it takes a whole village to raise a child essay

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Front Public Health

It Takes a Village to Raise a Child: Understanding and Expanding the Concept of the “Village”

Andrea reupert.

1 Faculty of Education, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia

Shulamith Lala Straussner

2 Silver School of Social Work, New York University, New York City, NY, United States

Bente Weimand

3 Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, University of South-Eastern Norway, Drammen, Norway

4 Division of Mental Health Services, Akershus University Hospital, Lørenskog, Norway

Darryl Maybery

5 School of Rural Health, Monash University, Warragul, VIC, Australia

This perspective article defines and discusses the concept of the “village” when working with families who are experiencing multiple adversities. The article starts with a discussion on what is meant generally by a village approach, followed by a historical overview of how families living in adversity have been defined and positioned. The need to move past a siloed, professional centric approach when working with families is then presented. Using a model of social connections, based on Bronfenbrenner's ecological theory, we then identify who the “villagers” might be. Some potential principles for how the village might work with families living with adversity are presented, along with two case studies, to demonstrate how these principles might be enacted. This perspective article provides an overview and discussion of “the village” concept, rather than present a definitive set of guidelines or recommendations.

Introduction

Globally, many families face multiple adversities. These advertises may include mental illness, substance use and addiction problems, physical illness, domestic and community violence, poverty, insecure housing and war. Moreover, many of these problems are accumulative, with one problem, for example, parental mental illness, cascading into other problems, such as relationship breakdowns, unemployment and poverty ( 1 ). Preventing and mitigating the impact of these problems on parents and children is critical for improving population health for families now and in the future. However, no one sector or organization is in a position to address all the issues that these families may face. Hence, it is proposed that a “village approach” is needed when bringing up children.

The genesis for this perspective article comes from the It takes a village , an international conference held in Oslo, 2018. The conference brought together those with lived experience, researchers, practitioners and policy makers to discuss the needs of such families but arguably more importantly, optimal service responses. Given its audience, efforts were made, when putting together symposiums and accepting articles, to highlight ways the village might work together. Others also employ the term “village”, for example, the Austrian How to raise the village to raise the child , an initiative funded by the Ludwig Boltzmann Society and the Medical University of Innsbruck. The initiative aims to strengthen formal and informal support for children living with parental mental illness. Drawing on these initiatives, this article documents what is meant by the concept of a village approach. This article constitutes an attempt to “move toward” clarifying and discussing the concept of “the village” rather than provide a definitive set of guidelines or recommendations.

In this perspective, we first define what we mean by the “village” and then provide some discussion about what we mean by the term “families”. The need to move past traditional practice silos and how the village might work with families is then discussed using two, brief case studies.

Defining the “Village”

The phrase “it takes a village to raise a child” originates from an African proverb and conveys the message that it takes many people (“the village”) to provide a safe, healthy environment for children, where children are given the security they need to develop and flourish, and to be able to realize their hopes and dreams. This requires an environment where children's voices are taken seriously ( 2 ) and where multiple people (the “villagers”) including parents, siblings, extended family members, neighbors, teachers, professionals, community members and policy makers, care for a child. All these ‘villagers' may provide direct care to the children and/or support the parent in looking after their children. However, the village, in many countries today, is dissipated and fragmented and individuals are increasingly isolated and are not eager to ask for, or provide help to, others. Family breakdown, economic pressures, long working hours and increased mobility have all contributed to families feeling less connected to extended family members and others around them ( 3 ).

In this perspective article, we propose a village that has the capacity to provide support and guidance to families living with adversity. Inherent in the concept of the village is the notion that caring for children is a shared responsibility amongst many. In this article we explore the notion of the village further, provide case studies of when it is occurring and provide principles of a village approach.

Defining Family

Families mean different things for different people. Osher and Osher ( 4 ) suggested that family is “defined by its members, and each family defines itself” (p. 48). Likewise, Eassom et al. ( 5 ) provided a broad approach to the definition of family, which may not necessarily include one's biological family, but instead consists of those who share a common purpose, set of conventions and customs. Hence, there are different types of families, which may include the traditional nuclear (two parent) families, single parent families, adoptive families, same-sex parents, foster families, stepfamilies, and those in which children are raised by grandparents or other relatives.

One important role of families is to provide love, guidance, care, and support for its members. How they do this will differ, according to culture, family values, and the availability of educational, economic, and welfare resources. Through an interpretative framework, parents convey to their children the values, standards and rules about relationships and social structures. In turn, parents' beliefs and practices reflect the norms and expectations of their time and the culture in which they live. All of these factors impact the family environment and inform how family members show emotions, make decisions, resolve conflicts, interact with, and care for each other. When one family member is ill, facing addiction problems, or is otherwise under stress, other family members, including children, are inevitably impacted ( 1 ). In these instances, other family members may support the family member who is ill or under stress; alternatively (or in some instances, additionally), the family may itself be the source of trauma and ongoing stress and anxiety ( 6 ).

Multiple studies have shown that compared to other children, children growing up in such families may experience negative impacts on their own mental health and well-being, physical health and education ( 7 ). However, not all children whose families experience adversity will be negatively impacted, nor will all children be affected in the same way ( 1 ). Moreover, Gladstone et al. ( 8 ) argue that rather than being passive victims, many young people living in these families have their own agency, and in the face of great adversity, can be highly resilient and active contributors to family life.

Throughout recent history there have been different ways of describing families experiencing multiple adversities. In an address at a 1946 conference, Wofinden, a public health researcher, defined families who experience problems as “families with social defectiveness of such a degree that they require care, supervision and control for their own well-being and for the well-being of others” [( 9 ), p. 127]. He continued by suggesting that “help from outside [the family] can hardly be of permanent value, except in proportion as it tends to develop the self helping faculties” (p. 130). In more recent times, public policy has mirrored similar sentiments. The 2011 Troubled Families Programme launched in England aimed to “turn around” the lives of the 120,000 most troubled families in England by 2015. In that policy, these “troubled families” were seen to “have” problems and “cause” problems to those around them ( 10 ). Such simplistic arguments condoned and extenuated the complex and interrelated relations between socioeconomic and psychosocial problems that many families experience, often over multiple generations. Such positioning also negates the responsibility of the “village” to support families. Helming et al. ( 11 ) consolidated such arguments when they write:

The concept of “multi-problem families” includes only the level of the family system (“families that have many problems”) and hides social deprivation [and] the deprivation of these families…. The term also neglects the… the obligation of the state to intervene to regulate equal opportunities (translated from the original, p. 74)

Tausendfreund et al. ( 12 ) advocated for the term “families in multi-problem situations” rather than “multi-problem families” so that the location of the “problem” is ascribed (semantically at least) to the family's environment rather than the family itself. Similarly, Goerge and Wiegand ( 13 ) employed the term “multisystem families”, though acknowledge that this only captures those problems that families seek assistance for, and that services are able to address. When responding to these families, Hayden and Jenkins ( 10 ) advocated for a two-prong government approach that involves: (i) providing immediate responses for supporting the whole family, and not only the individual adult and child “problems”, and (ii), targeting underlying driving forces behind family problems, especially pertaining to unemployment and insecure housing. Defining problems by the systems families engage with and the need to look at underlying forces, underscores the need for a village approach.

Siloed Practice

Typically, organizational responses and policies for families living with adversity have been siloed, for example, supporting a parent presenting for cancer treatment without consideration of the needs of his or her children ( 14 ), or working with a client's mental illness without acknowledging his or her substance use problem ( 15 , 16 ). Changing siloed practices is difficult, because they are grounded in professional development and education, laws and regulations, health policy and funding models ( 17 ).

Roberts ( 18 ) described silos as the “inability to share information and integrate system activity” (p. 677). Goerge and Wiegand ( 13 ) investigated families experiencing multiple adversities in the state of Illinois (USA) and found that 23% of families surveyed received services from two or more public services, including child welfare, mental health, substance abuse services and adult and juvenile incarcerations, mirroring findings from an audit of adult and child mental health services in Northern Ireland ( 19 ). Even though these families accounted for 86% of the funding for these services, there was little coordination or collaboration of care and little or no sharing of information between services. This siloed approach results in either an overlap of services or alternatively misses critical problems that a family may want and need to address. Siloed practice models are a problem that appears to be pervasive across countries, agencies and funding models ( 17 ).

