Social Work Community Analysis

Prior to being in graduate school I was not fully aware of all the opportunities and experiences in social work. I have since gained more knowledge of macro level opportunities in the field of social work, such as advocating for human rights, and social justice. I have also been presented with the chance to tackle tough policies that directly impacts clients that I have interacted with through my experience in social work. I plan to continue to identify weakness in various systems to promote social justice, and learn more ways to change social institutions to be more humane and

By coupling the skills I have acquired from my academic and professional career, I believe that I have what it takes to make an impact in the community. I can offer a dynamic set of skills and resources. With my extensive knowledge of community resources and my experience working with families affected by homelessness, domestic violence, and poverty, I believe I can be an asset to my field placement; whether that is providing support, or setting up a plan, I can offer commitment, flexibility and enthusiasm for learning. I have the confidence to work independently, while also enjoying working on group projects. My experiences as a domestic violence advocate and housing coordinator have particularly strengthened my understanding of social work dynamics as well as developing my analytical and critical thinking skills.

Social work involves passionate individuals who are dedicated to helping others by providing services to vulnerable children, families or individuals in need, while constantly looking for ways in which we can improve society. This discipline is dedicated to helping people find solutions to their problems in order to make the world a better place. I chose this field of study, because I find the job of a social worker rewarding. I have always enjoyed helping others and knowing that I have made a difference in someone’s life. It is no secret that this is a challenging career; however, the feeling of knowing that you made the world a better place is indescribable. I have simply decided to make my passion of helping others into a career. I know that in order to make my passion a career I will need to get the best education and training possible.

Choosing to pursue this education to become a Social Service Worker has been a life long passion; living a so called “roller coaster” of a life and being subjected to many things, enjoyable and regretful has helped me in many ways to comprehend what it is to truly have human empathy and compassion for others. A veteran at life in its lowest and highest forms, and feeling completely alone and hopeless at times; being subjected to sexual and physical abuse, seeing what alcohol and drugs do to families, how poverty effects children and loved ones. Fortunately there were a few individuals that reached out, bring me up out of the darkness. This is something that I feel in my heart that needs to be given back, for me to provide someone the empowerment that others have given me, to show that there is hope and give reason to keep going, individuals who feel desperate, help to raise their chances, dreams and the basic needs of life. Having the knowledge of education to give these resources for expert referrals to assist people in desperate times, so they can live the life that is deserving and fulfilling to them, therefore this is my ultimate goal!

On September 21, 2015, I met with Ms. Katie, a student in the MSW program at NCSU, to conduct an interview. We met at Starbucks in Cary, in the crossroads shopping center. Ms. Katie’s responses helped me learn and think about social workers in the child welfare social field. As a prospective social worker, my questions were formed based thoughts that I was concerned about my responsibilities in the social work field..

As stated earlier, I believe that the social work field will allow me to bring attention and professional support to disadvantaged populations. Persuading the MSW program at this moment in my life will not only allows me to help those in need, but it will strengthen my personal values and approaches that I consider to be essential in order to efficiently help others. My approach stems from three concepts that I find to be vital: humility, optimism and determination, regardless of the circumstances. Hoping to be permanently guided by those principles, I will continue to embrace my commitment to the disadvantaged and to be a voice for the

The benefit of me being in the Social Work field is my personal experience with similar struggles. I would like to be the person I never had while going through my hardships. The resurrection of my old wounds that I have overcome would certainly be my weakness. With that being said, I am confident I could make a difference because, I have been in their shoes to a certain extent, so I can help relate to and speak from experience with those I am trying to help. There are many resources available for the people such as shelters, food banks, job training, and placement assistance. All they need is the guidance from a knowledgeable social worker who is willing to offer a helping hand to open these doors of opportunity. Working with the Boys and

The world is changing quite quickly, and the need for social workers is going to increase over the next few years. The changing policies are coming faster than those who it effects can cope with. My hope with a degree from the Wayne State University social work program is to increase the opportunity for success and safety in adolescent populations in urban communities.

