figuring it out

so today for class i read an article about barriers that empowerement-based social work practice faces. to me, empowerment is the way to go. it makes me frustrated and a little sad that a good approach has so many barriers (for example, it costs more to empower people than to give hand-outs, and some practitioners don't want referrals from empowerment-based programs because it takes longer to see results, etc.).
for those of you unfamiliar with what in the world i'm talking about, empowerment in social work is the approach that puts the power in the client's hands. Heifer International is an organization (not quite social work, but along a similar track) that works to empower them through the use of livestock and education, helping to free people from the oppression of poverty and hunger.
sometimes i feel pretty oppressed by all of the decisions made for me, particularly those dealing with the planet on which i live. i read these books (currently Plan B by Lester Brown and A Language Older Than Words by Derrick Jensen), and sometimes i get bogged down with it all. it's so easy to get to feeling like there's nothing i can do (i mean, that's what i've been told for most of my life) about these things. well, enough of the whining. i've been directed to a rad blog (So What Can I Do?) that may help pull me out of the haze of knowing too much about the problems and not enough about the solutions. a woman (originally from the big LR) keeps up with all sorts of issues, and posts ways that people (yep, just individuals) can do to make a difference.