Problems that may arise in families can correlate, for example, when parents who have a history of substance use also have a mental illness ( 20 ), or when one family member who has a mental illness has other family members who experience their own mental health issues ( 21 ). The reciprocal impact between children's and parents' health should not be underestimated ( 22 ) and will also reverberate in families. Exposure to one problem often leads to other problems, such as unemployment, inadequate housing, and in some cases violence and child neglect ( 1 ). Social complexity theory may help understand the problems families face; what might seem like chaotic behaviors are instead highly organized with rehearsed patterns. Complexity theory shifts attention from a “decontextualised and universalized essence to a concern with contextualized and contingent, complex wholes” [( 23 ), p. 119]. This necessitates looking past presenting behaviors (e.g., the reaction of children to a parent's symptomology) and instead, appreciating the ways in which interactions with others, material resources and services contribute to family experiences. Rather than see families as dysfunctional or beyond hope, we need to recognize that they may be striving for meaning and balance and doing the best that they can, in their given circumstances ( 24 ).

The complexities of these adversities further underscore the need for coordinated responses across health, housing, employment services, education, policing and other agencies and community groups, from the perinatal period through to adulthood. Different services will be needed at different times, especially for key developmental milestones, such as the birth of a new child or the death of a grandparent ( 25 ). Moreover, the impact of these adversities can be intergenerational, as the impact of the adversity is passed on through parenting practices, violence, substance misuse and mental health issues ( 26 ).

Social Connectedness

Even though parents may be a child's primary caregivers, a family does not exist in a vacuum. Social connectedness has been defined as those subjective psychological bonds that people experience in relation to others including, for example, a sense of belonging and feeling cared for ( 27 ). It also includes objective measures such as the frequency of social participation and marital status ( 27 ). There is much evidence that strong, positive connections are linked to positive mental health and well-being, especially in times of stress or trauma ( 27 ). Social connectedness is one way of describing the members of the village and the need for families to have multiple supports. Given that responding to, and overcoming adversity, occurs in a social context that extends beyond individual and family levels, social connections for families living in adversity includes but extends past members of the immediate family.

There are, however, many families who are not included within their communities. Likewise, families with complex health and social needs may be excluded from services, for many reasons, leading to poor health outcomes and multiple morbidities and in some cases early mortality ( 28 ). Families may be excluded because of the stigma associated with adversity (such as mental illness or poverty) and an inappropriate representation in the media ( 29 ) or because they are not recognized by a government's criteria of “troubled”, and are missing from public policy ( 10 ). Rather than being “hard to reach”, some families may not have the ability to access services (because of transport or time), may have had negative experiences with similar services previously and/or find them intimidating or unhelpful. Some may not be aware of services that could assist them and may need professionals to serve as conduits to other services ( 30 ). The village concept implies a need to identify the magnitude of exclusion (that is, who is being excluded and from what), specify why they are excluded and, on that basis, promote access to essential services for individuals and their families and challenge societal attitudes and media misrepresentations. Families need different forms of connections, formal and informal, from the individual level to the policy and government level, to address the upstream causes of exclusion and disadvantage, including adverse childhood experiences and poverty.

Who is in the Village?

Bronfenbrenner's ecological theory ( 31 ) highlights the various factors that impact on children's learning and development. We have extrapolated from that model to highlight the connections that families might have, in each sphere, as one possible indication of who might be the “villagers” (see Figure 1 ). This figure demonstrates how different social connections impact children's outcomes, across varying proximity levels (though this may also vary for different families). Culture, socioeconomic status and language provide further context to this figure. It is the richness (quality and quantity) of these connections that can have a significant influence on the quality of the child rearing that a parent provides and the types of connections that children might make ( 32 ). Synergy is an important aspect of this model, which implies that families, schools, community groups and agencies working together can achieve more than either could alone ( 33 ).

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Possible connections for families living in adversity.

Supportive connections with village members are valuable for both children and parents. In her seminal longitudinal study of high-risk children, Werner ( 34 ) found that children from high risk backgrounds, who formed bonds with caring and trusting other adults, turned out to be more resilient, than those who did not form such connections. Connections also help parents; Garbarino and Sherman ( 35 ) found that parents who have access to social networks and supports when looking after children report less parenting stress, than other parents. Likewise, communities with strong formal and informal networks are associated with lower rates of child maltreatment, compared to communities characterized by social disorganization and low levels of social cohesion ( 36 ).

Though the importance of social connections might be self-evident, Kesselring ( 32 ) argued that in western societies there is a trend toward parenting as a private concern, and when any presenting problems (experienced by the child or family) are referred to professionals rather than shared amongst the family's social networks. In this approach, the village shrinks considerably, especially when professional services are limited or are not accessed by the family (for whatever reason). However, in many societies, nonparental caretaking is either the norm or occurs frequently. Donner ( 37 ) found that in Polynesian society both parents and nonparents were involved in the upbringing of other people's children. Polynesian adults viewed the western ideal of sole parental responsibility as a “lack [of] compassion” for other people's children (p. 703). Likewise, Otto ( 38 ) found that Cameroonian Nso mothers discouraged maternal exclusivity, believing that multiple caregivers are optimal, with one mother stating, “Just one person cannot take care of a child throughout” (p. 95).

There are, however, times when parents in western cultures draw on different members of the village. In the UK, Edwards and Gillies ( 39 ) found that although many parents receive less informal support than in the past (because of divorce, or because extended families are geographically dispersed), parents still identified relatives and friends as the main source of emotional support and advice about their children's behavior. In the USA, Burchinal et al. ( 40 ) found that in communities where neighbors trust each other, parents are more likely to utilize informal childcare from their neighbors, rather than relying exclusively on their relatives to look after their children, when working or ill. Both neighbors and parents can be involved in caring for children when they have “shared expectations and mutual engagement by adults in the active support and social control of children” [( 41 ), p. 635]. Professionals, such as teachers and youth workers, play a role in these neighborhoods by organizing neighborhood activities and events and by “caring” for children ( 42 ). Governments in many western countries focus on parenting in public provision and policy, and provide some families with government financial support and information and hands-on support through different initiatives and parenting programs ( 43 ). There are also different parenting blogs and other online sites that parents might access, to meet other parents and/or obtain emotional support and advice. In sum, the different connections that a family might make ( Figure 1 ) help us understand the different forms of support that may be provided, and those that may be missing.

Potential Principles of the Village Approach

The connections within the village approach are important, but how these connections might confer protection or buffer the impact of adversity is not always clear. Articulating principles for a village approach serves as the first step in operationalising the village approach. Based on our collective experiences as researchers and clinicians, these principles have been outlined in Table 1 , along with practice and/or policy implications. These principles might be used to develop new initiatives and evaluate existing ones, an important future direction in the field.

Potential principles of the village approach.


Interdisciplinary	Practitioners from various professional disciplines, including but not limited to physical health, psychology, social work, and education, are provided with the training and time to work collaboratively
Interagency	Coordinated interagency support is provided to families depending on need, including but not limited to housing, employment, child care and education
Strength based	Family, parenting and children's strengths and resources are identified, recorded and celebrated.
Prevention focused	Support aims to prevent immediate and long-term problems.
Developmental, lifespan approach	Different support is provided to parents/caregivers and children at different times, depending on key developmental milestones.
Promoting parents' agency and empowerment	The views and perspectives of parents is actively sought when defining problems and solutions. Parents are partners in the planning and delivery of services.
Giving children a voice	Children of all ages are encouraged to present their perspectives on the issues and potential solutions to existing and future family issues
Culturally sensitive	Individual, familial and communal cultures are acknowledged and considered when addressing problems and solutions.
Feedback and evaluation	Feedback and evaluation processes are built into Village-focused policies and practices

Applying these principles in practice is the next step to which might challenge the social factures that inhibit the notion of the village that may intentionally or unintentionally exclude families. In this final section we provide two case studies which demonstrate the ways in which “the village” might be enacted.

