The document discusses the concept of citizenship and the importance of interdependence in community living. It emphasizes that true freedom involves the need for mutual support and help from others to lead a meaningful life. Good help is characterized by respect, support for development, and community connection, while various degrees of charity illustrate different forms of assistance.

1. Citizenship & Good Help

2. Citizenship needs need
• Do we value independence?
• Well we certainly want freedom - the ability to lead a life that is truly
our own.
• But if independence means non-dependence - not needing anyone -
here citizenship must end.
• If you imagine someone who does not need anyone else - you have
imagined the perfect non citizen eg. Robinson Crusoe is not a citizen

3. [each individual]
stands at all times
in the need of the
co-operation and
assistance of great
multitudes, while his
whole life is scarce
sufficient to gain the
friendship of a few
persons...
Adam Smith

4. A disability is a special
gift, because it means that
we have to ask for help.
Judith Snow

5. We need help in order to
live a life of meaning
1. What do I want to do?
2. Am I free to do it?
3. What do I need to make that happen?
4. Where is my community?
5. What help do I need?

6. So what does good
help look like?

9. Dimensions of good help
1. Built on mutual respect
2. Supporting development
3. Strengthening capacity
4. Connecting to community
5. Protecting from harm

10. There are eight degrees of charity,
one higher than the other. The
highest degree, exceeded by none,
is that of the person who assists a
poor Jew by providing him with a gift
or loan or by accepting him into a
business partnership or by helping
him find employment - in a word, by
putting him where he can dispense
with other people's aid. With
reference to such aid, it is said, “You
shall strengthen him, be he a
stranger or a settler, he shall live
with you” (Lev. 25:35), which means
strengthen him in such manner that
his falling into want is prevented.
Maimonides

11. From the worst to the best form of help
8. Helping so there is no sense of anything being given
7. Help that is private to both sides
6. Helping someone without them knowing who helped
5. Helping someone so you don’t know who you have helped
4. Helping someone without them having to ask
3. Helping someone after they’ve asked for help
2. Helping someone, but not giving enough help
1. Helping someone, with bad grace

12. Is self help
or
peer support
the
best form of help?

16. Questions for Kelly
• Why did you leave social services?
• How did PFG evolve?
• What are the biggest achievements of PFG?
• What are the biggest challenges?
• What does good help mean to you?