DSNI & Holding Ground

After reading about the DSNI and watching the Holding Ground video I have been able to apply more concept and meaning to community projects. The Holding Ground video explains from the beginning about how a community that was at it bests, slowly fell down to its worst. And in between the best and worst times it explores what the community and its residents had to do in order to improve their living situations. The sacrifices that the community as a whole had to make in order to restore the Roxbury area are outstanding accomplishments. The population in this community included immigrants of Spanish, Cape Verdian, and Portuguese families which were the ones being affected most by the falling of this community. They moved here to better their lives and continued to struggle in poverty. Just because these people are struggling doesn't mean that they should be living in the filth that their neighborhoods were made of. Their neighborhoods and blocks were filled with dumbing of others garbage which made the living unbearable and unhealthy. 

It was time to make a change and clean up the neighborhood and make it a livable place like it use to be. Fraser and Kick highlight the importance of growing poverty in Understanding Community Building in Urban America by identifying three forms of organizing community. "Persistent urban poverty is not new on the American landscape. Indeed, Fisher (1996) posits that issues of poverty have motivated three primary forms of organizing neighborhood community in the United States since the 1800s. As a necessary preliminary to subsequent discussion we summarize these forms next, respectively labeling them as “social work,” “neighborhood main- tenance,” and “political activist” approaches." As social workers we learn to be activist and advocates for our community and for those of less fortunate. We support oppressed populations and take something little and make it bigger and better. 

The planning and rebuilding of a community is much easier said than done. Throughout the video it showed that in order to be successful there needed to be many supporters financially, physically, and emotionally. Without working together as the government and the community residents and representatives then the ideas and solutions wouldn't have been as successful. They learned that you can't go into a community and tell them what needs to be changed and how its going to happen. You must first get the opinions and ideas from the community itself to devise a plan of action that best suites the needs. This quote from Myles Horton explains a good point of view on working with a community.

"To me, it's essential that you start where people are. But ifyou're going to start where they are and they don't change, then there's no point in starting because you're not going anywhere. So while I insist on starting where people are, that's the only place they could start I can start somewhere else. I can start where I am, but they've got to start where they are. But then if you don't have some vision of what ought to be or what they can become, then you have no way of contributing anything to the process. Your theory determines what you want to do in terms of helping people grow. So it's extremely important that you have a theory about it that helps you decide."(Horton & Freire)

In the Hardina article Linking Citizen Participation to Empowerment Practice: A Historical Overview there is a passage that I think is great to apply to community working. "The primary purpose of community organized practices is to acquire power for members of oppressed groups. They define empowerment in individuals as 'confidence, control, decision, authority, influence, autonomy and self trust.'." This is a great explanation of how giving power to the community members themselves will able the biggest change to happen. Once again it is supported that the importance of community involvement in planning and action makes the largest impact and progression in change. In doing so builds trust and relationships as well as bringing ideas together.

The DSNI organization was created to help bring a community together and make change. To this day those part of this organization are working together to continue to make the lives of those who need it better. They are striving to sustain community development and to continue progression. 

Change Agents

Education and experience are two things that can never be taken away from an individual. Many people work hard to learn what they know and deserve what they can achieve by hard work.  Throughout history there have been many social activists that have made an impact on society today. Though it may not be known by many who these individuals are or what they have done, it may affect their lives everyday. These people have gone through many experiences and challenges to learn what they know and to make the impact that they have. There is much we can learn from them and follow their guidance to achieve what we believe may be right.  Wangari Maathai and Will Allen are two activists that I feel have made such a great impact and can teach us a lot about how to make change happen.

            Wangari Maathai was born on April 1, 1940 in Nyeri, Kenya. Her family lived in a mud-walled five-bedroom structure. Her parents were farmers and raised cotton, coffee, and tea. Wangari came to the United States in 1960 after receiving a scholarship to study here. She graduated in 1964 with a B.S in biology from Mount College, then earned a M.S in biological sciences in 1966 from the University of Pittsburgh, and then continued on to get her Ph.D in anatomy in 1971 from the University of Nairobi.  With her extensive knowledge and education Wangari became a well-known and loved activist and advocate for poor women and human rights. In 1977 she started the Green Belt Movement, which has made her nationally well known and looked upon as a great inspiration.

