SOCIAL INCLUSION

Social inclusion around London



Social inclusion around London

Introduction

When social inclusion is defined in more unfavourable terms, it appears as the opposite to or overcoming of social exclusion. Social inclusion seeks to overcome barriers that prevent particular groups or segments of the population from full and equitable participation in civil society. Many of these barriers reflect historical patterns of prejudice. Excluded groups have often been defined by criteria: if people met the criteria, they were included; if they did not, they were excluded (Askonas, 2000, 141).

Historically, these criteria included gender, age, ethnicity, property ownership, and religious affiliation. Certainly adult white male property-owners have often dominated western states. Minorities - such as people of colour, women, and youth - have had far fewer opportunities for participation in both state and society. It is important to recognize, however, that social inclusion differs from affirmative action and restorative justice. Social inclusion is not an attempt to right past wrongs. It does not seek to include groups as a way of making amends for past disadvantages. On the contrary, social inclusion is a vision of a good society based on a notion of what everyone is entitled to by virtue of membership of that particular society. It seeks to include groups because of the intrinsic value of a cohesive and inclusive society. For example, there is much discussion of social inclusion as a way of overcoming the 'digital divide' between those with and without adequate access to computer technology and the Internet.

Health and Social Inclusion

Every individual has a right to fully participate in the society in which he resides and interacts. This calls for a social inclusion that is mainly based on the concept that every member of a nation state has the right to live with dignity and integrity while being socially and economically active. Social inclusion is a concept of not distinguishing or separating any member from the society. Robert Kennedy clearly identifies inclusion as being a “bond of common fate”. Poverty is one of the problems that divide individuals within a society. As more people become poor, the rich-poor gap widens and leads to different classes of societies. This is where exclusion takes place.

The poorer depends on the government for support while completely abandoning their participation in the economy. On the other hand, the rich enjoys all the benefits and luxuries that life can offer. This rich-poor gap is an issue that has been lately addressed in many countries particularly the United Kingdom. Social inclusion is a multifaceted approach that addresses whether everyone in a society meets the basics of life, as well as issues of income inequality and rising wage levels. It caters to different concerns of individuals with respect to job opportunities and income levels. Social inclusion and connectedness with the society can easily be linked with the mental and physical health of individuals. Isolation from society leads to undesirable consequences when a person feels demotivated and left out.

The 1971 White Paper

The government of the ...