Social Care Support and the Revolutionary Organisation

[GiantMonkeyMan]

Recently we've had an influx of new people getting involved in or in the orbit of my local branch of the CWI. A lot of the people are pretty obviously vulnerable people stuck in some of the worst situations that people can be in capitalism. In many ways it's been heart warming for example when two people, a woman and her son who both suffer from autism amongst other issues and have been taken advantage of by their landlord pretty badly both said that after attending meetings that they felt for the first time that they had found a place that accepted them and supported them and I felt pretty good myself for contributing to that welcoming atmosphere.

However, their issues, and some of the issues of other new members or contacts, are just so beyond the scope of anything I've previously dealt with. I'm personally suffering from depression but in comparison I'm pretty high functioning, if you know what I mean. I'm not a trained social worker but I'm finding myself giving advice and virtually acting as one and I'm worried that I can't support them in the way that they need or deserve. Another comrade who I live with has noticed the same thing where a lot of our members, both old and new, have some sort of mental health issue and have obviously never received the support from the system that they needed to live a dignified life and it's a struggle to effectively organise sometimes as personalities influenced by these issues clash.

I'm not sure I'm capable of providing that support and I'm not sure I want our revolutionary organisation to become something that assists individuals without having the capability of affecting structural change. Maybe that's a bit blunt and cynical but I don't think I'm capable of dealing with people with these sorts of issues and then also organising to support a strike, for example. Have people had similar experiences? And what would your advice be to ensure that an organisation remains effective but can still support and include the most vulnerable people in our society?

[blake 3:17]

This is a really massive question. The most effective orgainzations of the Left have been good at working on mutual aid. & good people on the Left have been thoughtful about treating people right and not taking advantage.

The question of doing something most effectively and doing something most inclusively can be a real dilemma.

Try not to take too many of other peoples problems on, but you could try to figure out ways of supporting people in their (seemingly) individual struggles...

[GiantMonkeyMan]

Thanks for responding, blake, I was half dreading that the thread would just be buried into obscurity. I guess to sum up my reasons for posting: there's a fine line between being a support group and being a revolutionary organisation that recognises the flaws in society and tries to help people that are left disparate by those flaws. I'm not sure I can articulate myself very well regarding this because I genuinely want to help these people who've come into our orbit (and will, to the best of my ability) but simultaneously I feel it's dragging my energy away from effectively building within the movement, somewhat. I'm not sure if that's a bad thing or a good thing.

[blake 3:17]

I guess I'd question a bit of the logic that suggests a schism between helping people out and movement building. Movements should be helping people.

At the same time the individual issues can be overwhelming and not something you're able to take on properly.

[GiantMonkeyMan]

I guess I'd question a bit of the logic that suggests a schism between helping people out and movement building. Movements should be helping people.

At the same time the individual issues can be overwhelming and not something you're able to take on properly.
I guess what I was saying about a 'fine line' wasn't trying to suppose a dichotomy of one or the other but rather a gradient where you're could be more effectively providing support for those in your milieu who need the assistance or you could be more effectively expanding your influence in workplaces, unions, community groups etc because you've only got so many active members and those members only have so much energy and time to devote to sustaining the organisation. For example, today I could either have gone to a small lunch time protest at the local hospital against cuts and privatisation or I could have gone to support a person in our periphery who's fighting a benefits sanction (in the end, I could do neither because I got called into work). I was hoping some people on this forum might have some experience of finding the right balance.

[blake 3:17]

I'd have gone and fought for the person needing benefits.

[GiantMonkeyMan]

I'd have gone and fought for the person needing benefits.
I probably would have as well but unfortunately I needed to pay my rent. :glare:

It leads to a broader question as well though. What if, going to the small protest, I met an individual far better trained to deal with these issues and a huge asset to the organisation? What if I didn't and the protest had been a farce? What if, going to assist the comrade needing to fight a benefits sanction, I find there's nothing I can do and the individual resents that fact? What if the opposite happens and I prevent this guy getting a sanction but now he expects me to always help him in such situations?

These sorts of questions have been plaguing me recently and I'm not sure I'm equipped to deal with it all. I'm lucky I've got some good comrades who put in a lot of work to keeping things on an even keel.

[blake 3:17]

There`s an interesting and useful discussion going on related to this over on Kasama`s site here: http://kasamaproject.org/communist-organization/3288-20communist-line-struggle-over-alcoholism-part-1

[GiantMonkeyMan]

There`s an interesting and useful discussion going on related to this over on Kasama`s site here: http://kasamaproject.org/communist-organization/3288-20communist-line-struggle-over-alcoholism-part-1
Thanks for bringing this to my attention, blake, there's some really good comments that ring true and I can relate to.

"I suffered from moderate depression while I lived in Chicago. Sometimes it would cause me to not do assignments which I had volunteered to take on. The only thing anyone said to me was that they understood if I couldn't do it, but I should call someone, so that someone else could pick up the slack. Of course, if I could do that, I was probably capable of taking a bus to distribute leaflets."

That's me in a nutshell at the moment... :glare:

[blake 3:17]

Glad you got something out of it -- I was finding it pretty interesting, from a few different angles. I think there's a tendency for a part of our Left to go hyper rationalist and not accept the needs and limits and wants and desires of actual people, and another part of the Left that reifies those. And often groups go between indulgence and hyper discipline in unhealthy ways.

I appreciated the whole bunch of the discussion on several levels. A lot of my most activist periods were also very hard partying -- that was maybe lucky or unlucky...

[GiantMonkeyMan]

I just had a good conversation with one of the people I was talking about earlier in a difficult situation. Her son is addicted to drugs and she accommodates that by caring for him and on occasion lending him money but this situation has made it difficult for her to see her other children who are much younger. On top of that she's mentally exhausted herself and, like me, suffering from depression. She's been dropping in on occasion for a cup of tea and a chat and I think this has been helpful in many ways for the both of us to vent a little with someone sympathetic, although in many ways her situation is beyond what I have experience with myself (being a twenty three year old without children).

However, I've essentially encouraged her to seek the official support of an organisation properly equipped to provide her with the best help and encouraged her to remain strong etc whilst she encouraged me to do the same and after today's little chat where we had a cup of tea together we both said that we've made appointments to see support organisations (in my case the doctor and in hers a social organisation of some kind). She's found that getting involved in party activity has been really good for her as it gets her out and about and doing something positive which is good even if I've been struggling to maintain my own participation.

I think we've both agreed to keep these informal chats so that we can have some personal support from friends whilst also seeking professional advice and support from those better trained. I think this sort of set up has been positive for me and for her but I guess only time will tell if we can both progress from this. I think it's important to ensure that the branch is capable of doing political work but that it doesn't feel like a regurgitation of a rigid working environment and instead the members feel comfortable with each other to express themselves emotionally.

Just thought I would post about my experiences and I hope someone get's something positive from this.