Anderson and McFarlane (2004) defined community assessment as a process; it is the act of becoming acquainted with a community (p.169). Community Assessment is similar to a physical assessment of a person because one has to review the history, examine all areas thoroughly, and report problem areas encountered. The community I assessed was Little Haiti. During the assessment, I was able to participate in various activities that helped transition into the community. The main method used in learning about the neighbororhood was observation. Observing the community gave me the opportunity to examine the area from the perspective of an outsider. There were times when I was able to see the city from an insider’s perspective. During the 1970’s, the socio-economic conditions in Haiti deteriorated with widespread corruption, an increasingly repressive state, inadequate basic social and economic infrastructure and a total neglect of the peasant population…. This gave rise to a mass exodus consisting primarily of poor peasants and urban dwellers that became known as the “Haitian Boat People.” Haitians fled deteriorating conditions in Haiti and traveled by boat to the Bahamas and Florida in hope of a better life. While some reunited with family members living in other U.S. regions, the great majority remained in Florida…. Once inhabited mostly by middle-class whites, the City of Miami became the highest point of concentration of Haitian refugees in South Florida throughout the 1970’s
“Strength lies in differences, not in similarities “- Stephen R Covery. Living in two different countries is an experience that is likely to open anyone mind. One raised in a smaller country, then moved to a larger country mixed with multiple culture is an experience not to be taking for granted. Full of hardships. Yet, despite lacking in the modern luxuries that are readily available in the United States, they also live a vibrant life full of flavorful food, music, dance, ritual and celebration. There are many differences in the way Haitians live in Haiti versus in America, including school, work, transportation, and environment and while not all of these differences are negative, it is obvious that the great disparity of wealth between the
The separation the Haitian elite enacted and the poor judgment regarding the removal of the white population in Haiti were two detrimental choices the Haitian people made. The majority of the Haitian people did not make the first flawed choice. Much like the Greenland Norse, the wealthier citizens of Haiti tried desperately to cling to European values and societal norms. Instead of helping the lower class and making the collective economy of Haiti grow, “Haiti’s elite identified strongly with France rather than with their own landscape, did not acquire land or develop commercial agriculture, and sought mainly to extract wealth from the
The relationship between the Dominican Republic and Haiti is defined by Anti-Haitianismo, “an ideology legacy of racist Spanish colonial mentality, nineteenth-century racial theories and twentieth-century cultural neoracism into a web of anti-Haitian attitudes, racial stereotypes, and historical distortions” (Tavernier, 8). Anti-Haitianismo is not only directed towards Haitian migrants, but also towards black and mulatto Dominican lower classes. The ideology is used to continue the oppression of Haitians and dark-skinned Dominicans in Dominican society (Sagás, ix).
Misrepresentation plagues this island nation overwhelmed with endless suffering. No one sees the beauty of Haiti through a television screen. All they see is misery – natural disaster, disease and poverty—writ large on the evening news. When most Americans think of Haiti, they see problems and a stressed people. However, there is a resilience and a beauty of spirit to Haitians. Even after years upon years of being dehumanized, my people have never broken. Our culture is constantly belittled, but we smile and gather strength from the sun that shines on our island and we persevere.
The Republic of Haiti is in the western part of the island of Hispaniola in the West Indies. It is densely populated and has the lowest per capita income in the western hemisphere (Kemp, 2001). The population of more than seven million is made up of mostly descendents of African slaves brought to the West Indies by French colonists. The horrible conditions in Haiti, such as crushing poverty, unemployment and illiteracy, and high rates of acute and chronic illnesses and child and infant mortality, result in the illegal immigration of many Haitians to the United States, France, and other countries in Western Europe. Most immigrants are adults and teens who leave Haiti in tiny boats, despite the
When Americans think about the Dominican Republic, what often comes to mind are the expensive resorts and their white, sandy beaches. It does not occur to them that while they are enjoying their nice vacations, there are hundreds of thousands of stateless Haitian people barely surviving just a few miles away. What they also do not comprehend is how these four or five generations of Haitians have come to make their homes in the Dominican Republic. Because it is still an issue today, it is important for us to understand the history of how these present-day events came to be and the current living conditions of these stateless people.