Harlem Children's Zone

Aiming to improve the educational and developmental outcomes for children in one of America's most impoverished communities, the Harlem Children's Zone (HCZ) is a non-profit organization for children and families that includes community building, the promotion of parent networks and neighborhood safety, and child-oriented education and health programs ( 44 ). By promoting a sense of community, HCZ addresses a constellation of factors that might negatively impact families. Individual programs may be delivered, for example, that focus on housing, but these incorporate a mandate to foster community connections and support healthy physical and social environments. HCZ services are structured into a “pipeline” of continuous support from a child's birth through to college graduation. Services include parenting supports, which provide a safe space for parents to connect with others and provide information on parenting best practices and pathways to coordinate and navigate services. Evaluations indicate that HCZ significantly increased academic achievement for children living in adversity ( 45 ), and has positive impacts on children's weight and physical health ( 46 ).

The HCZ incorporates many of the principles covered by the village approach ( Table 1 ) by providing an interdisciplinary, interagency approach and before that is prevention and youth focused. The “pipeline” of supports is clearly developmentally orientated and its focus on parenting support promotes parents' agency and autonomy. Nonetheless, there have been calls for further evaluation to demonstrate the efficacy of this approach, especially in regards to impacts on children's well-being, in addition to their academic outcomes ( 44 ).

Strategies With Kids–Information for Parents

Developed in New Zealand, SKIP is a government funding program that aims to increase the opportunities for communities to promote positive parenting, for families living in adversity ( 47 ). SKIP employs an open tender process in which the government invites local organizations and groups to submit proposals that aim to support families in a holistic, culturally sound manner. For example, one initiative brings parents together to share successful strategies for positively managing challenging behavior in their preschool children, while another identifies community and agency partnerships for addressing community violence. Its approach affirms the role of parent and provides the pathways for normalizing help seeking in communities, in culturally appropriate ways. The initiative's locally driven, strength-based approach aligns with the village principles ( Table 1 ) as does its focus on promoting parents' agency and empowerment. However, children's voices appear to be lacking as is any form of rigorous evaluation and monitoring.

The two case studies illustrate community led approaches that aim to promote the development of a village approach that benefits children and their families. Both demonstrate the large number and range of initiatives offered, which draw on existing capacity and address the specific needs of the local community. The most common activities appear to be the active involvement of parents in the planning and development of programs, active community engagement, and promoting safe, family friendly environments. The potential to use community settings, such as schools, to upscale interventions is also evident, allowing local communities to drive programs adapted to their context within existing resources.

The Austrian project mentioned at the start of this perspective, titled How to raise a village to raise a child , has a program theory model that the authors argued promotes the capacity of the village to care for children and families; this model outlines resource inputs, systems and individual context considerations and triggers for behavior changes ( 48 ), with a particular focus on translation and implementation ( 49 ). A subsequent article further emphasized the importance of regional context specific solutions and engagement with local and experienced stakeholders to ensure service models are implementation ready ( 50 ). As the authors themselves conceded, their work to date has not yet demonstrated the effectiveness of this approach, especially in terms of child outcomes ( 50 ). A major issue in the field appears to be that many of these broad community projects have not been rigorously evaluated, especially in regard to how children may benefit. Some of the reasons for this, at least partially, may be that the principles of a village approach are rarely articulated, hence the need for this article. Additionally, as Nicholson ( 51 ) argued, the complexity involved in an ecological model of family functioning makes gold standard evaluations (typically employing a randomized controlled trial) difficult to conduct; we would suggest that a village approach makes conducting an evaluation even more challenging but one that researchers are currently addressing [see for example, ( 48 )].

Many of those who organized and participated in the 2018 It takes a village conference, were involved in the writing of an editorial which outlined various recommendations for systems and workforce change, ( 52 ) and which generated much traditional and social media interest. The recommendations article, the two case studies shown, and the recent Austrian project, indicate that there is interest in the concept of the village. However, further research is required to demonstrate how a village approach might be enacted in different settings and with different families, and in particular, evaluating its long term impact on families.

This article provided one perspective of a “village” approach when supporting families who experience various challenges. We describe a village approach, which ranged from immediate child and family level responses through to government lead initiatives that services and governments might need to consider when developing practice guidelines and public health policy. The connections and principles identified in this perspective might serve as the framework from which new initiatives could be developed and existing programs evaluated. These connections and principles are even more pertinent given the struggles experienced by families and communities throughout the COVID-19 pandemic ( 53 ).

Author Contributions

All authors were responsible for the conceptualization of the article and contributed to its writing.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Publisher's Note

All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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It Takes a Child to Raise a Village

Opinion: Dr. Shelja Sen, co-founder of Children First; Author

“Our children are active changemakers who can help us grow up and become a more conscious, aware and mindful society.”

The original African proverb might have been “ It takes a village to raise a child ” but the reverse is equally true. Why do we think that children are just the passive recipients of our goodwill and effort?

If you think about it, children feel much more strongly about their world. It could be about protecting their environment, becoming sustainable, preserving our wildlife or tackling problems such as poverty, corruption, communalism and terrorism – issues that we are struggling with as a human race. They question, they challenge, they shake us out of our lethargic stupor that we have let ourselves slip into. Their inborn sense of justice, fairness and forthrightness makes them right and natural agents for change.

An essential part of our children’s learning in schools needs to be on co-creating leadership skills in every child that can equip them to be changemakers for a better world.

Nurturing Mindful and Ethical Leaders

“One thread that I have seen in all flourishing classrooms is building strong ethical leaders. Leaders that hold on to a culture of character, courage, compassion, critical thinking and collaboration. This is what I would call the “hidden curriculum” of every classroom.”

This is what builds life skills and not the subjects that we teach. I believe and dream of the day when it becomes the central part of what our education stands for at the whole school, whole state, whole nation level. However, till then, we have to limit this revolution to smaller spaces of our classrooms.

I believe compassion and empathy are central to who we are as a human race and these qualities are therefore our only chance of survival. Children who grow up in an environment where kindness and compassion are valued, recognised and celebrated end up internalising these qualities naturally. They are empathetic, connect to others easily and build stronger relationships. We all know about how EQ-emotional quotient (concept pioneered by Daniel Goleman) is a higher indicator of a strong and successful life than the obsolete concept of IQ (intelligence quotient). Then why is it that despite all the evidence against the misplaced concept of “survival of the fittest”, we still promote it in our schools?

After their education is over and they start working, children realise that they have to do some major unlearning and relearning as more and more successful organisations across the world are about teamwork, collaboration, empathic leadership and building stronger relationships.

According to the cultural historian, Warren Susman, as a culture we have made a shift to Culture of Personality from Culture of Character. When I say personality, I do not mean in the way psychologists use it but more as a focus on the outer gloss than inner core. We admire shine over substance, gloss and glitter over depth. We want our children to be “cool”, popular, polished, smart, charming, charismatic, eloquent, sassy and socially impressive. Qualities such as being kind, compassionate, honest, empathetic, fair, respecting human dignity and having integrity are not seen as being ‘cool enough’. Everywhere we look, there are magazine articles, blogs and books on “personality development”. That is the reason there is mushrooming of so many personality development, self improvement or even worse personality transformation classes for children, which promise how they will make your child shine, impress, communicate effectively and have a successful life.

Personality development is about working on the outer sheen whereas developing character is about digging deep and building the core ethics.

Personality focus is about “what do others think about me?” and making a social impression whereas character is about developing a stronger inner wisdom and listening to it in the most difficult situations.

“Personality is who we are and what we do when everybody is watching. Character is who we are and what we do when nobody is watching.” Unknown

Leaders and changemakers tend to take the path “less trodden”. They question, they challenge the norms, the givens, the shoulds, the taken for granted, the musts, the established, the so called common sense and typically prescribed ways of life. They have the courage to think differently. They have the courage to stand up against bullying, patriarchy, abusive and ineffective practices. Changemakers stand up for what they believe in. They get knocked down, they face defeat and failure but they have the audacity to become strong and start again.

As parents and teachers we need to recognise and nurture these qualities in our children. Of course it is much easier to have children who toe the line, are obedient and compliant and it is inconvenient to have children who are ready to challenge our authority. But then we are not really building changemakers, we are just replicating clones who might not leave much of a mark.

