The current pandemic has powerful effects over the entire world. Whether we are talking about the millions of people who have lost their jobs or the psychological effects of losing the loved ones, the challenges before the pandemic could only be amplified in the current context. Having this in mind, how can we prepare for an uncertain and challenging future?
Within FOCUS – Forward Looking Social Europe Skills, a project funded by the Erasmus + program of the European Union, we chose to look at the factors that could produce the most acute changes in the society in the perspective of 2030. With the help of a foresight consultant these trends were defined and divided into categories – Demographic and economic factors, The power of the communities and connections, Holistic health, Human-technology collaboration.
Discussing with other social field professionals from Austria, Denmark, Italy and Romania we understood that, in order to remain relevant in the future, there are some essential competencies to be consider.
First of all, we should take care of our physical and emotional health. We already know that stress and the risk of burnout mainly affect social field practitioners (including here the staff of medical and educational services), those who interact daily with people in a situation of vulnerability. But what can we do about it today? The answer can start from paying more attention to self-care, ethics, resilience and empowerment of the professionals.
Here’s a preview of the Social 2030: Future Skills – Foresight Report. Read the article until the end to get access to the full report.
The complex challenges brought by multiple vulnerabilities (economical, but more often educational and psychological) will request from the specialist in the social filed an enhanced capacity of critical and systems thinking, while organizations should develop their ambidexterity, including design thinking in the way they approach new services in a sustainable manner.
The availability of technical solutions that allow the automation of repetitive processes creates the context in which, in the near future, social work will have integrated elements of artificial intelligence, virtual collaboration, but also processes of analysis and interpretation of data. This is the reason why skills as data knowledge, working with the machines, but also virtual engagement and the capacity to include gamification in the day to day service provision will take the professional to the next level in the perspective of the next decade. Nevertheless, this step requires the rapid development of digital skills throughout the workforce and the adoption of new, more favorable attitudes towards tech solutions.
As social professionals, we know very well that belonging to a community that supports you in difficult times is essential for our resilience. Establishing trusting relationships and building reputation demand us to show courage and express ourselves, allowing us to be flexible and visible. Cultural flexibility and agility thus become the conditions for collaboration with anyone who is different from us, in a world where diversity is a wealth that brings with it new resources and partnerships, points of view and development opportunities.
We invite you to explore the concrete examples of professionals from different places, organizations, services who tried to look at their work from a new perspective, a foresight one and challenge you to ask yourself – What could I do differently, starting from tomorrow? Let us know your opinion in the comments.