The French and their slaves populated the island of Haiti during the 18th century. In the late 1700’s, the slaves revolted against the French and began a thirteen-year war for their freedom. This war began the significant problems for Haiti. Today, Haiti suffers from malnutrition, low standards of living, and poor literacy, which Haiti still faces today.
Illness and disease along with poverty still plague Haiti today. The effort to try and recover from the most recent earthquake tragedy has Haitians concerned. The conditions that they have endured in the past just to survive are worse than the conditions brought on by the earthquake. Some Haitian natives feel the Government is moving a bit slow in cleaning up and getting
As Helen Keller once mentioned, “Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” Everyone strives for success to attain their childhood dreams and goals, but nothing can be accomplished without a hopeful attitude. Children embody innocence and pure optimism, yet today’s public education is taking their hopeful futures away. By capturing the stories of various elementary students attending public schools, Waiting for Superman highlights the current declining public school system and its past failures. The narrative structure along with visual statistics allows the director of this documentary to advocate that the current system of public education is not up to par and needs some savior,
The population that I will be focusing on for the Community Needs and Services paper includes those individuals between the ages of 18 and 45 that struggle with opioid addiction who have become involved in the Criminal Justice system. The paper will analyze specifically what demographics constitute the prison population and those who are continuously participating in community supervision under the Justice system who are addicted to opiates or other narcotics. The ability to obtain funding for this population and the resources available while transitioning from a Court room to the community or a prison facility
This article discusses the history of immigration policies between the United States and Haiti and the consequences of these policies. On September 22, 2016 the Obama administration made the drastic decision to close its doors to Haitian migrants. The administration announced that it would tighten its immigration policy on Haitians, limiting the amount of refugees that would enter. Which was a drastic change from their 2010 immigration policy that open its doors to the Haitian refugees. This new policy affected many migrating Haitian who where just days from their immigration appointments. The article recalls personal experiences about the racism and the dangers Haitians face throughout the journey. Also describing the poor conditions immigrants
After being hospitalised for the summer after his best friend commits suicide, Charlie who suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), is going to set out on his first year of secondary school. He fears being known as the odd child who was hospitalised for the summer and not having any friends. Charlie’s anxiety goes back to the first traumatic event in his life, the passing of his Aunt Helen. Charlie’s Aunt was killed in a car accident while she on her way to the car to get Charlie his present. He still feels that it was his fault that she was in the car. He worships his Aunt and wishes she were there to help him get through his struggles with starting secondary
Haiti has long been known for its major export of Haitian migrants in search of a better way of life. It is an exodus that goes back several decades, however with recent times the numbers have increased dramatically. In fact, that numbers of Haitians fleeing Haiti in the early 1990's far exceeds the numbers recorded in earlier years. Between 1972- 1979, some 8,000- 10,000 Haitians arrived in the United States. Compare this number with the 14,443 Haitians interdicted between September 30, 1991 - January 1, 1992. By early 1994, this number totaled over 41,000 (Report on the Situation of Human Rights in Haiti, 1994). Economic deprivation has always been the predominant influence for the migrating of Haitians, yet in the
The One Roof Community Community Centre (ORCC) is a program associated with the Warming Room Community Ministries in Peterborough, Ontario. A meal is served twice a day during the week, and once a day on weekends (Warming Room Community Ministries, 2017). The building is also open for drop-in hours from 12-7, providing a warm place to stay during the afternoon. The Warming Room Community Ministries number one goal is to “work toward God’s dream of justice, peace and love in the City of Peterborough by meeting immediate needs, breaking down barriers that exist in the community and advocating for systemic change.” (Warming Room Community Ministries, 2017).
Theoretically, community needs assessments are a great way to identify gaps within communities and improving the life of individuals within a target group. If there is a collaboration of all three components of the community needs assessment model, Assessment, Dissemination and