Professions
Professions
Diversity-conscious Social Pedagogy – specialisation or cross-sectional task?
Both! Graduates of our study focus have dealt with social relations of inequality, practices of differentiation and identity constructions to a special degree and can work wherever sound knowledge of diversity and relations of difference are part of the special task profile (e.g. in anti-discrimination work or in shelters for vulnerable groups of addressees).
At the same time, a diversity-conscious attitude and a correspondingly well-founded critical questioning of one's own and organisational actions play a role in every field of work in education and Social Work, if social inequalities are to be reduced as much as possible and people are to be supported in recognising and expanding their subjective spaces of possibility.
Curious now?
In the following videos, three graduates of the diversity-conscious Social Pedagogy specialisation reflect on their current activities in Social Work, how they relate to their studies and their understanding of a diversity-conscious perspective.
As a general notice it should be pointed out that the interviews are only available in German – via German subtitles available on YouTube an automatic translation into English is possible, though: Click on the gear > subtitles > German > subtitles > auto-translate.
About the graduates
Lena, Aneta und Frederick
Lena
studied and graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Education (specialising in diversity-conscious Social Pedagogy) at the Carl von Ossietzky University. Today she works in the management of a pedagogical youth leisure facility. When asked about her daily tasks, we got an impressive list - but see for yourself....
Aneta
has worked as a probation officer in Poland, supporting people (and their families) after release from prison or in the case of a suspended sentence. She is currently celebrating the successful completion of her Bachelor's degree in Pedagogical Action in the Migration Society at the Carl von Ossietzky University and her new job in a women's shelter. We congratulate her on both!
Frederick
studied and completed a master's degree in Education and Educational Sciences - specialising in diversity-conscious Social Pedagogy at the Carl von Ossietzky University after a bachelor's degree in Education and Philosophy. Today, he supports people who have questions, problems or concerns about dealing with the extreme right, racism and anti-Semitism, as well as other forms of group-based hostility. The aim of Frederick's counselling, analysis and educational work is to sustainably strengthen solidarity-based civil society engagement and democratic attitudes against ideas of inequality.
The name has been changed to protect the interview partner.
A wide range of career opportunities
In principle, all fields of activity and action in Social Work and also in many other areas of education are open to graduates of the specialisation in diversity-conscious Social Pedagogy:
- youth work,
- addiction prevention,
- school social work,
- political education,
- social work with the elderly,
- socio-educational family support,
- social counselling,
- general social service in the youth welfare office,
- prevention and intervention work in areas such as racism, anti-Semitism, fundamentalism and Salafism,
- help for drop-outs in the area of right-wing extremism,
- Social Work with particularly vulnerable and marginalised people (e.g. people affected by homelessness),
- anti-discrimination work and counselling,
- prevention and intervention work in the field of child protection,
- socio-educational work with and education, care and upbringing of children,
- street social work and mobile youth work,
- outpatient and inpatient child and youth welfare,
- counselling and support for foster families,
- Social Work with refugees,
- counselling for debtors,
- social psychiatric services,
- hospital social services,
- counselling and support for victims of sexualised violence,
- work in the women's shelter,
- Social Work in the justice system,
- Social Work in the workplace
- and much more
Note
For some of these fields of work, public administrations often require proof of so-called 'state recognition' (this often concerns, for example, the general social service in the youth welfare office, but always Social Work/youth welfare in the area of justice). The Institute for Pedagogy is in the process of enabling the voluntary acquisition of a 'state recognition' in a lengthy coordination and planning process with the university presidium and the ministries at the Oldenburg location. A one-year certificate program incl. professional internship after graduation is planned.