The considerable and sustained boom in personal debt recently has in many countries around the wo... more The considerable and sustained boom in personal debt recently has in many countries around the world led to experiences of over-indebtedness that are associated with very considerable distress and suffering. This article explores critical perspectives that situate personal debt, material deprivation and suffering, and specific ways of knowing and acting, within the context of recent political and economic practices. There is a need to focus on positioning people’s experiences of debt within a broader matrix of factors of national and international practices and policies, including globalisation, changing labour markets, and poorly regulated financial industries. These factors appear to have allowed a network of international financial institutions to adopt practices that have proved successful in creating personal debt. Yet, an individualised discourse of financial capability has been propagated, configuring personal debt as a problem of irresponsible individual consumption. In order to explore ways of resisting reactionary and individualised modes of addressing personal debt, proposals will be made of alternative paradigms for responding to personal debt, defined by two dimensions of community psychological practice, with examples. This article aims to increase collective awareness of the systemic character of debt and the collective responses required.
Community project work is very complex and the psychologist's role needs careful negotiation. The... more Community project work is very complex and the psychologist's role needs careful negotiation. The psychologist may make an important contribution at the nexus of theory and practice. The Nkosinathi Project began in 1997, but gained momentum from 1999 with the regular provision of adult literacy classes, using material drawn from Constructivist approaches. The project encouraged active participation of learners and the progress of the project was continually evaluated through the explicit use of Action Research cycles. Since different theoretical approaches were being used, the integration of the strands of work in a meaningful way became a challenge, to enable an understanding of factors contributing to the success of the project. This paper will explore the utility of a model of Activity Theory as developed by Engeström, as an integrative tool. Activity Theory provides a means to consider multiple levels of activity, highlights the interaction of various factors and provides a means to consider the differing perspectives of participants in the project. The utility of this model is discussed, and potential further developments in the field are mentioned. The article also outlines key outcomes of the project and the ways in which its success has influenced the development of other initiatives.
ABSTRACT This article reflects on the provision of counselling for gifted disadvantaged students,... more ABSTRACT This article reflects on the provision of counselling for gifted disadvantaged students, which has been embedded into two access programmes on the Pietermaritzburg campus of the University of KwaZulu Natal Students who would not normally gain entry into degree studies are selected to these programmes from hundreds of applicants, and from the inception of the programmes, counselling has been an integral part of the curriculum. Because all students on the programmes are from disadvantaged backgrounds, they face many challenges to their mental health, particularly in adjusting to the university environment. The types of problems faced by the students and the variety of counselling interventions provided are described. The counsellors' roles and experiences of the work are outlined, and the students' responses are noted. The broader potential applications of counselling in the education of the gifted are then discussed, with particular reference to calls to widen participation in Higher Education.
The considerable and sustained boom in personal debt recently has in many countries around the wo... more The considerable and sustained boom in personal debt recently has in many countries around the world led to experiences of over-indebtedness that are associated with very considerable distress and suffering. This article explores critical perspectives that situate personal debt, material deprivation and suffering, and specific ways of knowing and acting, within the context of recent political and economic practices. There is a need to focus on positioning people’s experiences of debt within a broader matrix of factors of national and international practices and policies, including globalisation, changing labour markets, and poorly regulated financial industries. These factors appear to have allowed a network of international financial institutions to adopt practices that have proved successful in creating personal debt. Yet, an individualised discourse of financial capability has been propagated, configuring personal debt as a problem of irresponsible individual consumption. In order to explore ways of resisting reactionary and individualised modes of addressing personal debt, proposals will be made of alternative paradigms for responding to personal debt, defined by two dimensions of community psychological practice, with examples. This article aims to increase collective awareness of the systemic character of debt and the collective responses required.
Community project work is very complex and the psychologist's role needs careful negotiation. The... more Community project work is very complex and the psychologist's role needs careful negotiation. The psychologist may make an important contribution at the nexus of theory and practice. The Nkosinathi Project began in 1997, but gained momentum from 1999 with the regular provision of adult literacy classes, using material drawn from Constructivist approaches. The project encouraged active participation of learners and the progress of the project was continually evaluated through the explicit use of Action Research cycles. Since different theoretical approaches were being used, the integration of the strands of work in a meaningful way became a challenge, to enable an understanding of factors contributing to the success of the project. This paper will explore the utility of a model of Activity Theory as developed by Engeström, as an integrative tool. Activity Theory provides a means to consider multiple levels of activity, highlights the interaction of various factors and provides a means to consider the differing perspectives of participants in the project. The utility of this model is discussed, and potential further developments in the field are mentioned. The article also outlines key outcomes of the project and the ways in which its success has influenced the development of other initiatives.
ABSTRACT This article reflects on the provision of counselling for gifted disadvantaged students,... more ABSTRACT This article reflects on the provision of counselling for gifted disadvantaged students, which has been embedded into two access programmes on the Pietermaritzburg campus of the University of KwaZulu Natal Students who would not normally gain entry into degree studies are selected to these programmes from hundreds of applicants, and from the inception of the programmes, counselling has been an integral part of the curriculum. Because all students on the programmes are from disadvantaged backgrounds, they face many challenges to their mental health, particularly in adjusting to the university environment. The types of problems faced by the students and the variety of counselling interventions provided are described. The counsellors' roles and experiences of the work are outlined, and the students' responses are noted. The broader potential applications of counselling in the education of the gifted are then discussed, with particular reference to calls to widen participation in Higher Education.
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Papers by Jacqui Akhurst
and specific ways of knowing and acting, within the context of recent political and economic practices. There is a need to focus on positioning people’s experiences of debt within a broader matrix of factors of national and international practices and policies, including globalisation, changing labour markets, and
poorly regulated financial industries. These factors appear to have allowed a network of international financial institutions to adopt practices that have proved successful in creating personal debt. Yet, an individualised discourse of financial capability has been propagated, configuring personal debt as a
problem of irresponsible individual consumption. In order to explore ways of resisting reactionary and individualised modes of addressing personal debt, proposals will be made of alternative paradigms for responding to personal debt, defined by two dimensions of community psychological practice, with
examples. This article aims to increase collective awareness of the systemic character of debt and the collective responses required.
and specific ways of knowing and acting, within the context of recent political and economic practices. There is a need to focus on positioning people’s experiences of debt within a broader matrix of factors of national and international practices and policies, including globalisation, changing labour markets, and
poorly regulated financial industries. These factors appear to have allowed a network of international financial institutions to adopt practices that have proved successful in creating personal debt. Yet, an individualised discourse of financial capability has been propagated, configuring personal debt as a
problem of irresponsible individual consumption. In order to explore ways of resisting reactionary and individualised modes of addressing personal debt, proposals will be made of alternative paradigms for responding to personal debt, defined by two dimensions of community psychological practice, with
examples. This article aims to increase collective awareness of the systemic character of debt and the collective responses required.