Political Participation Summary

At community level, the social worker plays the role of advocacy. She is persuasive, assertive, and patient in her day-to-day encounter with patients. She is a community organizer; she coordinates financial aid to long-term residents without sponsorship and serves as a liaison to some of the patients she cares for. It is vital for the human service professional to provide information about social issues that are likely to affect the public (O'Hagan, 2007).

Social workers in the healthcare field can be very beneficial to an interdisciplinary team. Throughout the semester we have looked at how social workers bring their professional and distinct skill set and beliefs to these teams. There are many stereotypes and biases surrounding social workers and other professionals on interdisciplinary teams. Social workers also have different views than other healthcare professionals and use their skills in communication to help the clients they serve, along with various other skills that are unique to social workers differing from other professional in the healthcare field. A social worker’s skill set can be extremely useful when working with specific populations at risk. The relationship between health

I have not had much interest in politics until recently. Before last year, I did not care for anything related to politics; I thought that it was all boring and had little to no affect on me on a personal level. I am more interested in politics nowadays. I know better now that it does affect me and I should care about it. I had learned about the concepts of political socialization, party identification, political tolerance, political trust, political efficacy in government class and how they affect my political beliefs. My personal political belief has been shaped into what it is today and is still being shaped because of those six concepts.

I am a graduating (December) kinesiology major at the University of Maryland. Though my major may seem completely unrelated to politics and legislation, the kinesiology curriculum is set up to engage each student in multiple social and political discussions. This, along with my interest in politics and legislation as led me to the path of becoming an Administrative support/Secretary for the Department of Legislative Services. Over the past 3 years, I have become very interested and passionate about topics pertaining to politics and legislation. I want to one day make a difference in my community through these means. I see this as the first steps toward accomplishing the goals that I have set forth for myself. I cannot sit idle and turn a blind

Social workers fulfill a unique role in policy creation because that is a time for them to advocate for the oppressed or individuals who are attempting to cope with the stresses of everyday life. Most social workers have the opportunity to work hands on in the field with clients during some point in their career, and during that time they are able to get a clear understanding of the problem the client is experiencing. In The Other America, Harrington makes mention of the poor and how they lost their connections to the world; that clearly depicts the importance of the social workers’ involvement with the creation of policy (Harrington, 1962). Since those living in poverty have been referred to as “politically invisible,” social workers are

Daily life affects a person’s availability and ability to participate into a social movement’s action and become an activist. Personal engagement usually defines the type of activist a person may become and it may constraint its ability to participate in the first place. In fact, full-time employment, marriage and family engagements

The topic of whether children should receive participation trophies has sparked national debate. According to a recent

There are many more ways people can participate in politics other than by voting. In the United States, the second highest form of activity is by participating in community work in local communities. The

Social workers must effectively participate in electoral politics by voting, organizing debates, running for office, campaigning, lobbying, and conducting policy-related research to present to policy writers (Chapin, 2014, p. 551). As a practicing social worker I will register to vote, communicate my concerns regarding current and future policies to elected officials, and encourage family members, friends, and clients to increase their knowledge on the elected candidates stances on social policies that directly relate to their life or the community as a whole and to have their voices heard through the voting process. In addition to voting, I would consider campaigning for candidates that are have similar values, ethics, and concerns I have regarding social

Overall, I learned a great deal in this class. Although I have taken government courses in the past, I don’t feel as though I ever truly learned about the ins and outs of the policy making process. I gained a better understanding of how policy is actually made and how so many different factors influence the process. I also now understand more about a variety of different policy issues that I was uninformed on before, such as immigration and defense, and also learned more about issues that I had a background in, like health and Zika, specifically. I enjoyed hearing from a variety of different people from diverse backgrounds, who all had unique experiences and views from which to inform us.

Swing voters could stay in the middle of this rating with a possible leaning for one side or the other. Swing voters can be described by four characteristics. According to Craig the “ First, swing voters are substantially less partisan than non-swing voters…Most swing voters are either less partisan or independent”(Craig ,54). On the characteristic of moderation according to Craig moderates are less sure about which candidate supports their interests (Craig, 54). On the topic of Information level Craig states that those who need information most… or swing voters, tend to pay less attention to politics and campaign new than those who have made a firm decision” (Craig, 55). On the case of demographics Craig purposes that women, the elderly, Catholics and Hispanics (Craig, 55). Craig breaks down swing voters into two groups one being those who have the bare minimum information about each party but are still undecided, and the other side is those who vote for the incumbent but might change their

Social workers are ethically obligated to engage in social and political action that help seeks to ensure that all people have equal access to the resources. NASW (2008) (pg. 27) The Code of Ethics further notes that social workers should be aware of the impact of the political arena on practice on practice and should advocate for changes

Social workers assist individuals, groups or communities restore or enhance social functioning through creating living conditions favorable to their goal or need. Social workers are trained professionals that help people overcome some of life’s most difficult challenges such as poverty, discrimination, abuse, addiction, physical illness, educational issues, mental illness, disability, unemployment, etc. They accomplish this through counseling individuals, families and communities; teaching them how to cope with the stresses of everyday life. From a political standpoint, social workers spend time and money on campaigns that elect public officials that are committed to social work values. Sound public policies enable social workers to meet human needs, be fairly compensated and promote social justice. Overall I perceive social work as a “take action” profession. Often times, we as human beings complain and talk about what needs to be done but do not do anything beyond that. Social workers are hands on. They are not just talking about what “should” be done but they are doing something to better our communities. Social workers are about making a difference in society by helping others out that are in need for various reasons. If you are very sick and in need of assistance to perform normal, everyday functions, social workers can assist

The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) is a national association of educational programs and individuals that confirms and improves the quality of social work education to become a professional job. CSWE puts in a countless amount of effort to strive for this mission by setting up a bachelor's and master’s degree programs in social work. On the other hand, the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is the largest membership organization of professional social workers in the world, with approximately 132,000 members. To be more specific, NASW has a determination to intensify the maturity and developmental process of its members. The main goal is to retain professional standards and to create fair social policies. NASW progresses

Political awareness also will promote a better feeling of being empowered. The feeling of fighting for what the client believes in is great. Although as social workers we are advocates for our clients, helping our clients to advocate for themselves is when a social worker completely achieves helping the client. Another part of being