In the last several years I have developed two main areas of focus: I am interested in positive social change within the public policy system and positive social change within the social services department. For as long as I can remember I have known what I wanted to do with my life. I knew that I wanted to help others, dedicating my life to improve the life of others has become my purpose. As an undergrad at Centenary College my major was Sociology with Human Concentration and minor is Business. Growing up in Essex County New Jersey, I witness social injustice that pushed me towards my BA Degree.

After I graduated from the University of California Santa Barbara I was unsure what my next step would be. Of course I was anxious since I did not have experience working nor did I excel in my undergrad studies however, I knew I needed to use my newly earned degree in a positive way. Fast forward, after working for two years, I have gained the skills, knowledge and values from my work experiences that have confirmed my desire to advance my education in the social work field. I currently have my own case load of clients as a case manager at a level 12 group home but it’s time to take the next step forward. I want to ultimately advance social justice and provide services to assist individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities.

Starting from being a certified nursing assistant, to becoming a unit secretary for a hospital that specialize in wound care, I have always known that I wanted to help individuals in need. However, I noticed that I was not happy with helping individuals in medical need. It wasn’t until I decided to continue my education that I introduced to the world of social work. Going up with a single mother that suffered from drug abuse, my family depended on social services for a lot of assistance, from everything such as food stamps to family counseling. This life experience helped guide my thoughts on pursuing social work as a career. I know that I want to help individuals that are down on their luck, but I want to take it one step farther, by providing individual counseling to adults that may need more one on one time, than what is normally given from a social service agency. Counseling will also give me a chance to do what I love most and that is to talk and get to know the individuals that I am helping make like changing decisions. Working as a clinical social work has my interest because it does not put limits on what I can do or who I can help, and it will set me up for my future goal of becoming a licensed clinical social worker. Being my own boss and changing my community is my dream job, opportunity and goal. I am currently on my way with changing my community and living my dream, because I am currently working for a non-profit

The underscore of everything a social workers is, everything they do, can be summed up in two words: social justice. To be a social worker is to constantly advocate for every client the right to equality within all aspects of life and within all institutions within their communities like education, health care, and social security. I have witnessed many examples of social justice, and I have also learned how to advocate for social justice within my four incredible years at Saint Joseph’s College of Maine through a variety of service learning and community based learning projects, as well as by knowledge I have gained through classwork and discussion. Social justice is one of the foundations of Saint Joseph’s mission statement, much like it

My conceptualization of community has been evolving and changing as I become more knowledgeable about the world in a global sense. This learning has made me aware of how the family we are born into, the towns we are raised and live, the hobbies we have, our spiritual beliefs and practices, along with the education and political systems we are immersed impact the way we construct our community. Even though my actions may be small with respect to the global community I am of the belief that my actions ultimately impact everyone both inside and outside of the community I live. I have heard people speak of this in relation to the nuclear spill in Japan. How does that event which happened across vast body of water impact us living on the Skeena River? How does it not? It is connected to the fish we eat, the rain that falls onto our heads, the land and water which

My vision of the social work field is being able to help people in need and being the person that people can look back on and remember as a huge help in time of need. I think my core values and beliefs will help me be an effective social worker and help me succeed in this field. It is in my belief that a person should never be knocked down when they are going through hardships, and rather empowering them. I also believe that not everyone could be a social worker because it takes a certain kind of empathetic and self-aware person. I truly believe that my upbringing has humbled me to understand and not be judgmental of people’s issues since I’ve seen a lot in my short twenty-one years.

Community development (CD) has been playing an important role within the society as it is a critical practice that identifies and attempts to address unequal relations of power (Forde & Lynch, 2015). In CD, social capital is an important term as it refers to the networks and norms that enable collective action. In general, social capital is the level of trust between members within the community. Social workers need to understand and empower the social capital to strengthen the community through collective action based on the existing resources.