“Creating learning classrooms and encouraging changemakers is a disruptive process. It questions the taken-for-granted knowledge and the givens.”

Critical Thinking

In the present world of congested information, we need to focus on developing children’s critical thinking. Children come into this world full of wonder. They question everything as they are wired to do so. They make sense of their world through questions. However, as adults, we do not like questions much as they tax our thinking. I remember when my kids were young, their questions would have me crawling up the wall. “Why do we go to schools?”, “Why do I need to eat vegetables?”, “How do we have babies?”

Curiosity is the necessary spark for learning. Every child carries that light but somehow it gets overlooked, pushed aside or dimmed out.

Curiosity is the necessary spark for learning. Every child carries that light but somehow it gets overlooked, pushed aside or dimmed out. . . The brain lights up when it is curious – it starts humming, buzzing and looking for answers. It is rarely satisfied till it has found answers

I love the way John Dewey, one of the most influential minds in the area of education talks about teachers and churning curiosity: “His task is rather to keep alive the sacred spark of wonder and to fan the flame that already glows. His problem is to protect the spirit of inquiry, to keep it from becoming blasé from overexcitement, wooden from routine, fossilised through dogmatic instruction, or dissipated by random exercise upon trivial things.”

The brain lights up when it is curious – its starts humming, buzzing and looking for answers. It is rarely satisfied till it has found answers. We also know another thing about the brain – the more it lights up, makes synaptic connections and builds pathway, the more complex and stronger it grows. Especially the pre-frontal cortex or the conductor of the whole neural orchestra, which seats what we call the executive skills – ability to think clearly, self regulate, manage time, organise self, be goal directed. In short – the key ingredients for optimal living.

Collaboration

One aspect common in all successful and healthy organisations across the world, which believe in the well known concept pioneered by Jim Collins (authored the book by the same name) is “Good to Great” which emphasises the spirit of collaboration. There is enough evidence to indicate that teamwork, working in partnership and cooperatively makes any organisation “good to great”. All strong leaders recognise and work tirelessly towards collaboration. In fact, the mark of a good leader is how much of resonance they are able to create in their teams.

Therefore, it stands to reason that we should build these skills in children from an early age. However, education becomes a lot about putting one against the other. A child starts measuring his or her worth in terms of how much better or worse he or she is doing compared to others.

Collaboration is a mindset, an approach and a spirit. Where each child’s assets, affinities and temperament are understood individually but the focus is on team spirit, building synergy and bringing out the best in each other. Far cry from Hunger Games practices in our school.

Collaboration is a mindset, an approach and a spirit. . .where the focus is on team spirit, building synergy and bringing out the best in each other.

it takes a whole village to raise a child essay

Dr. Shelja Sen has over 25 years of experience in the field of child & adolescent mental health. Dr. Sen has co-founded Children First, an institute for child & adolescent mental health that aims at providing clinical and developmental services, school mental health programmes, community outreach and research work. Her work includes family therapy, neurodevelopmental and psycho-educational assessments and trainings. This has led her to work extensively in the area of building richer narratives for children in schools through teacher trainings, parenting workshops and interactive work with children. She is also a trainer in Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), Narrative Therapy and ADHD and has trained in different socio-cultural contexts across India and UK. She is the author of the bestselling book, All You Need is Love, The Art of Mindful Parenting (Harper Collins). Her second book, Imagine, No Child Left Invisible (Harper Collins), will be launched in September 2017.

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‘It Takes a Whole Village to Raise a Child’ – An African Saying

This African saying is believed to originate from the Igbo and Yoruba people of Nigeria. But, the idea that ‘it takes a whole village to raise a child’ is fundamental to many African cultures. So what exactly does it mean, and why does it have a positive impact on the child’s development? The main idea behind the saying is that it takes a whole community, and not just two parents, to bring up a child. The extended family have an important role to play. For example, a child often spends extended periods of time under the care of their grandparents, aunties, or uncles. Cousins and siblings also act as role models to their younger family members.

CHILDREN ARE A BLESSING

This philosophy is closely linked with the African belief that children are a blessing. The entire community is delighted whenever a child is born, so everyone would like to take responsibility for their upbringing. The principle that a whole village should contribute to raising a child has many advantages. Firstly, it is psychologically proven that a child benefits from having multiple role models. Also, with family, friends, and neighbours looking after them, the child is able to thrive in a secure and loving environment. The safety net provided by the community enables them to explore and learn without coming to harm. Secondly, pressure is taken off the parents. Mothers and fathers have one of the most difficult jobs in the world. They work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, and nobody pays them for it. If the entire community takes part in raising their child, then the parents will feel less isolated, less stressed, and therefore happier. If the parent is happy, then so is the child. Thirdly, this philosophy brings the whole community together, building trust between its members. It teaches us that we need each other, and so we have to learn to get along, forgiving each other if we make mistakes. The child also learns to love his community, and look out for his family, friends and neighbours.

THE INFLUENCE OF AFRICAN PHILOSOPHY ON THE WEST

This African philosophy is so respected, that it has had a profound influence on Western culture. In Australia, mothers have used it to set up ‘street gangs’, where neighbours work together to raise their children, taking it in turns to take them to school and cook meals. This enables mothers to have a career, while looking after their children. Hilary Clinton, the candidate for the Democratic party in the US presidential election, has also published a book under the title It takes a village. In the West, it is uncommon to be friendly with our neighbours. We often feel isolated, and that we could do with a stronger community spirit. Thus we can learn from the African philosophy that ‘it takes a whole village to raise a child.’

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It Takes a Village to Raise a Child: Understanding and Expanding the Concept of the “Village”

Andrea Reupert,
Shulamith Lala Straussner,
Bente Weimand,
Darryl Maybery

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Why do we say "It takes a village to raise a child"?

Well-known expressions, it takes a village to raise a child.

Raising a child well is a communal effort.

Background:

Hillary Clinton's 1995 book, It Takes a Village and Other Lessons Children Teach Us , set off a firestorm of discussion over the source of the phrase "it takes a village to raise a child". The general wisdom is that the expression originates in Africa, and it seems likely that somewhere within this vast continent such an expression exists, but it has proven impossible to tie this particular variation down to a specific place. According to Random House's Dictionary of American Proverbs and Sayings edited by Gregory Titelman the expression is found in a 1950s collection of Swahili proverbs; but this seemingly definitive answer gets a lot more murky if one drops in on the archived conversation at http://www.h-net.org (an international interdisciplinary organization of scholars and teachers dedicated to developing the educational potential of the Internet and the World Wide Web). The conversation ranges widely with some saying they have heard it in use among Native Americans but most pointing to various parts of Africa, or to it being, not so much a proverb in Africa as a fact of life. The very lengthy conversation is perhaps best summed up in this post: While it is interesting to seek provenance in regard to the proverb, "It takes a village to raise a child," I think it would be misleading to ascribe its origin to a single source. As I noted in my earlier message, some of us do relate to it as part of our backgrounds. Let me give a few examples of African societies with proverbs which translate to "It takes a village...": In Lunyoro (Banyoro) there is a proverb that says "Omwana takulila nju emoi," whose literal translation is "A child does not grow up only in a single home." In Kihaya (Bahaya) there is a saying, "Omwana taba womoi," which translates as "A child belongs not to one parent or home." In Kijita (Wajita) there is a proverb which says "Omwana ni wa bhone," meaning regardless of a child's biological parent(s) its upbringing belongs to the community. In Kiswahili the proverb "Asiyefunzwa na mamae hufunzwa na ulimwengu" approximates to the same. Another poster adds: Moral: let the Hilary Clintons of the world use Africa as a paradigm for reform of our own society. Our job is not to "authenticate" or criticize such internal western discourse but rather to keep in mind the richness and complexity of life in societies which should not be seen simply as an "anti-West."

