Principles for Solidarity, Empowerment and Mutual Support

By Katie Thomas - 5 months ago

SMART (South Hemispheric Mutual Support, Action, Reciprocity and Trust Network) have recently drafted and ratified the following Code of Ethics for our behaviour to each other and with those with whom we work. The purpose of making our implicit values explicit and manifest in the form of a code is to support us in promoting solidarity, empowerment and mutual support.

Who do we exclude?

By Katie Thomas - 9 months ago

At our recent local SCRA meeting we looked at visible and less visible processes by which the poor are excluded from academia and other enviornments. Some of the points that were raised in relation to the Southern Hemisphere and the Australian context included the following:



Exclusion of single parents and students from low socio-economic backgrounds at university – structural inhibitors (book expenses, child care limitations, parking issues and expense)


Academic exclusion – intellectual property ethics
i. Preventative measures – forewarning about research being taken, encouraging people to seek balance – not working and studying in the same field (avoiding being overworked)

ii. Support for the poor– honouring resistance, role of unions

Support within SCRA for those experiencing intellectual property ethics issues

i. When individuals take up these issues it sets them back in time

ii. Support through group can reduce impact on individual. How can social support function better within the University context?