Why did the free school meals referendum take place? How to read it as a case study of community welfare practice
- The controversy over free school meals in Seoul grew into a conflict between the city council and the mayor after the 2010 local elections.
- In the 2011 referendum, the voter turnout did not reach 33.3%, so the votes were not counted, and the mayor resigned.
- Of Rothman's three models, the social action model is particularly useful in explaining this case of conflict of interest.
Contents
The free school lunch controversy in Seoul is a major conflict between the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the city council, and civil society from 2010 to 2011 over whether to provide free school meals to all elementary and middle school students regardless of income. It has become a symbol of the debate between universal welfare and selective welfare, and is often used as a representative task to apply the Rothman model to actual cases in community welfare theory.
There are many people who are more curious about how to apply the model to a case than the explanation of the model itself, so I organized it in the order of the flow of the case, application of the model, and the role of the social worker.
How did the controversy develop?
Free school meals became a key issue in the 2010 local elections, and after the election, the Seoul City Council passed a free school meal ordinance. At the time, the mayor of Seoul opposed free school meals, saying that support should be provided in stages starting from the lower income class, and eventually a referendum was held in August 2011. As the voter turnout fell short of the vote counting standard of 33.3%, ballot boxes could not be opened, and the mayor took responsibility for the results and resigned.
This trend reveals that free school meals were not just a matter of school meals, but a matter of local politics surrounding the direction of welfare and budget priorities.
What will we see if we look at the Rothman model?
Rothman divided community welfare practice into three models: community development, social planning, and social action. The Community Development Model emphasizes residents' consensus and self-help, but in situations where interests collide head-on, as in this case, it is difficult to reach agreement and its limitations are revealed. Social planning model is a way for experts to make reasonable plans based on data, and can be applied to the process of analyzing the meal budget and target size.
The Strengths Perspective, which helps residents believe in their capabilities and speak up for themselves, is also helpful in interpreting the process of parents and residents participating in signature campaigns and discussions.
사례는 주변에서 본 일로 고르니까 쓰기도 쉽고 내용도 자연스럽더라고요. 사례 끝에 이론과 연결되는 한 문장을 넣는 것도 한번 챙겨보면 좋을 것 같아요.
Why is the social behavior model a good fit?
The social action model is a method in which disadvantaged groups systematically work together to change the distribution of resources and power. The process in which parents' groups and civic groups joined forces to demand policy changes through signature drives, campaigns, and election issues fits well with the characteristics of this model. The key point is that we tried to change the policy-making structure by exposing conflict rather than avoiding it.
So this case serves as a good comparison material to show how the three models work together and differently in one event.
What role can a social worker play?
In the social action model, social workers play the roles of organizers who gather and organize residents, advocates who represent the positions of marginalized groups, and negotiators who adjust conditions among stakeholders. From a social planning perspective, it can be a data provider that analyzes meal targets and budgets, and from a community development perspective, it can be a facilitator for resident discussions.
How should I use the assignment?
The flow of the report is clear if you write it in the following order: case background → incident development → characteristics of the three Rothman models → application and limitations of each model → role of social worker → my opinion. Facts such as dates and voter turnout can be easily compared if media reports or National Election Commission data are cited as the source, and analysis by model is organized in a table. A 4-page book containing the background of the 2010 free school lunch controversy in Seoul, the limitations of the community development model, the social action model, and the role of social workers. href="https://campusdown.com/product/%EC%A7%80%EC%97%AD%EC%82%AC%ED%9A%8C%EB%B3%B5%EC%A7%80%EC%8B%A4%EC%B2%9 C%EC%82%AC%EB%A1%80%EB%B6%84%EC%84%9D:%EC%84%9C%EC%9A%B8%EC%8B%9C%EB%AC%B4%EC%83%81%EA%B8%89%EC%8B%9D%EC%9D% 84%EB%A1%9C%EC%8A%A4%EB%A7%8C%EC%9D%98%EB%AA%A8%EB%8D%B8%EA%B3%BC%EC%82%AC%ED%9A%8C%ED%96%89%EB%8F%99%EB%AA% A8%EB%8D%B8%EB%A1%9C%EB%B3%B8%EC%82%AC%ED%9A%8C%EB%B3%B5%EC%A7%80%EC%82%AC%EC%9D%98%EC%97%AD%ED%95%A0-25928" rel="noopener">Campus-down free school lunch Rothman model analysis data can be helpful to those who want to refer to how to apply domestic cases to the model in community welfare theory projects.
FAQ
What was the result of the Seoul city free school meal referendum?
The August 2011 referendum was not counted because the voter turnout did not reach the voting standard of 33.3%, and the mayor at the time resigned.
What are Rothman's three models?
These are the community development model, social planning model, and social action model.
Why is the social action model a good fit for this case?
This is because parents and civic groups joined forces to change resource allocation and policy decisions through signatures, campaigns, and election issues.
What is the role of a social worker in the social action model?
The role is as an organizer who organizes residents, an advocate who represents marginalized groups, and a negotiator who coordinates interests.