UU150 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: High Tech, Sms Language, Body Piercing
24 May 2018
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UU150 Module 2
We all play an integral role in community, and, as such, are responsible for treating each
other with respect and dignity. While it may not always be easy, we should always try our
best to understand and appreciate individual circumstances, perspectives, and beliefs. As a
volunteer or student engaged in a community placement or project, you may be faced with
situations where you will be required to draw on this advice.
Another important issue that demands attention is the consideration of personal privacy and
a respect for confidentiality. This issue may be particularly salient for community
engagement experiences. Take a moment and think about why it is important to respect
confidentiality and privacy when in a community placement or when engaged in a
community project. In particular, think about some possible consequences of releasing or
sharing information about others when no approval has been provided for sharing this
information. What impact might sharing this information have on you and those with whom
you are interacting while engaged in your placement or community project? Ask yourself
why you would need to share details about another person’s story, for example, to entertain
friends, to make others laugh etc. Think about how you might feel if your personal
information was shared without your consent or knowledge.
I want you to be thinking about a few things when working through this lesson:
• What does “ethics” means to you?
• What would you do if faced with an ethical “dilemma”? For example, what if you are
asked to do something that you know you should not be asked to do, or something
that you are not comfortable doing?
• What should you do in each of these cases?
• Why is confidentiality and respect for privacy important when engaged in the
community?.
• What might the impacts of breaching confidentiality knowingly and accidentally be on
yourself, and others around you?
• When do you think you might be seen as a positive role model?
• Who might view you as role model? What kinds of things might you do or think about
to ensure that you are a positive role model?
Can honesty and ethics be taught / learned? Or, is it too late to learn and come to
appreciate these attributes/values by the time you get to university?
Before we start, I would like you to take a moment and pretend that you are viewing your
reflected image in a mirror. First, I would like you to reflect on how you would like to be
seen by others, for your actions, dress, skin colour etc. Next, think of an encounter with
someone recently, this can be anyone (a family member, colleague, friend, stranger). How
might this person describe you?
Pause for a moment and watch this 3 minute video by Dove that shows the difference
between how we view ourselves and how others views us and interpret our own views of
ourselves.
I would now like you to know think about how the idea of ethics is related not only to
how you view others, but how others view you. Characteristics that you value in a person
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may not be the same characteristics that another person values. How might you negotiate
this in a community placement or project?
Robin Hood: Ethical or Not?
Okay, before we move on, I would like you to pause for one more moment reflect on Robin
Hood. For those of you who may not be familiar with the story of Robin Hood, here is a brief
synopsis. Robin Hood was a famous outlaw who developed a reputation for performing
humanitarian deeds. He worked with a band of “Merry Men” to help those less fortunate by
"robbing from the rich and giving to the poor".
Now, think about the ethics involved in the story of Robin Hood. How might the poor feel
about his actions? How might the rich feel about his actions? Think about the idea that
ethics is really about how we choose to interact with the world. Also think about how even
when our actions are driven by our best intentions, these actions may be viewed as ethical
by some, and not by others.
The key principle of ethics in any type of context is respect for human dignity, which
involves protecting the multiple and interdependent interests of the person—from bodily to
psychological to cultural integrity.
But, the desire to help combined with other conflicting motivations (enhancing a resume,
volunteerism, etc.) can sometimes pose ethical conflicts, and result in negative outcomes.
For example, when engaging in community experiences, a person must not be deceived into
participating in any activity with the promise of benefits that cannot be delivered. It is also
not acceptable to use another human being solely as a means to a desired end.
An ethic of both scholarship and volunteerism must include two essential components:
1. selection and achievement of morally acceptable ends (outcomes), and
2. morally acceptable means to those ends (how to achieve those outcomes).
Being part of a community agency or organization is a great opportunity to learn, and to
teach others. Enhancing your resume, improving skills, and increasing opportunities for
travel should never be the primary reason you engage with a community (particularly with
those who are most vulnerable).
Moving on, I would like to talk a bit about self-reflection and how this relates to ethical
conduct while engaged in your community placement or project.
By thinking about what you are doing and how it relates to your own life and the lives of
others, you are developing what is called “critical consciousness”.
Critical Consciousness
• Ensuring that ethical considerations have a permanent place in your work through
self-reflection on one’s actions and thoughts, and their potential impact on others.
“Do no harm” might be a worthy ideal, but bringing that ideal into practice requires
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considerable thought, some of which might leave you feeling uncomfortable with
yourself.
• Shifting one’s gaze from self to others, and embodying words and actions that are
continually engaged with one’s impact on others is at the core of the idea of critical
consciousness.
(Source: Dharamsi, S., 2009).
While these may seem like straightforward and, maybe even to some, intuitive concepts,
they may not be as easily put into practice. How might you "practice what you preach"
when it comes to critical consciousness? What kinds of actions might you engage in, how
might you approach your interactions? These things are worthwhile thinking about.
Moving on, let’s talk a bit about “ethics” are how this concept is defined.
You might have wondered why I started talking about ethics without defining it. Partly it is
because I wanted you to reflect on issues that are directly relevant to any discussion about
ethics: respect for human dignity, and critical self-consciousness. And partly because there
is no single definition of standards of conduct that guide decisions and actions, based on
duties derived from core values.
That said, I would like you to take a few minutes to read through the 12 Principles of Ethical
Conduct, which has been prepared for people who plan to be involved in community service-
learning. These offer food for thought. Reflect on these as they might apply to your own
community engagement experience, or one you might have in the future. Also consider
which of these principles you find most valuable, and why. You will need to refer back to
these principles for assignment 1.
Confidentiality
According to the Oxford Dictionary, confidential information is:
• Intended to be kept secret
Synonyms: private, personal, intimate, privileged, quiet; secret, top
secret, sensitive, classified, restricted, non-public, unofficial, off the
record, not for publication, not for circulation, not to be made public,
not to be disclosed
(Source: Oxford Dictionary, 2014)
Think about why it is so important to keep information obtained during
community engagement experiences, whether it is disclosed orally,
visually, or on paper, confidential.
Remember, you may be working with vulnerable populations , but
even if you are not, remember that all people value their privacy, and
each of us is vulnerable. It is especially important to keep in mind that
the names and identifying information of community members and
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Document Summary
We all play an integral role in community, and, as such, are responsible for treating each other with respect and dignity. While it may not always be easy, we should always try our best to understand and appreciate individual circumstances, perspectives, and beliefs. As a volunteer or student engaged in a community placement or project, you may be faced with situations where you will be required to draw on this advice. Another important issue that demands attention is the consideration of personal privacy and a respect for confidentiality. This issue may be particularly salient for community engagement experiences. Take a moment and think about why it is important to respect confidentiality and privacy when in a community placement or when engaged in a community project. In particular, think about some possible consequences of releasing or sharing information about others when no approval has been provided for sharing this information.
