Abstract for:A Social Integration Case

Human systems interventions are strongly characterized by tradeoffs, for example, long-term impact versus short term results, benefits for the parts at the expense of the whole and demagogic-easy-going versus structural- laborious solutions. Social integration of shanty town inhabitants has proven to be an almost impossible task for all of the previous governments throughout the prior decades in Argentina. This research is the result of years of concatenated on the field experience in shanty towns.  First, a four-month immersion in various locations aimed at understanding what the youth deem as a positive driving force in their lives. Afterwards, we conducted a three-month prototype experiment of social integration by performing weekly meetings between people living in the shanty towns and the residents of adjacent neighborhoods. The experience gave us invaluable information about human behavior and interactions that we further used to develop a system dynamics model to understand the continuing effects of this type of human systems intervention. We encountered that most of  the policies focus more on the differences between social segments rather than what makes us equals. Finally, we proved that, under the appropriate conditions, social integration is not only possible, but much more achievable than we think.