Impact Lufkin: Appreciative Inquiry
Research Problem
Community revitalization and unique change management approaches used can bring about significant change that can yield extraordinary results to areas for many years to come. The current community change effort, Impact Lufkin, in Lufkin, TX is an example of this type of work in action. The Impact Lufkin group is partnered with the T.L.L. Temple Foundation and is comprised of many community leaders. The goal, as community change implies, is to help build up the area that has been abandoned by many and help bring resources in that many inhabitants have difficulty obtaining access to. Appreciative inquiry (AI) has emerged as a method for change management and is a technique that has garnered much buzz over time. It appears that appreciative inquiry in action, focusing and analyzing on what is working well in a situation and then multiplying that, as a concept can work well in community revitalization efforts.
But how exactly does Appreciative Inquiry work as a research approach to social work? Bellinger and Elliott (2011) aver that as action research, AI is created to help contributors identify accomplishments and their strong points. Bellinger and Elliott (2011) reminds us that “AI is not intended to discover pre-existing ‘truth’, but rather to co-construct and embed a desired reality built on participants’ experiences and aspirations.” Bellinger and Elliott (2011) confirms that it functions on the basis that
The editorial “Noticing” written by Stanley Witkin was a very good read. It took me a couple times reading the editorial to really understand what Witkin was trying to convey to the audience. However, I feel that Witkin makes some really good points for us to learn from. In this editorial, Witkin really challenges social workers to have a better relationship with their clients through noticing. In this paper, I will be identifying some of the important points that Witkin made and how this impacts me working with my clients at my field placement.
This paper focuses on an in depth community assessment of the past, present, and future of Shelby, Mississippi. Shelby was once a banner cotton center of Bolivar County. Shelby residents were once referred to as some of the most hospitable and happy people in the state. Shelby, Mississippi was also considered as one of the wealthiest towns per capita of the entire Mississippi Delta. Throughout the years, Shelby has changed from being a place of prosperity to a place needing revitalization. Many businesses have opened and closed in Shelby. Community development in Shelby would allow the town to compete with other small towns in the Mississippi Delta.
Our Town is a play that takes place near the turn of the century in the small rural town of Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire. The playwright, Thornton Wilder is trying to convey the importance of the little, often unnoticed things in life. Throughout the first two acts he builds a scenario, which allows the third act to show that we as humans often run through life oblivious to what is actually happening. Wilder attempts to show life as something that we take for granted. We do not realize the true value of living until we are dead and gone. The through-line of the action seems to be attention to the details of life. Wilder builds up a plot that pays attention to great details of living.
Ai Create a guide for the new social care worker about how to reflect on their practice. The
The service user may also communicate feelings to the social worker. I am not usually driven by my emotions or feelings, something I have usually seen as a strength. However, I am becoming increasingly aware that listening to one’s feelings – especially during reflective practice – can explain our reactions to an event (Walker, 2008). Where previously I valued not being governed by emotions, I was probably simply ignoring them. In my future practice I need to be aware of my feelings and what they may suggest about a situation, whilst still considering knowledge based practice.
For our group project, the five of us worked together to understand and analyze the Latino/a community which exists within the West Colfax neighborhood in Denver, Colorado. In order to conduct this analysis and create our recommendations, we came together as an organization and sought to understand the Latino/a culture through a community practice lens. To understand our organization, I will reflect upon our work through a critical theory for community change lens to help understand how we approached our work, a group story-telling modality to create an idea of the type of change we would seek to effect with our information, and a power cube analysis to understand the dynamics of power within our organization.
Organizations do not change, people do (Sullivan and Decker, 2009). A manager’s responsibility is to manage people. Change is difficult for most people and managing through the change process is not an easy task. Many theories on managing change exist, but they basically have four elements: assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation (Sullivan & Decker, 2009). A manager’s role is to examine each of these elements and apply them to the people that he or she leads.
