Empowerment

The term „empowerment“ means self-enablement, authorisation, strengthening of the self-given authority, autonomy and self-determination. Empowerment describes processes which give you the courage to take your fate into your own hands. This is especially important in situations of great needs, disadvantages and social exclusions.

These processes make you aware of your own skills, develop your own strengths, use the individual and collective resources and lead you to a self-determined life.

Empowerment can be described in brief as restoration of self-determination in regard to circumstances of one´s everyday life.This includes the ability to chose from different options, to make your own decisions and standing up for your own needs, interests, wants and ideas as well as to react more effectively to imposed assaults of others.

It also means having the experience to shape your circumstances and make changes in your own life (self-relationship, social relationships and environmental relationships) more productively.

It also means having the experience to shape your circumstances and make changes in your own life (self-relationship, social relationships and environmental relationships) more productively. So you will have the experience of self-efficacy.

The recourse to these positive experiences makes it possible for people to develop the courage to get involved in their environment, instead of just just being exposed to environmental influences. Such positive life experiences generate powerful forces, because they enhance people´s self-worth and self-assurance.

With his education for the oppressed, Paulo Freire already had the aim of taking people from objectivity to subjectivity. His initial position was to humanise society.“Human beings do not only see the problems of the world in which they live in, but they can reflect on them critically. People are able to look for solutions to their problems. Attaining this level of consciousness was Freir´s goal.“ (Jutta Lütjen-Menk, Empowerment und Befreiungspädagogik; page 1).

It is important for the Sozialdienst katholischer Frauen e.V. in Berlin to combine the principles of the liberation education with the liberation theology. The liberation theology is also about encouraging people to take charge of their own lives and to change from an object to an actively engaged subject. In their view the marginalised groups (for example: the poor) should be the centre of theology, the church and society. Houseless and Homeless belong to this group of people.