W04 Assignment_ Journal 10

Week 04 Notes:  We have all been taught (directly or indirectly) to think, feel, and act the way we do  “We’re born to be righteous, but we have to learn what, exactly, people like us should be righteous about.” – Haidt (The Righteous Mind)  We should examine not only the family environment influencing someone, but also the others in their life, systems and entities  “The family is the most powerful, the most humane, and by far the most economical system known for building competence and character.” - Professor Bronfenbrenner  Family = fundamental unit of society  “No success can compensate for failure in the home.” - President David O. McKay’  Socialization = the process by which individuals acquire the knowledge, skills, and character traits that enable them to participate as effective members of groups and society.  We should always “promote and defend” and not “attack and dehumanize” when having hard conversations with those who have opposing views.  Just because truth is rejected or not popular, doesn't make it any less true.  Family Advocacy involves 6 areas: o Fundraising o Policy and Law o Social Media o Strong Coalitions o Research and Knowledge o Persuasive Speech and Writing  What happens in one system can influence the other systems  Children are socialized and supported by their families, schools, and communities which helps to nurture a children’s development, thus enabling them to become a contributing adult.  Hearing and trying to understand differing perspectives can be illuminating and humbling  Patterns are vital to understand and discern because they help us see the consequences of keeping or violating natural law.  "Throughout the world, the family is increasingly under attack. If families fail, many of our political, economic, and social systems will also fail." - President Russell M. Nelson  Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory views child development as a complex system of relationships affected by multiple levels of the surrounding environment, from immediate family and school settings to broad cultural values, laws, and customs.  Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems: o Microsystem o Mesosystem o Exosystem o Macrosystem o Chronosystem  The microsystem is the most influential level of the ecological systems theory.

Week 04 Reflections: What personal impressions did you have as you reviewed the material? This week’s study materials were of a “heavy topic” nature all around, and my key takeaways were that.. it’s complicated. There’s a lot of information from both sides of each debate and as advocates we must remain unbiased and understand all aspects. As disciples of Jesus Christ, we must have unconditional love for all of our earthly brothers and sisters, even if they do not believe or behave the same way we do. We must hold ourselves to a higher standard, and set an example for others, without becoming too overbearing and pushing them away from the light and into the darkness. What did you learn from your peers this week? We discussed a lot about how there isn’t one particular cause or one particular solution for many things when it comes to advocacy. It’s important to have a clear understanding and education in all social, political, cultural, etc. aspects, even if you don’t agree with them. Having the “whole picture” when trying to advocate for someone is critical for providing the best kind of support. How is this lesson helpful to you as a family advocate? Echoing my thoughts in the other reflection questions, I believe it has helped me become more open to different ideas/beliefs. Life impacts us each in unique ways, such as religion, race, gender, economic status, etc. All of these factors will vary when we work with children as their advocate. If we are only speaking from our own personal experiences, then we will be more limited in who and how many people we can help. Empathy can be a great unifier in helping them see that you can understand their situations, even if you haven’t experienced it yourself. ( Week 03 "Getting Outside My Moral Matrix" assignment REPLACES the W03 Journal entry.) Week 02 Notes:  Israel is God’s covenant people  Hebraic meanings of the word Israel: let God prevail  Family is central to God’s plan and it’s our duty to protect the children  Character is who we are at our core as individuals, whereas Personality can be altered more frequently by outside factors  Christ doesn’t want us to have His personality, He wants us to develop His character  Having different personalities is not a bad thing, as it can give us unique views and allow us to advocate for people of all walks of life  Strengths and weaknesses come from all personality traits, but having Christlike character can amplify our strengths and develop our weaknesses for the better