The human resources department needs to revisit some of their decisions to strength their portion of the structure and better the company for the future. The high turnover rate has caused lack of employee motivation, low morale and with pay levels below their competitors’standards; there is lack of structure in the performance review process within the entire company. These issues can be corrected by creating a coaching, feedback process, and
As Edelman had bettered the community by constantly working towards a solution that works for the community, despite any opposition, I will apply a collaborative method in my work. Without collaboration, there will be no ability to come to a solution, especially if there are parties that don’t agree with your ideals. As Edelman had worked through obstacles in Los Angeles, the city of Phnom Penh had done the same. Against all odds and working towards improving the community, Phnom Penh had brought running water to the city. The drive to constantly improve the community will help me to drive myself look for a solution or come to a compromise in various situations, for there is always something to improve on and there is never an end to helping
In the essay “Reclaiming Community” the concept of community and how to develop a sense of community is described. Using the examples of two neighborhoods, one in Oakland California and the other in Toronto Canada, firsthand accounts are given describing how the occupants of the area did not feel safe due to drug and gang violence. In an effort to change this, community members came together to develop ‘safe spaces’ where people could interact with one another without fear. In Oakland, this space was at a local community center where programs were developed for families and children could interact and find common ground with their neighbors. In Toronto, a garden was formed where community members could create their own garden and help others to find new skills and meaning in their lives.
The return of child soldiers to families and communities is a worldwide concern, as most of the world’s armed conflicts involve children (Children and Armed Conflict, 2003). An estimated 100,000–200,000 children under the age of 18 are involved in governmental and nongovernmental armed forces (Achvarina and Reich, 2006). Two important indicators of successful reintegration include reunification with family and reinsertion into community. Deeper understanding of the individual, familial, communal and societal factors affecting reunification and reinsertion can best be obtained through qualitative data (Lorey, 2001). Findings from such an analysis can then be used to direct further research into the experiences of returning child soldiers. This
After reviewing and researching the literature with respect to organizational changes, I have come to the conclusion that organizations have always changed. When everything in the world is changing, organization cannot remain islands. They must change to face new challenges. Bolman and Deal (2008) claim organizations have changed about as much as in past few decades as in the preceding century. Bolman and Deal (2008) claim means that the change organizations have experienced in the last decade are almost similar to those they experience in at the end of the twentieth century.
Meanwhile the articles “Multicultural community organizing: a strategy for change”by Gutierrez, Lorraine and “Multiculturalism and "American" religion: the case of Hindu Indian Americans” by Kurien, Prema relates to each other on the perspective of the voices of those within the multicultural community and what the disadvantages are living in a society that has not completely conformed to different cultures and religions. For example in "American" religion: the case of Hindu Indian Americans” Kurien touched bases on how Hindus were treated so unfairly that it was time for them to speak up so they wrote a letter to the president at time saying “ Hindus are very much a part of our nation…….. Hindus are a peace-loving people. We never
My interest in community organizing and building began with the passion and knowledge for the well-being of others my father instilled in my life. My father was the late Chief Elmer Manatowa Jr of the Sac and Fox Nation, Native Tribe of Oklahoma. I have been an active Governing Council member (all adult members) of my Tribe for many years. I landed my first real job, Planning Department secretary, after taking a business course at the local technical .school. In that position, I had the opportunity to attend a Tribal Sovereignty Symposium organized by the Federal, State, and Tribal organizations. This was my first taste of community organizing and community building. It was the fourth symposium of its kind. The topics included Indian law, environmental issues, law enforcement, juvenile justice, arts, taxation, spirituality, preservation, state compacts, and Tribal immunity. There were two Senate Bills, 299 and 667. Bill 299 allowed certain protections for protecting land royalties and mineral rights. The protections included oil and mineral operator’s exclusion from drilling on individually owned Indian Country lands. Bill 667 referred to the health and human service regarding Indians.
The Department of Homeland Security released the 2014 Quadrennial Homeland Security Review on June 18, 2014 as required by the Homeland Security Act of 2002 and its amendments. This review outlined the current state of preparedness, as well as the future areas of concentration. It also determined six strategic challenges facing the nation: terrorist threat; growing cyber threats; biological concerns as a whole; nuclear terrorism; transnational criminal organizations; and natural hazards. The basic building block of emergency management in the U.S. is the local community. Each step begins here. Threat assessments are completed on the local level. Planning, mitigation, and response are all responsibilities of the local community to support the state and Federal practice using the guidance provided by both.