Helping others to make a difference
Statistics / Introduction:
Giving yourself to other people and offering your expertise and/or skills to help change their life in any positive way is a profound way to effect the world we live in. Whether you are a coach, a teacher, a counselor, or if you have a heart to give back you can help others, shape our society and will probably grow in the process.
Everybody faces stressful situation, but by developing life skills we are better equipped to handle this difficult period or turn a challenging problem into an opportunity for growth.
- 75% of the general population experiences at least "some stress" every two weeks
- Stress contributes to heart disease, high blood pressure, strokes, and other illnesses in many individuals
Most people aspire to be effective in their work efforts, develop good relations and contribute to society. They get a good education, learn important technical skills, and stay up on the latest industry trends. These are all important steps to a person's success and yet, many people feel repressed, stuck or even marginalized in certain social or economic environments.
Marginalized people who have no opportunities for self-sufficiency become, at a minimum, dependent on charity, welfare or others to cope and face life decisions. They lose their self-confidence because they cannot be fully self-supporting. The opportunities denied them also deprive them of the pride of accomplishment which others, who have those opportunities, can develop for themselves. This in turn can lead to psychological, social / mental health problems or even chemical dependency.
Empowerment is then the process of obtaining these basic opportunities for marginalized people, either directly by those people, or through the help of non-marginalized others who share their own access to these opportunities. It also includes actively thwarting attempts to deny those opportunities. Empowerment includes encouraging, and developing the skills for, self-sufficiency, with a focus on eliminating the future need for charity or welfare in the individuals of the group. This process can be difficult to start and to implement effectively, but together we can make a difference.
