Research Proposal on "Family Association Centre FAC"

Research Proposal 10 pages (3012 words) Sources: 0

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Family Association Center (FAC)

The success of YMCA in the United States has inspired a drive to establish similar associations in other countries. More daring than the drive to expand the basically Christian premise of YMCA, is the idea of applying the central ideal of the organization to alternative cultures and religions, such as Islam in Saudi Arabia.

It is proposed that a "Family Association Center" (FAC) be established in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with the purpose of serving families collectively, as well as individuals who wish to improve their character and concomitantly improve their relationships with those who share their lives. This will be done within the cultural and religious setup in the country, using the social and belief systems existing in the country to further education, literacy, and the general well-being of society as a whole as well as the individuals who make up this society.

It is important to recognize that FAC will not attempt to change the basic values within the country, which are strongly connected with their Islam faith and family structure. Instead, the purpose of the Center will be to help individuals function optimally within the values they share with others in the country. In general, it is envisioned that the focus on building a healthy and good character for the individual will result in increased and sustainable stability within a society that has been torn by political difficulty and war.

The work of the FAC will therefore be important in terms of building individuals who can function within society and its rules to create families who are stable and happy. This will be accomplished by a variety of means, including certain strategies to establish and maintain the center within the country, with a view to possible expansion in the future. Furthermore, educational and government institutions, as well as businesses and individuals will be approached for funding. It is believed that the Center is an important venture that will offer individuals and families a refuge from the often conflicting and difficult circumstances of their lives. Instead of being drawn to violence as an alternative, the center will encourage individuals to build a wholesome character within themselves, and use this as a basis to respond more effectively to what they perceive as the challenges and difficulties of life.

1. Mission and Vision

The mission of FAC is to provide a platform for the effective communication among family members in Saudi Arabia, through which persons can build both their individual and collective character as a family. The aim of the Center is to provide a refuge in which such communication can take place in an effective manner, that promotes the value and quality of life for families and individuals. Finally, this should take place within the personal value set of the families and individuals in question, and also as far as applicable within the relevant laws and cultural values promoted by the country.

As such, the vision of the FAC is to provide clients with increasingly excellent service. The Center is envisioned to grow in size and success, while providing the country's citizens with the best in consulting and other family services. In this vision, the services offered will allow individuals and families to live happier and more fulfilled lives, by learning to effectively apply their own desires and needs to the requirements of their family and social lives.

The main premise on which this vision is based is the mission of building character. By using religion and education, as practiced by the country's citizens, character will be developed in such a way to ensure the ultimate fulfillment of the individual, and his or her effective functioning within the family unit, as well is in society as a whole.

Ultimately, FAC aims to serve the country and its citizens by promoting happy and united family lives.

The specific services offered to promote character development will include education, consultation, and religious services. Individuals may for example struggle with his or her school studies. The educational services offered at the Center will then focus to help this individual with the specific area of study that presents a challenge. If an individual is unhappy in her family life, she will receive consultation and practical advice to improve her situation. If it is estimated that an individual is in any danger from the family situation, officials within the center will work with the police to resolve the issue.

Each person entering the Center, with or without the family, will receive an initial individual consultation. This consultation will determine the needs of the client. In this way, the client is allowed to dictate his or her association with and use of the Center's services. For families, individual consultations will be followed with consultations for the family as a whole. It may be found at times that individuals are not positive about their family and the purpose of visiting the Center. Specific consultations will then be held with such individuals to determine the basis of his or her feelings, and to determine if something can be done to alleviate and/or remedy the situation.

In short, client service will be sculpted according to individual and family needs, as dictated by clients. It is envisioned that FAC will grow as a result and ultimately be considered an asset to the society and the country it serves.

3. FAC and the Local Culture

It is vitally important that the Saudi Arabian culture be taken into account in FAC's service to its clients. When establishing the Center in the country, it should be recognized that its success or failure will depend upon its image in the eyes of citizens, and hence potential clients. The viability of FAC will also depend upon how willing citizens are to make use of the service. There are two basic strategies that FAC can use to relate to the local culture of the country.

First, it can use volunteers from the local community during the setup stage of the Center, as well as to help with the services the Center aims to provide. Being a very traditional and close-knit community, it is more likely that citizens will respond well to respected persons from their own community rather than to persons from other cultures or countries, for example.

In addition, all the personnel at the Center should make their best effort to understand and immerse themselves in the basic cultural values of the community. This could also include learning the language, religion, and social structure within the community. Saudi Arabia is for example characterized by a common Arabian language and a common religion, namely Sunni Wahhabi Islam. The social structure is based upon the family, which is mainly patriarchal in nature.

In order to serve such a community effectively, it cannot be emphasized enough that all social and religious tenets should be respected as they are, without changing them. As noted above, the mission of FAC is not religious in nature. Rather, it is a practical attempt to help those within the culture, religion, and family structure of the country to function effectively and joyously within these structures. Personnel at the Center should therefore strive to be understanding of these premises and help to promote them in association with character development, rather than attempting to change centuries-old traditions in favor of Western or any other alternative ideology.

4. Strategy and Funding Requirements

It is important to demonstrate respect for the local culture in order to effectively serve the community within the culture. When first establishing FAC, the strategy will then be to approach political and religious authorities within the town. The premise and necessity of the Center will be explained in terms of furthering character development for the collective good of the country. Approval by these authorities will be used to promote the service to citizens.

In addition, the Center will be promoted by means of the local media, as well as by means of pamphlets at schools, religious establishments, and other educational facilities. FAC will be sketched as an establishment to promote the joy of living while adhering to cultural and religious values. The various services will be summarized in categories, such as building character and assisting with particular problems such as family conflict or educational problems.

Within the first year, it is envisioned that the services of the Center will be well established, and that the community will be richer for it. It is expected that families will be happier in general, individuals will live more fulfilled lives, and children will perform better academically. It is also expected that what illiteracy remains will be substantially diminished.

In order to measure these outcomes, questionnaires will be used to establish the initial situation among volunteers. After a year of making use of the Center, these same individuals will be questioned again regarding their respective situations. A comparison of the two answer sets will then allow the Center's officials to establish and quantify the growth of its success.

Initial costs will be higher than… READ MORE

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