            Wangari focused her work on poor women who were primarily responsible for gathering firewood and provide this staple to their families. Due to the degradation of the surrounding forests, the collecting of the firewood became difficult. Wangari became aware of this issue when she returned to Kenya, and this is when she decided to become an environmentalist and advocate for these women. Deforestation is a commonly known issue that has been on the rise. And even though women’s rights have come a long way since much earlier years there is still struggle for the authority of women.

“African women’s influence has become even further removed from their original decentralized tribal lifestyle through the concentrations of authority in bureaucratic national legislatures constructed on Western political standards (Gordon, 2001). Thus, even into the twenty-first century, the African women continue to be marginalized socially, economically, and politically.” (Kirkscey, p.12)

            To help make an impact on the bureaucracy and decline of African women tribal lifestyles, Wangari created the Green Belt Movement. This organization was created to help prevent the decline in nature and the causing effects of global warming and the rapid changes in climate. This organization plants trees to help preserve the natural wildlife in Kenya and hundreds of international locations. Their mission is to “mobilize community consciousness-using tree planting as an entry point- for self-determination, equity, improved livelihoods and security, and environmental conservation.” The Green Belt Movement plants trees in hopes to empower Africans, especially women and girls, and to nurture their leadership and entrepreneurial skills as well as other women. They hope to continue to advocate internationally for the environment, good governance, equity and cultures of peace. Wangari received the Nobel Peace Prize as the first African women to receive such an honorable award. She has made an impact on many individuals and is known for her strong wisdom and sense of change. (Greenbelt Movement). It is sad to report that Wangari has recently passed away, but her organization and contribution to society continues to live on and impacts lives everyday.

            Will Allen is an individual who has also made an impact on society through his macro practice. Allen is known for his foundation of the Growing Power organization. He graduated from the University of Miami in 1971 with a B.A. He followed his college career with a few years in professional basketball and then in the corporate marketing area while working at Proctor and Gamble. (Jones, 2010). He created the Growing Power program in 1995 and has since then been the CEO and continued reaching out to communities sharing his encouragement and will to change.  

Allen first created the Growing Power program to help provide job opportunities for teens, and to also provide them with the fresh vegetables and fruits for cheaper costs. (Growing Power, 2012) He did this to make recognition of low-income families and their poor diets. Unable to spend the extra money on healthier food, the option of the food he was growing made it possible for these families struggling with poverty, obesity, diabetes to be more available and affordable for them.  (MacArthur, 2008) These products are produced on Allen’s 2 acres of land in Milwaukee. This land is home to 20,000 plants and vegetables, thousands of fish, chickens, goats, ducks, rabbits and bees. (Jones, 2010)

This program will continue to better the health standards of all income level families. The accessible and affordable products help to make people healthier and also help to make society as a whole healthier.  The way the foods are produced in the greenhouses reduces the flow of processed foods from flowing into the inner cities. It will help to continue keeping the air fresher and help keep diets fresher. The program will continue to provide job and learning opportunities throughout communities and other organizations.

These two community projects sparked my interest the most because they not only affect the people but the environment as well. I am a very strong believer in “going green.” Though I could be more environmentally friendly myself, I am a huge advocate for cleaner communities. Recycling and littering are two huge problem areas that I see everyday.  It is extremely hard to teach people new habits, like recycling, when they have never had to think about throwing a plastic bottle away and instead putting it in the recycle bin. I truly get upset when I see people liter and when I see trash on the streets. The little amount of time it takes to dispose of something correctly will go a long way.  The problem with littering and recycling is that most individuals don’t see it as much of a problem. Where the trash ends up isn’t something we see everyday and are exposed to frequently. It may be beneficial for people to see what littering and not recycling can do to damage the environment.

Wangari Maathai and Will Allen have opened my eyes to different ways that I never thought of on how to make and impact. Both of their projects help to better individuals and society involved and also helping the environment in the long run. Though their change occurs over long periods of time, it still makes a huge difference in many lives. I learned that you can take a simple idea like planting a tree or a vegetable plant and making it grow and make its impact grow enormously.  Taking a social issue or idea, giving it some tender love and care, and it will eventually make a positive change and grow into a healthy impacting change. I hope to make an impact on society and the environment one day. Even if its just in a small community or grows to become national, I hope to make something small grow into something hugely encouraging.

