Amy Shackelford
Contact search available for JYU staff members. Web page: https://www.jyu.fi/en/research/astra/esrs/esr9-amy-shackelford ORCID link: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-6705-3450 LinkedIn address: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-shackelford-373521159 ResearchGate address: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Amy-Shackelford Public files: |
General description
Having worked in the NGO sector for 17 years, I am passionate about building power with others through facilitation, community organizing, program development and advocacy. I have worked on three continents, drawing new experiences and learning from each. My goals include working to create sustainable initiatives to further social, economic and environmental justice through critical reflection, collective strategies, and anti-colonialist processes. My current work focuses on how social workers can move with the seeds of change. Social work can root itself in the critical fight for planetary wellbeing. The intersection of ecological justice and social work practice lies in the eco-social approach. My project analyzes two multi-national case studies in order to present practical tools for social workers to formulate a radically new paradigm for the future we want.
Active JYU affiliations
- Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Doctoral Student
- Department of Social Sciences and Philosophy, Doctoral Researcher
Research interests
When it comes to environmental and social justice work, the focus is often on the responsibility of individuals. What if instead we could understand the structure of an organization as the critical predictor of the type of environment being created for eco transition work? In this PhD research project, the investigator asks how are nonprofit organizations enabling ecosocial practice towards systemic change? Through this inquiry, a multi-national, multiple case study approach is used to understand the ways an ecosocial approach to social work can be implemented within the macro and micro levels of the organization. Drawing on organizational theory by Mary Parker Follett and the ecosocial approach to social work, the cases in Slovenia and Finland, reveal what these theories can look like in action. This project reveals guideposts for future organizations to consider that a practice towards environmental sustainability is not merely recycling and reusing, but also built into the format and processes of the organization – such as through a non-hierarchical, flat structure, shared decision making, and the importance of transdisciplinary teams.
Follow-up groups
Personal keywords
Social Work; Ecosocial Work; Social Justice; Environmental Justice; Organizational Theory; Abolition Activism; Ecofeminism
