DOCUMENT RESUME ED 106 709 CG 009 773 AUTHOR Borman, Leonard D., Ed. TITLE Explorations in Self-Help and Mutual Aid. Proceedings of the Self-Help Exploratory Workshop HeldJune 9-12, 1974, Chicago, Illinois under the auspices ofthe V. Clement & Jessie V. Stone Foundation. INSTITUTION Northwestern Univ., Evanston, Ill. Center forUrban Affairs. SPONS AGENCY Spencer Foundation, Chicago, Ill.; W. Clement and Jessie V. Stone Foundation, Chicago, Ill. PUB DATE 75 NOTE 366p. AVAILABLE FROMCenter for Urban Affairs, Northwestern University, 2040 Sheridan Road, Evanston, Illinois 60201 (HC-$7.00) EDRS PRICE MF-$0.76 HC-$18.40 PLUS POSTAGE DESCRIPTORS *Community Involvement; EducationalPrograms; *Individual Needs; Policy Formation; *Program Descriptions; Program Evaluation; *Self Help Programs; *Workshops ABSTRACT Prompted from several directions, the Stone Foundation sponsored this exploratory workshopon community self-help and mutual aid efforts. Thepurposes identified for the conference were:(1) to enhance the functions of self-helpgroups by creating new opportunities for them to learn from others; (2) to findways to share more widely what is known and needsto be known about self-help principles and organizations; (3) to helpgive greater public visibility to self-help efforts;(4) to foster more adequate research and evaluation of self-helpgroups;(5) to identify and help to develop successful trainingprograms for group participants; and (6) to find ways to explore the implications of theself-help group movement in regard to institutional policies. Theseproceedings were transcribed from tape recordings and include allthe presentations made at the sessions, followed by most ofthe questions and discussion. The report offersa very detailed examination of trends in self-help programs and should be usefulto practitioners and the public-at-large. (Author/PC) CD 1 U.S. OEPARTMENT OFHEALTH. EOUCATION &WELFARE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EOUCATION THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEENREPRO RECEIVED FROM OUCEO EXACTLY AS ORIGIN THE PERSON OR ORGANIZATION ATiNG IT POINTS OF VIEW OROPINIONS REPRE STATEO DO NOT NECESSARILYINSTITUTE OF SENT OFFICIAL NATIONAL EOUCATION POSITION ORPOLICY EXPLORATIONS IN SELF-HELP AND MUTUAL AID PROCEEDINGS OF THE SELF-HELP EXPLORATORY WORKSHOP HELD JUNE 9-12, 1974, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE W. CLEMENT & JESSIE V. STONE FOUNDATION Edited by Leonard D. Borman GRATEFUL ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS FOR ASSISTANCE IN THE PREPARATION OF THIS REPORT ARE EXTENDED TO: THE W. CLEMENT & JESSIE V. STONE FOUNDATION THE SPENCER FOUNDATION W. CLEMENT STONE PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS COPY. RIGHTED MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTEO BY TO EMC AND ORGANIZATIONS OPERATING UNDER AGREEMENTS WITH THE NATIONAL IN. STITUTE OF EDUCATIONFURTHER REPRO. OUCTION OUTSIDE THE ERIC SYSTEM RE. KAPRES PERMISSION OFDIE COPYRIGHT OVa:ER COPYRIGHT © 1975 0 06* CENTER FOR URBAN AFFAIRS 4ier, NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY PREFACE Little did any of us realizewhen this Workshop was planned, what a vital vein of community life had been tapped. Self-help groups, as we discovered, not only serve basic human needs acquired during the long course of mankind's development, but in themselves are merely one ex- pression of an indigenous, natural supportprocess. Other forms include family, friends, neighborhood, kinship and other structures ofsupport. Even the usual names suggested for "the movement" seem inadequate, since mutual-aid or support is as crucialas self-help or self-reliance. Moreover, many groups are most effective as theyengage in "catalytic" activities that have impact on the ever-widening circlesof society. In planning the Workshop, we had seen isolated studiesand reports that indicated both the widespread proliferation of self-help,mutual- aid, and related groups, as wellas their effectiveness. Alexander Bassin, in focusing on drug treatmentgroups patterned after Synanon and Daytop Village, discovered that these had sproutedacross the country like "mushrooms after a rain."Donald Traunstein noted a prodigious development of self-help organizations and mutual benefitasscciations in Albany, New York, that seemed to followa national trend that he characterized as "a vertiable explosion."Zachary Gussow and George Tracy in reviewing the World Health Organization diseasecategories, in the light of their survey of self-help, healthorganizations, found that literally from the top of one's head to histoes, including every organ of the body, there existed one or more self-help organizations. Moreover, the recent studiesof Nathan Hurvitz, DemitriShimkin, and Donald Warren, from diverse data andvantage points, were revealing the ZZ basis for indigenous network effectiveness. These, of