References

Greenbelt Movement. (2012). Wangari Maathai. Retrieved from

            Greenbeltmovement.org

Growing Power. (2012). Our history. Retrieved from

http://www.growingpower.org/our_history.htm

Jones, V. (2010, April 29) Heroes; Will Allen. TIME. Retrieved from

http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1984685_1984949_1985243,00.html

Kirkscey, R. (2007). Accommodating Traditional African Values and Globalization: Narrative as Argument in Wangari Maathai's Nobel Prize Lecture. Women & Language, 30(2), 12-17.

MacArthur Foundation. (2008). 2008 MacArthur fellows. Retrieved from

http://www.macfound.org/site/c.lkLXJ8MQKrH/b.4537249/k.29CA/Will_Allen.htm

Potential Macro Practice Problems

As I'm learning more about macro practice there are three problems that have stood out to me that could be potential problems. These include not understanding the problem or goal well enough, there is no clear direction or communication within the group, and not having enough money to sustain the program or initiative.

Not Understanding the Problem or Goal Well Enough:
To fix a problem and come up with a goal it is extremely important to understand what the actual problem and goal are. We must first identify the problem and explore what it is that is making it a problem. Once we have identified a problem we must learn how extreme the problem is and what it is affecting. A great strategy to use to avoid this problem is a baseline. A baseline is a great way to start from the bottom and work your way up. You must first figure out what is happening in the first place by what factors are involved. Learning how frequently the problem is occurring and the intensity of each factor. Then use these factors to measure the changes of each problem. This is a good strategy to use because it allows you to see the changes more easily and to see how well you are progressing towards your goal.

Having No Clear Direction or Communication:
Working with a large group makes it difficult to have good, understandable communication. It makes it hard to understand the direction each person is going in and making sure everyone is on the same track as one another. Communication is a very important factor when it comes to macro practice. Some ways to prevent unclear directions and communication is by using VMOSA. This is a vision, mission, objectives, strategies, and action plans. This helps create a basic plan so that everyone can follow it together. Once these steps are created every part of the group can move forward from this beginning point. Another great way to help keep clear communication is to designate leaders. Any ideas and thoughts should be brought to the leader and they should be the one to pass along the thoughts, ideas, or any other important information to the rest of the group. This is helpful because when too many people are putting their input in at once it can become confusing and overwhelming for other parts of the group.

Not Having Enough Money to Sustain the Program or Initiative:
To start any program or project it is extremely important that you know where the funds are coming from to make the program successful. Every program will need some type of funding to be able to sustain itself and to continue its progress. Some problems that you may come across while beginning and maintaining a program are the fundings. Where are you getting them from? How much do you have? How much do you need? Or running out of sufficient funds. Some ways to avoid these types of problems are to market with outside resources. Types of marketing are image-building, friend-raising, membership development, community relations, political activities, and citizen education. When it comes to funding you can't particularly go around asking for money. It is important to sell your program and make it appealing to those who are available to help. The reason it is important to do so is so you can obtain more resources to enable you to survive, to gain valuable insights on the community your working with, and to gain a better focus on the current resources that are available. To obtain these initiatives you must make it aware to the community that the group or program exists and share what it does, make everyone in the community like your group/program, and to then convince them to support the group. There are many different obstacles and tools you can utilize to complete these three tasks but they vary from each community and each project.

Making an Impact..Saul Alinsky

Saul Alinsky, born in 1909 and raised in the Jewish Ghetto of Chicago, made himself known for being a strong activist standing up for human rights. He is one man who made an impact on thousands of lives and is still remembered today. He fought for what he believed was right for all those around him and bettered his community. He graduated from the University of Chicago with a Graduate degree in Criminology. His most learned knowledge came from his experience in the community and neighborhoods.  This documentary captures his success stories and how he got to be so famous. His inspiration effect many people and made a true difference. This story explains how he began and where he ended up. His mentors and his strengths are something that made him what he is today.

