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structures to address life challenges and enhance wellbeing. The above definition may
be amplified at national and/or regional levels."
“Social work is principally determined by the given context in which it is pursued”
(Szöllösi 2015: 8). Starting from a given problem and its environment, it applies
universal or specific theories and practices. Let us take the example of Hungary:
from a global perspective, the country has been less gravely hit by natural disasters
(earthquakes, tsunamis, tornadoes), while the harm caused by human activity exert
much more marked influence. One need only think of the red mud catastrophe
at Ajka in 2010: the disaster claimed several lives and damaged those of many
others, including the ecosystem. The nationwide solidarity this evoked, however,
revealed the helping potential in diverse institutions and organizations, as well as
civilians. At the same time, it also exposed the complexity of handling social
problems. As regards social workers’ possibilities of intervention, it clearly
manifested the need for certain changes so that help could become effective in
possession of adequate information and knowledge.
Another example of a cross-border solution is the handling of the refugee crisis.
The causes of migration include climate change as well, which forces groups of
people to leave their homes which have been hit by some catastrophe (environmental
pollution) caused by human activity or a natural disaster (earthquake, volcanic
eruption, flood, etc.). Owing to the complexity of the problem, social work can
only offer effective help when it combines innovative approaches with new elements
of knowledge — regarding local cultural relations or climate conditions. There are,
however, several divergences between the Hungarian and international practices,
first of all concerning the relationship between humanity and the environment.
The extended interpretation of the concept of environment has also appeared in
the Hungarian academic literature of social work: there is a shift away from the
social determination towards the natural definition which claims that the human
species has an inseparable relationship with the biosphere. In spite of this,
environmentally sustainable solutions for the promotion of individuals’ wellbeing
has not become a decisive part of the practice of social workers.
In contrast, the public sector has played the role of a stop gap in the development
of empowering the vulnerable groups of society. There are several institutions and
services in the public sphere nationwide that try to ethically satisfy some of the
needs of those who on natural resources, one example being social gardens. In
their interpretation, a social garden is a communal garden whose therapeutic and
economic gain is equally considerable. It provides the opportunity to influence
views, teach, work and develop, experience success, decrease the risk of segregation,
alleviate poverty, form local communities, built trust and even inspire social
undertakings (https://diverzitasalapitvany.hu/oko-kert/)
The Budapest Bike Maffia have introduced gardens in several homeless shelters in the
capital in which volunteers and the institution’s clients as well as staff work together in
a form of urban agriculture. The participants learn the basics of planting and plant
management and recultivate the given areas. This provides the opportunity for different
social groups to unite for a common goal. (For similar urban initiatives, see the chapter
“Not everyone can move to the countryside” — Urban communal responses.)