with a group, but with entire districts or communities, methods of large group moderation are used. Examples include the future workshop of Robert Jungk or the Open Space method. If animators accompany fixed groups, organizations or networks over a longer period of time, it is necessary to expand the repertoire of methods, for example based on organizational development .

Play pedagogy is important for everyday life in recreational facilities for children . But games and the invention of new games are also used in work with young people and adults .

The diverse forms of popular culture also offer a repertoire of “methods” for socio-cultural projects. For this purpose, animators work together with experts from the respective fields. In addition to the forms of youth culture , genres as diverse as poetry slam , fairy tale telling , graffiti , carnival , candle-drawing , male choirs and much more should be mentioned here.

See also

literature

  • J.-P. Augustin, J.-C. Gillet: L'animation professional. Histoire, actuers, enjeux. L'Harmattan, Paris 2000.
  • J.-C. Gillet: animation. The sense of the action. Publishing house for social and cultural issues, Lucerne 1998.
  • H. Hongler, A. Willener: The project method in socio-cultural animation. Fachverlag HFS Zentralschweiz, Lucerne 1998.
  • H. Moser, E. Müller, H. Wettstein, A. Willener: Sociocultural animation. Basic questions, foundations, principles. Publishing house for social and cultural issues, Lucerne 1999.
  • G. Poujol, J.-M. Mignon: Guide de l'animateur socio-culturel. 3. Edition. Dunod, Paris 2005.
  • M. Spierts: balancing and stimulating. Methodical action in socio-cultural animation. Publishing house for social and cultural issues, Lucerne 1998.
  • M. Voisard: Socio-cultural animation observed. A systemic contribution to leisure education. Carl-Auer Verlag, Heidelberg 2005.
  • A. Willener: Integral project methodology. interact, Lucerne 2007.
  • M. Züfle: Action - Between - Spaces. From sociocultural animation and the past of a school. interact, Lucerne 2004.

Magazines

  • Socially current. The trade journal for professional social work. avenirsocial, Bern.
  • Community Development Journal. Oxford: oxfordjournals.

Web links

Individual projects:

Training centers in German-speaking countries: