The Ripple of Care Effect: Bridging Differences through Care Education in Communities, between Communities, and across Borders

Presented at:

World Council of Comparative Education Societies Conference

Beijing Normal University

Beijing, China, 2016

Comparative and International Education Society

San Francisco, California, USA, 2019

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James Michael Brant

World Institute for Social Education Development

President

The objective of this study is to examine the effectiveness of grass roots community participation occurring in two community centers in China. (Later studies add similar models from Russia, Kenya, South America, and the USA.) The goal of these centers has been to unite families in efforts to make their locality a more caring place through  application of Social Emotional Curriculum, Family Education (Parenting and Marriage classes), and active programs to help children of low-income families.  The centers are self-sustained financially through course tuitions, and self-governed as to social goals through a hybrid structure of participating parents and community center staff.  The hypothesis postulated is that this type of center can be an effective agent toward local social improvement as well as a bridge leading to cross-cultural friendship and understanding.  It can also be easily replicated in a variety of cultures and geographic regions.

The term “grass roots” implies that a local area initiates a plan or program and then carries it out, indigenously.  The smallest unit in human society is the individual, and the next level up is family.  If individuals and families can be inspired and organized to work together to perform acts of charity towards less-privileged neighbors, all the while teaching their children to value such work, the very fabric of harmonious society can be strengthened.  If these charitable initiatives reach out to those needing help across borders, the fabric of a global harmonious society can be strengthened.  

Following this analogy, we could say that the collective global persona wanders around in tattered garments, not in resilient, beautiful fabric.  How so?  Much of the world population lives below what is officially deemed the poverty level.

  Most of the world’s wealth is owned by few of the world’s population.  Our planet constantly experiences declared wars, not to speak of the un-declared war-like conflagrations.  Social distrust and contention between ethnic, religious, or political groups or even nation states perplexes humanity.  Education can effect change, but we must diagnose the root of the problem and then accurately prescribe a solution.  We must consider what kind of education is needed to cause the change.  Knowledge, by itself, is simply a tool which can be used for good or for evil.

Competition is one problem in globalization.  While globalization and technological advances could serve as opportunities for a harmonious, benign world, these very things, directed by pride and greed, become devastating.  The empirical evidence is on our front doorstep or at our local news stand, daily, in the form of a newspaper.  Not every country can be the global “number one” or even “number one” in its region.  Becoming “number one” implies that others become less.  Would this promote harmony and trust amongst family members in a simple family household?  The result is resentment.  What happens if we extrapolate those resentments to the billions?  The result is the same.  Could it be possible to educate society that all nation states, all cultures, all ethnicities, can and should become “number one” together? Could we not reach the goal line together?  

Dialectical dialogue refers to discussing, debating, and resolving differences in perspectives of world view, and in our case, how to educate for life in that world; but are we not like the seven blind men describing the same elephant, although experiencing it in different ways?  Human nature consists of more commonalities than differences across all cultures, as described by Abraham Maslow’s pyramid of human needs and psychological development.  If we can emphasize those commonalities in our education systems, not only within classroom walls, but in daily life societal education, through the modern media, and through actions of friendship and care, perhaps we can adjust the direction of our global ship toward a safer haven.  Friendship engenders friendship.  Selfishness and distrust engenders the same in return.

The perspectives of this study are local, national, and global, and the educational philosophy implied is social-constructivist, since people are guided to find their own ways to help each other.

The methods of inquiry and tools of assessment are project narratives, statistical reports, cost effectiveness analysis, personal interviews, surveys, and supervisory observations.  

The conclusions of this study show that social emotional and family education at all ages, not only in schools, but at the community level can strengthen harmony within local and global society.

The significance of this study to the field of comparative and international education is that there is hope that a simple effective model to promote world cooperation is within reach of any community on the globe, if we develop and perfect the model.