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It takes a village to raise a child: understanding and expanding the concept of the “village”

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Article number	756066
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Publication status	Published - 11 Mar 2022

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“It Takes a Village to Raise a Child”: Attachment Theory and Multiple Child Care in Alor, Indonesia, and in North India

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Susan C. Seymour

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The African proverb, “It takes a village to raise a child,” 1 expresses an underlying truth. Most societies around the world do not expect mothers, or parents, to rear children alone. Mothers and their young children are usually enmeshed in larger kinship groups and communities that help with child care and other tasks. Dating at least back to Margaret Mead’s (1974) 1928 groundbreaking study of adolescence in Samoa, sociocultural anthropologists have been documenting multiple child care and discussing some of its probable effects upon children’s emotional bonds with their caretakers and other people. The bias toward exclusive mothering that has dominated much of Western psychology—including John Bowlby’s (1969) theory of attachment—has been evident to anthropologists for a long time.

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Seymour, S.C. (2013). “It Takes a Village to Raise a Child”: Attachment Theory and Multiple Child Care in Alor, Indonesia, and in North India. In: Quinn, N., Mageo, J.M. (eds) Attachment Reconsidered. Culture, Mind, and Society. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137386724_5

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To Raise a Child It Takes a Village Essay

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Local Governments

The main function of the school lies in providing education, which in most cases means communicating the program that is commonly accepted in a certain state or region. Due to this, the new generation faces fewer difficulties on the way to social integration. In addition, school education involves the proper development of cognitive abilities; in simple terms, children should not only have knowledge but also be able to think. Therefore, schools make them acquainted with the principles of logic and help them improve their memory, both short-term and long-term, for better analytical skills.

The physical development of children is as important as cognitive; therefore, promoting a healthy lifestyle is another important function of schools. Specifically, the so-called Dietary Guidelines exist the recommendations on product contents they have to follow (Overstreet, 2019). In addition, monitoring the quality of school nutrition is among the responsibilities of local authorities, in collaboration with which schools can resolve the issue of childhood obesity more effectively. When I was a kid, our school cafeteria had a lot of healthy eating posters on the walls. Our teachers also involved us during drawing lessons or during elective classes to drawing posters with vegetables and fruits.

A child’s parents or other relatives who are raising him or her bear the main responsibility for caring about him or her. That care begins at the stage of infancy and involves monitoring the development both of the body and of the brain (Overstreet, 2019). The latter, in particular, means the awareness of so-called age crises, difficult periods in which the psyche and, subsequently, worldview and behavioral patterns undergo serious transformations. At that time, children need psychological support to smooth the possible consequences, such as neural or even mental disorders. I have a friend, Madison, who suffered from anorexia from the age of 14 to 15, and it was not noticed by her strict parents, who worked at the church. Only her grandmother, who sometimes came to their house, sounded the alarm and personally took her to the doctor.

The community in which the family is living forms the environment where the emotional and social development of a child occurs. Notably, children learn to interact with other people and make friends; Overstreet (2019) defines this as navigating the social sphere. By engaging in various relationships, kids acquire an understanding of certain emotions, specifically, their origin and essence. Communication helps children realize their position in society as well as the factors that determine their behavior and differentiate them from others. Subsequently, they develop a clearer view of their selves and learn to control their feelings. My cousin Amy lives in Germany, and she told me that in their small town, enthusiasts organized poetry readings for admirers. She goes there almost every weekend, meets her peers, and learns to declare poetry in public.

As said above, local authorities share the responsibility for the quality of food in schools with the administrations of those. This, however, is not their only function; they provide the population with legal protection in many spheres. Among those are the rights of mothers, newborns, infants, and children with special needs, which categories of the population belong to the most vulnerable. Turning back to school education, local governments are to provide equality in it, campaigning against bullying and any other forms of discrimination (Overstreet, 2019). Finally, they have to keep the population informed about the issues the neighborhood is facing so that people, including children, are able to respond to incidents quickly.

Although anti-bullying campaigns frequently are the initiative of local governments, everybody can take part in them, for instance, by making ads. This requires research on school demographics, whose outcomes will clarify the origin of the inequality that leads to bullying. The local government of my school organized relay races for children and teenagers for prizes in a children’s camp. It was an interesting experience, and I managed to win the main prize once. In the camp, where everything was also organized with the support of the local government, I learned how to play the guitar.

The role of employers in bringing up children lies in providing parents with the possibility to do that in parallel with work. An essential step to this lies in designing appropriate maternity leave policies so that the employees have sufficient security. In addition, it may be necessary to design the corresponding facilities for those who have newborns, such as nursing rooms. Regarding the prenatal period, employers should spread the ideas of a healthy lifestyle and so-called prepared childbirth among the staff. The latter means awareness as well as psychological readiness to accept the new roles, which, in turn, requires sufficient support and security.

Another responsibility of the employer is to create a comfortable atmosphere for the parents who work for it; no pressure or stigma is acceptable. Parents need social and emotional support no less than children do. In fact, people realized this and began to develop a corresponding culture relatively recently. My cousin Oliver is a psychotherapist, and his wife is an English-Korean translator. After the birth of the twins about a year ago, hard times came to their family, and the brother was afraid of losing his job because his wife needed help. However, his employer allowed him to conduct the sessions entirely remotely. Moreover, his wife was also able to return to work a few months ago, also remotely.

Overstreet, L. (2019). Lifespan development. Web.

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IvyPanda. (2023, January 7). To Raise a Child It Takes a Village. https://ivypanda.com/essays/to-raise-a-child-it-takes-a-village/

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Why It Takes a Village to Raise a Child and What That Means Today

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“It takes a village to raise a child” is a well-known proverb. It draws us back to the meaning of community and how important it is to get support from others for helping you raise your child. Kids will also benefit from being around different people and learning from other adults.

Community and cooperation used to be the natural answer for people living in small groups, especially in rural settings. In today’s world, we live in highly concentrated cities but seem to rely less on each other. When I had my first baby, I felt like asking for help meant I’m failing at motherhood. This doesn’t have to be the case.

I’ll go through why it takes a village to raise a child and what that means today, including tips for building your own village.

Build Protective Networks

Why does it take a village to raise your child? To start with, we all know parenting can be overwhelming sometimes. Both parents and children can benefit from having a bigger support system than just the immediate family. Your kids will also learn more from interacting with other people.

Today, having a village means building a sense of community around you. The more people you can trust, the better equipped you’ll be to handle any possible problems.

Even in today’s world, you can create your own village by surrounding yourself with other parents and children.

Here are some of the ways you can build your own village to raise a child.

Teach kids to respect other adults.
Build friendships.
Encourage hobbies.
Volunteer to carpool.
Help out others.
Organize a text chain.
Deal with problems in person.
Get to know your neighbors.
Remember that everybody struggles.

Teach Kids to Respect Other Adults

Think about a small village or neighborhood, a couple of hundred years ago. What raising a child meant in that setting was shared work and responsibility . We often think children are better off when there’s only one person guiding them, but other adults can help you with parenting.

You teach your child about social rules , like sharing toys, at home. When they’re at the playground or in preschool, they hear the same instructions from other adults. It helps them understand that those rules are universal , not only applicable when their parents are around.

This is why supporting teachers and other parents is so important. When adults are respectful of each other, it shows children the importance of boundaries. They’ll learn that showing consideration for their peers and other adults is critical in life.

Build Friendships

If you have a baby or toddler, join parenting groups or make friends with other parents at the playground. Foment those friendships by organizing a get-together or a play date among a small group of parents.

When you spend time with other families, your child will also have the chance to learn about sharing and social interaction.

With big kids, get to know the parents of their friends and their classmates in person. These kids are the people your child spends most of their time with. Their parents are the ones who will let you know if something important happens.

When you build a trusting relationship with other parents, you’ll feel supported. They’ll let you know if anything you should know is going on. Whether it has to do directly with your children or with your community, you’ll benefit from this enormously.

Encourage Hobbies

Hobbies, especially group activities, are great for children. They help with their motor skills and speech development, but they also teach kids about responsibilities and social skills.

When your child is playing a team sport or participating in boy or girl scout groups, they learn about sharing, discipline , and teamwork. They spend time with their peers every time they’re in their hobby, and they learn to respect adults besides just their parents and teachers.

Group activities also foster the sense of working towards a common goal , much like in the villages of the past. Better social skills even lead to improved academic performance in kids.

