Volunteer

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Feb 20, 2024

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1 Volunteer/Service-Learning Reaction Sophia Fujioka Arizona State University Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions SWU 291: Social Service Delivery Systems Professor Stacy Moreno, LMSW July 7, 2023

2 Volunteer/Service-Learning Reaction For this class, I chose to volunteer at a women and children’s homeless shelter. The agency is called Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission. The shelter I volunteered at is the KentHOPE location. The agency itself has multiple locations. There is a men’s shelter located in downtown Seattle, a distribution center in Kent where the donations are sorted, there is a men’s recovery program called Riverton Place, Hope Place is a center for women and teens to attend group therapy and different classes, and they also have a Search and Rescue team. The team consists of volunteers and volunteer coordinators. They go to different homeless camps in Seattle and Kent and hand out care packages and food. They also offer the people they encounter a place to stay. This agency is centered around interpersonal connections, which would fall into the microsystem of social work. The mission of KentHOPE is to help women and children get off of the streets permanently. Their programs help keep this mission alive by providing counseling, a safe space to stay, companionship, food, and resources for jobs and apartments. They help women get back on their feet and help them unite with their families as well. Social workers try to get in contact with their family members, even if they are from out of state. I have also seen that they have transfer systems in place, so the women and children are able to be closer to family. I volunteered at this place twice a week and still continue to do so once a week. In the duration of my time with this agency since class has started, I have helped in numerous ways. There are a lot of donations of food, clothes, toys, and books that this location receives. I am usually asked to sort these donations and help construct new systems in their storage areas to make it all more accessible. I also help by serving lunch to the ladies and the children. Lunch time is at noon every day. I have helped cook the meals that were donated and serve it. I also

3 stock and restock food and snacks. They have a point system in place for the ladies. They get points every time they do their chores and attend their counseling sessions. Every week, there is an opportunity for the ladies to “buy” items they would like using their points. These items range from skincare/makeup to purses. I have helped organize the area they shop in multiple times. This location has a house and apartments right behind the main house. I have also assisted in cleaning out a unit when a resident moved out. Throughout these tasks, I have interacted with many of the residents and the staff. These women and children have become so dear to me in this short amount of time. They have shared their stories with me and their aspirations. In fact, one of these ladies recently got reunited with her family out of state, so on her last day there, we threw her a surprise party. It was a very special day. I didn’t really know what to expect on my first day. I have come to realize how much we take for granted. These women and children were always on the move, trying to figure out their next meal or where they’re going to stay. Recently, a lot of children have been in the shelter. I asked my coordinator why and she explained that when school is out, there’s nowhere for the children to go. It made me think about how these children relied on school lunches and made me wonder how many kids I went to school with that was going through the same thing. It has been an eye-opener volunteering here. This experience has helped me gain awareness and expand my knowledge about the course learning objectives. I have learned to apply knowledge of human behavior and the environment as well as use empathy, reflection, and interpersonal skills to effectively engage diverse clients and constituencies. I learned this while interacting with the residents. I have also learned to assess how social welfare and economic policies impact the delivery of access to social services. I have learned this by asking questions and listening to the social workers speak about getting their clients help from other sources. I

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4 have learned to demonstrate ethical and professional behaviors. There were many times when I wanted to cry or react to the stories that I was told, but I held my composure and expressed my sympathy for their experiences instead. I have also learned how to implement care based on client’s unique needs by observing the interactions between the social workers and the residents. Every woman and child that comes through this agency have different stories and backgrounds.

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