The FdM tries to participate in the formulation, execution and verification of the social politics for the poor and abandoned young men, interacting with the legislation with a network action in the territory, beginning from the project of society consistent with the Gospel.
Participation in public policy
1. Historical path.
The achievement of social rights, a stage of historical evolution of the concept of citizenship in the West, which marks the end of the nineteenth century and the entry in the twentieth century, is characterized by the recognition by the State of its duties and obligations towaards safety and welfare of its own population. These achievements are due mainly to the protests of organized workers. Here are the revolutions and social reforms of our time.
Therefore, civil rights, political rights and social rights are the fundamental content of the modern concept of citizenship. To address public policy we should focus to the field of social rights. Thus, the condition of the citizen is inevitably linked to everyday life. From it then derive the commitments and responsibilities of the State towards the needs of its citizens: education, health, work, housing, food, transport, recreation, etc. ...
Progress in our understanding of citizenship rights pass trough the idea of linking the effectiveness of social welfare to political and administrative decentralization of the State first and then to the participation of organized society.
2. Understanding the terms.
We see politics as a set of commitments, laws, programs or projects, values and principles that guide the structure and functioning of the State for a given policy field. When this action takes place in the social field, we say it is a social policy or public policy. And the Government is called upon to interfere in meeting basic needs of its citizens.
Public policies embrace, then, two fields of action: the first is devoted to so-called basic social policies, and the second focuses on programs and activities of social assistance. The latter ends up taking a more balancing character as it aims to eradicate the effects of unacceptable inequality of living conditions assuring to all a minimum well-being and dignity.
It follows that the recipients of public policies are primarily individuals, families and communities disadvantaged and deprived of access to fundamental rights and that, consequently, live the vulnerability and fragility of their status as citizens.
3. Children, adolescents and young people in the foreground.
It is known the saying that the greatest asset of a nation is its people. And also this one, more current, which argues that children, adolescents and young people are the most precious asset of a people. In many countries, especially the marginal ones, these incontrovertible truths have been forgotten in the preparation of government plans and projects. Just think of the situation in which it was or is still most of the young population. And the policies for their parents also failed, such as work and employment, housing, public reclamation, etc. ...
The struggle for rights and recognition of children as a public policy priority ends up taking a new direction. If for the State they mattered little because they were little difference in election campaigns, they now become the centre of society mobilization in favour of its heirs. And from action more associated with a police state, we pass to the need for political action by the whole society.
4. Social mobilization and political will.
It is true that any public policy to promote and defend the rights of children, adolescents and young people being at personal and social risk, hinges on the political will of government. The mobilization of civil society through its various channels of organization takes place particularly in case of omission or unwillingness by the government. The work of social institutions and the various movements of social identification with human rights are not able to deal on their own with situations of social inequality. The articulation of institutions is the engine of change in the political paradigm and the management of public affairs. In addition to pushing the government for the effective performance of its function, this articulation brings these organizations outside their walls, causing the overcoming of parallelisms, differences and overlaps. The link in a network, which they form, creates a political force unprecedented in the history of respecting the rights of children and young people.
Thus, for the Londrina Pastoral Forum, creating new services for the last ones is much more than opening workshops or new programs in the Institution. We cannot think about the prophecy of our pastoral activity without interfering with the roots of social evils. And they, these roots, are embedded in the policies. One eye turns to the efficiency of institutional services. The other is allied to the desire to commit the Public Power, having primary responsibility in guaranteeing the fundamental rights of its inhabitants. This is the power of articulation of civil society; representatives of the churches have a responsibility in this regard. From them more is expected, since they hold a superior power to mobilize. In this field we learn more and more that we do not beg for rights, but fight for them. This struggle involves educators and their pupils: all subjects of rights.
5. Preparation, implementation, monitoring and verification.
The implementation of public policy implies two particularly important aspects: the ideology of citizenship and the allocation of financial resources. State patronage is always a danger, since it is manipulative and divisive.
The mobilization of society, which is done through the network of institutions providing social services and promotion and through the movements fighting for the rights of citizens, occurs at the time of policy making through the various projects. It is important to remember that the first task of Public Power is to ensure these policies; at the bottom people pay these public services through taxes. When NGOs provide their services, they do so in lieu of a public duty. So is right and proper that the Government transfers public resources to this end. This should be a point of discussion already at the policy elaboration stage.
The second step is to try to ensure the implementation of drawn policies and to ensure fidelity to the commitments made with the guidelines outlined in the government project. Then control is essential. It is about accompanying the actions carried out, checking the resource utilization and quality of services. And finally, it is about requesting the final evaluation and being present in it. The analysis of results will help to plan new undertakings.
We can therefore say that an organized society has the power of pressure and mobilization that enables the exercise of citizenship for everyone. Children, adolescents and young people are always the weakest in political representation. Hence the need to represent them and mobilization is a force. But in addition to represent them, it involves them in the full exercise of political-participatory practice.
Fr. Joacir Della Giustina
Brazilian Province