Volunteer to Carpool

Organize a carpool system to drive kids to school or their activities, to make your own and other parents’ days a bit easier. When you volunteer to drive other kids, you’re giving another busy parent a few more minutes in the morning. And you’ll get a couple of days off from driving them yourself!

Carpooling is also eco-friendly and gives you the chance to observe your kids with their friends. You’ll be more aware of their relationships, and it’ll be easier to spot any problems.

Help Out Others

When you notice another parent being overwhelmed, offer to babysit . It can be during the afternoon to give them time to run errands or to give them a night off for relaxation.

You’ll notice everybody can appreciate a helping hand and some free time from their kids. It’ll also get you started on building a network with another parent, and you’ll likely be able to trust them for help when you need it.

Sleepovers are another great way to give other parents a night off and spend time with your child and their friends. It can be tough to find time for it, but you might soon notice your relationships improving and a sense of community growing around your family.

Organize a Text Chain

Nowadays, it’s even more important to stay connected with other parents at all times. This can start as early as with toddlers, but it’s crucial when your children are in their tween or teen years.

This is the age when your children will begin testing their boundaries and learning to be independent. They’ll start using smartphones and social media, which takes possible problems from the school to your home. When you’re in constant contact with other parents, you’ll learn about any potential issues early on.

Deal With Problems in Person

Parent group chats or email chains can get tough to manage. In those situations, taking the conversation offline is often easier. Seeing people in the real world foments more empathy and can help tone down negativity.

What you can do is promote and organize gatherings where you can meet face to face in a more relaxed setting. If possible, deal with any issues that may arise in person instead of a text.

Get to Know Your Neighbors

Your neighbors should also be a part of your village, if possible. Of course, if you live in a big city or a building, you won’t be able to engage with everybody. Still, you can make an effort to get to know people in your neighborhood .

Remember That Everybody Struggles

You know those moments after a long day when you’re forced to go to the supermarket with your child? The last thing you want is for them to have a meltdown in the cereal aisle, but sometimes it happens, and it’s not your fault.

When you see other parents going through this situation, give them a kind word or two. You don’t have to offer parenting advice in these situations; just a smile can go a long way.

The Bottom Line

Parenting is rewarding and great, but sometimes it gets hard. Fomenting the feeling of community around your family helps you get through it. Both your family and the people in the village you build around you will benefit from this protective network.

Another reason why it takes a village to raise a child is that when kids see adults support each other, they’ll learn this as the model to follow. You’ll give your child more tools to manage any issues in their relationships in a healthy way.

Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We try our best to keep things fair and balanced, in order to help you make the best choice for you.

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Why We Still Need the Village – Strengthening Support Systems for Our Children

It takes a village to raise a child - header

25 Sep Why We Still Need the Village – Strengthening Support Systems for Our Children

T he famous African proverb, “it takes a village to raise a child,” should ring more true to parents and families today than ever before. Juggling parental responsibilities while maintaining a career (especially those parents who lead single-family households) is not an easy thing to do. Not to mention the stress and hardships many American children are already facing — from extensive social media use to disconnectedness and isolation, to other difficulties at home. And this is pre-pandemic.

Today, more common than this stress of life is the un-comfortability to ask for help. For some, just the idea of getting parenting help from our friends or community often feels like we’re doing something wrong. If we’re the ones reaching out to ask if a friend needs help, it can sometimes feel like we’re stepping on their toes, or we may fear we’ll come off as telling them how to parent. But what’s with that stigma? What happened to the village mentality?

Supporting Ourselves and Our Kids

Why we still need the village.

We know how critical a parental figure is to the development of a child. Children, especially girls, who grow up with an absent father, are more likely to be subjected to higher poverty rates, experiment with drugs, and experience teen pregnancy. With the compounded problem of a global pandemic, support from community members, teachers, friends, and family is critical.

Kids today experience less connection, more isolation and anxiety, and even depression. And COVID-19 has only exacerbated these feelings.

Not to mention, there is an entire generation of children who now can say they grew up with social media. While every child is different, as a whole, this generation is starting from a level much less connected to self and much more used to comparing themselves to others than any generation before them.

Alexandra Hamlet, a clinical psychologist of the Child Mind Institute, says , “the less you are connected with human beings in a deep, empathic way, the less you’re getting the benefits of a social interaction,” and “the more superficial it is, the less likely it’s going to cause you to feel connected, which is something we all need.”

This information age has brought with it starvation for connection.

But of course, many households go through much worse than the overuse of social media. What about children who are at risk of more severe hardships like trauma or incarceration?

Children today are experiencing higher levels of anxiety, depression, and even trauma than ever before. Thirty-five million of the United States’ children have experienced one or more severe types of trauma. That’s about half.

What are we doing to support them because many of these children aren’t supported at home? In the U.S., approximately 2,968,000 youth under the age of 18 do not live with either parent in the home and 1.7 million children have a parent in prison. This is why the village is still so important .

In her Tedx Talk, Natasha Babul, gives us insight into her past and her 9.5 ACE (Adverse Childhood Experience) score. Thanks to a team of teachers and strangers, Natasha’s village of supporters helped her overcome struggles and not be defined by her circumstances.

It takes a village to raise a child: Natasha Babul

When a community of healthy adults supports a child, they build a robust social and emotional support system around that child. The child grows up with and becomes accustomed to healthy connections. Empathy and resilience are natural byproducts, and these two protective factors can decrease many other risk factors that could potentially come into play in the child’s life.

Schools make up a considerable part of the village.

Our kids spend the majority of their time there, so it only makes sense that teachers and district officials provide the social and emotional support necessary to support them.

Reach out to and for others

Build your village.

For kids, healthy relationships with adults build trust in others. These relationships also build confidence in themselves as people also depend on them.

If you’re a parent, do you have a strong village that surrounds you and your children?

If you’re a teacher, do you feel your school has a strong social-emotional learning foundation that properly supports you and your students?

And if you’re a student looking for more support or a friendly community member who believes a child needs more help, how are you connecting to the right resources?

Finding your village

Reach out to your school community and see what kind of support or parental engagement activities are available.

Reach out to friends you trust, and don’t be ashamed to ask for help once in a while. While this may be more of a challenge now during COVID, even asking for advice from another person could relieve some stress.

If you’re hoping to give support to another parent or friend, offer your help in a non-invasive way. If you’re worried your friend might take it the wrong way, frame it in a way that makes them feel like you’re helping each other.

Of course, when it becomes safer to be in the same room as others, offer to watch a friend’s children for a period of time. Some time alone to take care of their personal needs can do wonders to support the family.

Strengthen Your Support System

Participate in family bonding activities.

To do our part in the village, we promote an Our P’Art of Parenthood program to strengthen child-caregiver relationships by encouraging engaged parent-figures and exemplifying new possibilities through art and education.

Children and their parents, or guardian, will sit together and be led in a guided painting project. The artists will facilitate discussions surrounding healthy relationships and ways to improve them. They will utilize eco-friendly materials, educating those in attendance about what it means to be an environmental advocate. Community members will present unique, nontraditional career opportunities for the teenage population and provide resources for personal and professional achievement.

While it is open to all, it is specifically designed for youth experiencing adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), and those at risk for or currently impacted by the criminal justice system, including those at risk or experiencing suspension, expulsion, or chronic absenteeism. We have one coming up in November for our Riverside County communities. If you’re a family living in Riverside, or your children attend Riverside schools, we’d love to see you! You can grab your tickets here.

SEL Strategies for Virtual Classrooms - Activities

Still, it is a program available to anyone interested in supporting groups who are often marginalized, giving them access to arts and to educate youth and their support systems on the importance of critical relationships while also strengthening this bond in these formative years. Reach out to us for more information on how to bring this program to your community.

We’re aware that more than half of children in the U.S. live in nontraditional families, so as an organization, we support all child-caregiver relationships with these fun and engaging bonding activities.

What is Social-Emotional Learning?

What is it and why is it so important to a child’s future? Part of building a supportive and loving village around your child means knowing what’s available to do just that. Our children spend a majority of their time at school, or in this day and age, at least online doing school work.

Teachers and school districts who employ SEL go beyond strategies for instruction, but have developed a mindset that promotes the social and emotional wellbeing of your child in everything that they do. Our next article goes into the fundamentals of why social-emotional learning matters.