course, were mostly recent findings on the development of new groups and the functions of existing ones. We had already learned through a cumulative literature, of the persistence of ethnic, religious, kinship, tribal, and other groups in American society. The melting pot was more myth than reality. Furthermore, the W. Clement and Jessie V. Stone Foundation had acquired considerable experience-- some successes and some failures -- in supporting indigenous, self-help activities that included inner-city and international youth groups, American Indian projects, former hospitalized psychiatric patients:former clergy,ex- offenders, child abusers, alternative schools, and a number of human potential programs. Prompted from these several directions, the Foundation determined to convene an "Exploratory Workshop" that would pursue several of these trends in depth. As stated in the original announcement, some purposes were identified as follows: 1. To enhance the functioning of self-help groups that are at various stages of development, by creating new opportunities for them to learn from others. 2. To find ways to share more widely what is known and what needs to be known about self-help principles and organizations. 3. To help give greater visibility to self-help efforts before health professionals, educators, funding sources, and the public. 4. To foster more adequate research and evaluation of self-help groups, both for the purposes of improving their functioning as well as helping them to assess their results. 5. To identify, and help to develop, successful training programs for group participants, professionals, and non-professionals, that incorporate findings stemming from self-help group studies and activities. 6. To find ways to explore the implications of the self-help group movement in regard to public and private institutional policies. Both the "Background Paper" as well as the "Advance Response from Participants" -- where the above purposeswere identified -- are attached in the Appendix. Also included here are the Roster of participants, the Agenda, and the Task Group assignments. The Proceedings were transcribed from tape recordings and include all of the presentations made at the plenary sessions followed bymost of the questions and discussion. Steward Etsitty's opening Navajo prayer was not recorded, although he tells us what he said later in the Workshop. Nor were the discussion sessions following dinner transcribed. For the most part, the presentations follow thesequence in which they occurred, since reference was often made to whatwas said earlier, especially in the discussion. An effort was made to minimize editorial revisions and recapture the original, verbal dialogue-- in spite of the fact that few of us speak in complete sentencesor paragraphs. Moreover, there is a great difference between what is meant to be heard andwhat is meant to be read. But I saw great beauty and wisdom in the Workshop kaleidoscope that ranged from exomologesis to mickey-mousism;from chi squares to the baptism of the Holy Spirit; from Freudian encouragement to Ku Klux Klan confrontation; from the power ofmoney to the power of iv knowledge. And it may be that all of us need to enrich our limited perspectives from these and still other dimensions. The Task Group Reports are also presented in full, and it will be evident that the Policy. Group had more time for its presentation, with some discussion and elaboration, than the others. This was due in part to scheduling, but also as a deliberate effort to focus onsome much neglected issues. It was also suggested -- and wisely so-- that all participants, especially those little heard from, should havea chance to share their reactions and concerns openly, at the close of the Work- shop, with all the other members rather than privatelyor not at all. Thus, the concluding section of the Proceedings includes thesecomments, following the Task Group Reports. A word on the selection of participants.We did not seek a random selection of all the many groups and participants possible. Essentially, we followed the guidelines, reported in the "Background Paper" to include representatives from the following: "Leaders or members of selected self-help groups; researchers and writers who are studying various aspects of the movement; trainers, both professional and papaprofessionals, involved in developing training programs and curricula for human service professionals and others; representatives of funding sources, both public and private, that have indicated an interest in some phase of self-help health programs; and those concerned with national policy issues in health and mental health fields." We began with people and projects known to us, some that had been supported by the Foundation, and asked them to suggest others. Since the r V Foundation had a major interest in mental health activities,groups