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It Takes a Child to Raise a Village

Opinion: Dr. Shelja Sen, co-founder of Children First; Author "Our children are active changemakers who can help us grow up and become a more conscious, aware and mindful society." The original African proverb might have been "It takes a village to raise a child" but the reverse is equally true. Why do we think that children are just the passive recipients of our goodwill and effort? If you think about it, children feel much more strongly about their world. It could be about protecting their environment, becoming sustainable, preserving our wildlife or tackling problems such as poverty, corruption, communalism and terrorismissues that we are struggling with as a human race. They question, they challenge, they shake us out of our lethargic stupor that we have let ourselves slip into. Their inborn sense of justice, fairness and forthrightness makes them right and natural agents for change. An essential part of our children's learning in schools needs to be on co-creating leadership skills in every child that can equip them to be changemakers for a better world. Nurturing Mindful and Ethical Leaders "One thread that I have seen in all flourishing classrooms is building strong ethical leaders. Leaders that hold on to a culture of character, courage, compassion, critical thinking and collaboration. This is what I would call the "hidden curriculum" of every classroom." This is what builds life skills and not the subjects that we teach. I believe and dream of the day when it becomes the central part of what our education stands for at the whole school, whole state, whole nation level. However, till then, we have to limit this revolution to smaller spaces of our classrooms.

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In the aftermath of the Tohoku disaster in Japan, a heavy emphasis has been placed on schools as scenarios for, "Schools as Focused Learning Organizations" and "Schools as Core Social Centers." Behind the scenes, however, practices of rote learning and repeated drills overburden, tense youngsters do not arise from an adequate theoretical basis for education in 21st century classrooms. Classroom teachers are required to teach much more than discipline content, they are required to "go beyond memories" by developing students' competencies (including meta-cognition using active learning through formative assessment) and frame their teaching and learning programs in the context of a carefully moderated approach to cross-curriculum priorities, such as common issues and environmental, economic, and social risks that we face locally and globally. Stabilizing the old system, creating new systems, and bridges built between the old and the new to facilitate effective transitions. Therefore, the authors stress the importance of systems thinking for Konai-kensyu (in-school teacher training) in Jyugyo-kenkyu (lesson study) and school-based ESD (Education for Sustainable Development) curricula and assessment by reconstructing 20 doors to Japanese education using the ERIC (Education Resource and Information center) thesaurus, which is required for writing articles in English and rethinking education by systems thinking based on Japanese culture. Although the key is curriculum and assessment at various levels, the idea of three layers and loop are visualized in order to unpack the educational processes at classroom, school, and societal levels loop simultaneously to make multiple school improvements more tangible. It shall be a prerequisite to describe complex processes in schools in terms of systems awareness using the term "organization" to reflect a society that values the special qualities of homogeneity and harmony based on well-being (kofuku de kenkou na jyotai). Students develop social-emotional competencies according to the concept of the whole child. This

In the aftermath of the Tohoku disaster in Japan, a heavy emphasis has been placed on schools as scenarios for, " Schools as Focused Learning Organizations " and " Schools as Core Social Centers. " Behind the scenes, however, practices of rote learning and repeated drills overburden, tense youngsters do not arise from an adequate theoretical basis for education in 21st century classrooms. Classroom teachers are required to teach much more than discipline content, they are required to " go beyond memories " by developing students' competencies (including meta-cognition using active learning through formative assessment) and frame their teaching and learning programs in the context of a carefully moderated approach to cross-curriculum priorities, such as common issues and environmental, economic, and social risks that we face locally and globally. Stabilizing the old system, creating new systems, and bridges built between the old and the new to facilitate effective transitions. Therefore, the authors stress the importance of systems thinking for Konai-kensyu (in-school teacher training) in Jyugyo-kenkyu (lesson study) and school-based ESD (Education for Sustainable Development) curricula and assessment by reconstructing 20 doors to Japanese education using the ERIC (Education Resource and Information center) thesaurus, which is required for writing articles in English and rethinking education by systems thinking based on Japanese culture. Although the key is curriculum and assessment at various levels, the idea of three layers and loop are visualized in order to unpack the educational processes at classroom, school, and societal levels loop simultaneously to make multiple school improvements more tangible. It shall be a prerequisite to describe complex processes in schools in terms of systems awareness using the term " organization " to reflect a society that values the special qualities of homogeneity and harmony based on well-being (kofuku de kenkou na jyotai). Students develop social-emotional competencies according to the concept of the whole child. This Scenarios of Education after the Tohoku Disaster: article delineates a preliminary model, a connection circle, for driving systems-awareness in schools.

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The perceived purpose of college education has shifted in the past century from teaching ethics/morality/values to acquiring a philosophy of life to acquiring the skills to do well in a career. Acquiring the right skills for professional success means taking the right courses. This paper attempts to answer the question as to what makes a course or major valuable. The author describes ten skills that students must acquire to achieve professional and personal success. In the knowledge economy, successful firms desperately need employees with such skills as creativity, critical thinking, and a passion for knowledge. Students without these skills may find employment but will ultimately find themselves stuck in dead-end jobs.

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This literature review aims to contribute to the improved equity and quality of early childhood care and education (ECCE) by promoting the integration of effective and innovative pedagogies in pre-primary and early grades in primary education teaching and learning practice.

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Insights Weekly Essay Challenges 2016 – Week 17: It takes a whole village to raise a child

Insights Weekly Essay Challenges 2016 – Week 17

24 April 2016

Write an essay on the following topic in not more than 1000-1200 words:

“It takes a whole village to raise a child”

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It Takes a Village to Raise a Child

Filed Under: Essays Tagged With: Social Issues

It takes a village to raise a child – The education of our children is the task of the community as a whole, not merely the province of teachers and local school administrators.

It takes a village to raise a child – It surely does. Education, from the time of the primitive Homo sapiens, has been an integral part in acquiring knowledge – be it practical or theoretical. Man has learnt a lot from pure observations, like the discovery of gravity by Newton from the fall of a small apple. But, in the due course of time, the six-sensed human has confined the art of acquiring knowledge within four walls of the classrooms equipped with a school of well trained teachers. There is a responsibility of imparting education to the children, a big percent of which falls on the shoulders of the teachers and the so called school administrators. Apart from the knowledge imparted to them thro’ books by their teachers, the practicality of life and moral values are more than essential to complete the circle of education – this integral intelligence can be imparted only by the community around him or her. For instance, a child can learn hard work from his father, patience and love from his mother. Not only the parents, but also the community who surround the child should share the responsibility of enlightening him with the knowledge of differentiating things- which is good and which is not.

As a well established fact, teachers are under a heavy pressure to force the scientific, technological, historical data into the brains of young minds. Few schools consider teaching values and morals, that too not being taken up by the child effectively. Only the society can make up a child into a fully grown adult mentally, by impinging values and the knack to tackle any kind of hardship in life. An alarming fact put forth by many is that the so called society which has to impart quality education to the children, instead of doing their rightful task, is guiding many in the delusive path. The community should be well aware not to spoil the young minds at their budding age, as mud can turn to a glorifying pottery-ware; iff the potter himself is good at his profession. While the schools train a child’s brain, the society should simultaneously tend his heart and brain; lure them with some equessential knowledge. Not monotonously stressing on values, i put forth that the knowledge gained by the people who make up the society thro’ their experiences in life, had always been and will always be the source of eternal knowledge to the children. The medical knowledge of the ancient Indian society, the scientific brilliance of the Mayans and knowledge effervescence from so many society of people from vivid parts of the world have always radiated the aura of knowledge to the current advanced human generation – without which all these, the so called microbots and nanomedicines would have been difficult- to be more authentic – are impossible. Thus a society plays a commendable role in imparting quality education to children. Whether it is the sphere of technical education, or the moral side, the society also plays an important role which is no less than that played by the graduated teachers and well established educational institutions.

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Mere graduations of the teachers don’t teach the children – it’s their creativity, their vivid talents that easily and lucidly make the child grasp quick knowledge. After all, teachers are teachers only within the four walls of the classroom – they become one of those responsible people, the society which is coming into play outside the school walls. The evils of the society should not engulf the child’s timid mind – which is also an important duty of the people surrounding him. The corrupted minds in the society, after all, are those that have been deprived of moral education by their own people! Young minds can be tended with immense knowledge, salvaged of unwanted stuff and enlightened by the glory of wisdom, through the lamp of education, the fuel being the social involvement of the community as a whole, without which the lamp of education diminishes leaving the child’s mind in darkness of evil. Hence, it is essential that a community must actively participate in emphasizing the right form of education and make the children draw their own path of righteousness – after all – every single cell makes a heart function – and let us be those tiny cells of importance and make the heart do its task efficiently thus making a sound body – meaning we the people summing up this community, should be the responsible bigheads to train a child live efficiently to make a better and a sound world of joy!

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It Takes a Village to Raise a Child: Understanding and Expanding the Concept of the "Village"
Defining the "Village" The phrase "it takes a village to raise a child" originates from an African proverb and conveys the message that it takes many people ("the village") to provide a safe, healthy environment for children, where children are given the security they need to develop and flourish, and to be able to realize their hopes and dreams.
It Takes a Village to Raise a Child: How communities can help raise
The impact of this is apparent on parents and children. The adage "it takes a village to raise a child" is absolutely still true. But somewhere along the way, we've lost the "village" we need to raise kids in nurturing, creative, and safe ways. And as a result, families are missing out on crucial learning experiences and much needed ...
It Takes a Child to Raise a Village
Opinion: Dr. Shelja Sen, co-founder of Children First; Author. "Our children are active changemakers who can help us grow up and become a more conscious, aware and mindful society.". The original African proverb might have been " It takes a village to raise a child " but the reverse is equally true. Why do we think that children are ...
'It Takes a Whole Village to Raise a Child'
This philosophy is closely linked with the African belief that children are a blessing. The entire community is delighted whenever a child is born, so everyone would like to take responsibility for their upbringing. The principle that a whole village should contribute to raising a child has many advantages. Firstly, it is psychologically proven ...
It Takes a Village to Raise a Child: Understanding and Expanding the
discussed using two, brief case studies. DEFINING THE "VILLAGE". The phrase "it takes a village to raise a child" originates from. an African proverb and conveys the message that it takes ...
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The term black is equivalent to the American expression "people of color." 58. It Takes a Whole Village to Raise a Child. exam for a different date (it was university policy to allow those who. wished to commemorate the 1976 uprisings to do so) and so the rele- vant lecturer had to set a separate exam for me.
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The phrase "It takes a village [to raise a child]" is a proverb attributed to several African cultures that appears to have no specific origin. 1 The phrase embodies the concept of a whole community interacting for the well-being, safety, and health of all, particularly vulnerable populations such as children. It is particularly relevant for those of us in public health, as we seek to ...
PDF "It Takes a Village to Raise a Child": Attachment Theory ...
"It Takes a Village to Raise a Child" 119 to unweaned infants while simultaneously maintaining their economic pro-duction to successfully feed older children." Du Bois also stressed the problem of inconsistency of child care. "A whole series of parent surrogates may care for the child during this period after the
It Takes a Village to Raise a Child: Understanding and Expanding the
Abstract. This perspective article defines and discusses the concept of the "village" when working with families who are experiencing multiple adversities. The article starts with a discussion on what is meant generally by a village approach, followed by a historical overview of how families living in adversity have been defined and positioned.
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Meaning: Raising a child well is a communal effort. Background: Hillary Clinton's 1995 book, It Takes a Village and Other Lessons Children Teach Us, set off a firestorm of discussion over the source of the phrase "it takes a village to raise a child". The general wisdom is that the expression originates in Africa, and it seems likely that somewhere within this vast continent such an expression ...
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For others, community might mean 'the neighbourhood' - the whole service extending to the local streets, park, library, train station and shops. In a remote region, community might encompass different, individual, kinship communities and extend hundreds of kilometres. ... 'It takes a village to raise a child': The role of community ...
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It takes a village to raise a child: understanding and expanding the concept of the "village". / Reupert, Andrea; Straussner, Shulamith Lala; Weimand, Bente et al. In: Frontiers in Public Health, Vol. 10, 756066, 11.03.2022. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Other › peer-review
"It Takes a Village to Raise a Child": Attachment Theory and Multiple
The African proverb, "It takes a village to raise a child," 1 expresses an underlying truth. Most societies around the world do not expect mothers, or parents, to rear children alone. Mothers and their young children are usually enmeshed in larger kinship groups and communities that help with child care and other tasks.
To Raise a Child It Takes a Village
Get a custom essay on To Raise a Child It Takes a Village. The physical development of children is as important as cognitive; therefore, promoting a healthy lifestyle is another important function of schools. Specifically, the so-called Dietary Guidelines exist the recommendations on product contents they have to follow (Overstreet, 2019).
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Both parents and children can benefit from having a bigger support system than just the immediate family. Your kids will also learn more from interacting with other people. Today, having a village means building a sense of community around you. The more people you can trust, the better equipped you'll be to handle any possible problems.
It Takes a Village to Raise a Child
Why We Still Need the Village - Strengthening Support Systems for Our Children. The famous African proverb, "it takes a village to raise a child," should ring more true to parents and families today than ever before. Juggling parental responsibilities while maintaining a career (especially those parents who lead single-family households ...
It Takes a Child to Raise a Village
It Takes a Child to Raise a Village Opinion: Dr. Shelja Sen, co-founder of Children First; Author "Our children are active changemakers who can help us grow up and become a more conscious, aware and mindful society." The original African proverb might have been "It takes a village to raise a child" but the reverse is equally true.
"It takes a child to raise a village"
COVER STORY 20 • It Takes a Child to Raise a Village Dr. Shelja Sen on the importance of inculcating the five C's - compassion, character, courage, critical thinking and collaboration, in future leaders. 20 24 28 • Teaching (with) empathy and compassion in schools Ines Kudo and Joan Hartley on why social and emotional skills are essential ...
Insights Weekly Essay Challenges 2016
Write an essay on the following topic in not more than 1000-1200 words: "It takes a whole village to raise a child" Categories ESSAY , Essay Challenges 2016 Tags It takes a whole village to raise a child essay
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It Takes a Village to raise a child Essay Example 🎓 Get access to high-quality and unique 50 000 college essay examples and more than 100 000 flashcards and test answers from around the world! ... It takes the community as a whole, doctors, teacher, police, and local school administrators. These have an essential role to play in the growth ...
It Takes a Village to Raise a Child: Understanding and Expanding the
The phrase "it takes a village to raise a child" originates from an African proverb and conveys the message that it takes many people ("the village") to provide a safe, healthy environment for children, where children are given the security they need to develop and flourish, and to be able to realize their hopes and dreams ...
It Takes a Village to Raise a Child, Sample of Essays
Topic 1. It takes a village to raise a child - It surely does. Education, from the time of the primitive Homo sapiens, has been an integral part in acquiring knowledge - be it practical or theoretical. Man has learnt a lot from pure observations, like the discovery of gravity by Newton from the fall of a small apple.
It Takes a Village to Raise a Child
It takes a village to raise a child is a popular proverb with a clear message: the whole community has an essential role to play in the growth and development of its young people. In addition to the vital role that parents and family members play in a child's education, the broader community too has a responsibility to assure high-quality ...

It Takes a Village to Raise a Child: Understanding and Expanding the Concept of the “Village”

Shulamith Lala Straussner

Bente Weimand

Darryl Maybery

Introduction

Defining the “Village”

Defining Family

Siloed Practice

Social Connectedness

Who is in the Village?

Potential Principles of the Village Approach

Harlem Children's Zone

Strategies With Kids–Information for Parents

Author Contributions

Conflict of Interest

Publisher's Note

Nurturing Mindful and Ethical Leaders

Critical Thinking

Collaboration

‘It Takes a Whole Village to Raise a Child’ – An African Saying

CHILDREN ARE A BLESSING

THE INFLUENCE OF AFRICAN PHILOSOPHY ON THE WEST

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Insights Weekly Essay Challenges 2016 – Week 17: It takes a whole village to raise a child

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