His campaigns ranged from organizing with churches, creating a union, and a neighborhood council. These campaigns were focused on the low-class people. He believed that these were the people who needed the most help. The impact of his campaigns grew as they continued on. It began with a small group of people, and then expanded to hundreds of supporters. One of his biggest and most successful campaigns was the "Back of Yards" neighborhood council. The creation of this council gave opportunities to individuals who were struggling with human rights. The organization of this was to build up the strength of the people and allow them to win their battle with human rights. The campaigns that were lead by Alinsky became part of a revolution in American history. He showed us the way to organize a community. His theory on community work was that we shouldn't dwell on the morals of what people should hold, but to understand the morals which guide them.

Some quotes that really stood out to me through this documentary begin with...

"The hell with charity, the only thing you'll get is what your strong enough to get."
This stood out to me because I am a strong believer in the fact that if you work hard and then you shall receive. I feel that now-a-days many individuals take for granite the resources that are available and others who don't receive what they should are left in the dark.

"The key to reserving policy, is the participation in political process."
This is a strong statement due to the fact that if you want to make a change in a policy or a system, you must first understand the policies that are in place already. The political field is a hard field, to learn how to change it, you must first learn how it works. That goes along with anything you are learning to do. To make a difference, it is important to known where the problem is coming from and how it came about.

"The responsibility of individuals is to be responsible for other individuals..and you can't just walk away when something isn't right." -Sara Rice (mother of Saul Alinsky)
This is a great quote that describes one of the reasons why I chose to be part of the social work profession. It is our responsibility to take care of one another. And for those who aren't capable of doing so, they must then turn to those who are. Everything makes a difference when people work together to achieve something.

"The first rule of change is controversy. You can't go away from it. All issues are controversial, change means movement and movement means friction, and friction means heat, and heat means controversy."
This points out one of the most important factors of change. That change is like a snowball affect and like the circle of life. One thing can affect another which then affects the next thing and so on and so forth. Change can start very little, and then eventually grow. Controversy in the root of all causes and effects. When you take a controversy that is what you study and grow from to make the change occur.

In all this documentary as really opened my eyes to what macro practice is. As I'm learning more and more about macro I'm truly beginning to understand how much of an affect is has on my life and where I am today and what I'm allowed to do. The impact of macro practice is much larger than I thought. I never gave much thought about being involved in macro practice but have started to see that it could be something I could be more interested in being involved in. This documentary also reminded me that everything takes time. There is no need to rush, but to stay confident and strong in what I believe in and it will eventually make something happen.

Thoughts to Ponder on Macro Practice

To find different points of views and definitions of what others think macro practice in social work is I interviewed three social workers at my field placement.

Introducing..

Pauline Carlson, MSW-Family Service Manager

Pauline's definition of macro social work practice is working with community systems, and advocating for better policies and circumstances for less fortunate populations. Macro practices that she's  involved in are the National Head Start Association Board which focuses on policy practices for this agency. Also lobbying and awareness at the State House, and being a part of Community Services of Greater Brockton meetings. These meetings help to connect with different agencies and provide information and referral references for client systems. About 25% of her work is devoted to macro practice activities. She feels that leadership skills that are important for a macro practice social worker are to be a good public speaker and have good team building qualities.

Deb Archer, MSW LISW-Family Service Manager

Deb's description of macro social work practice is looking at the bigger picture. Taking policies and systems into consideration and learning how they work well or not so well. Utilizing these policies to help communities and systems. Macro practice that she is involved in consist of the State House lobbying, and being part of the DCF Board. About 20% of her  work is devoted to macro practice activities, although she feels that it should be more. Good leadership skills that she thinks works best with macro practice consist of being comfortable with large groups and speaking, and having great awareness on the state and local levels of systems and policies. 

Grace Bermingham, BSW-Family Advocate

Grace's explanation of what macro social work practice is by utilizing all the sources available and applying it to the community and individuals as a whole. She explained that having teams and groups is a great way to make macro practice more effective. Some macro practice activities that she has been involved in are the State House lobbying day, LEAD Day, and a community awareness project for teen pregnancy. She devotes about 15% of her work to macro practice activities. She explained that what she focuses most of her work on comes from the results of macro practice and that without macro practice she wouldn't be able to advocate for her clients and have the resources available with out the results from macro practice. Leadership skills that are important to Grace are having patience, a good communicator, a good motivator, and the ability to challenge people. Without the encouragement from leadership there wouldn't be as many positive outcomes and as much support.

Leadership is...

After interviews with these three individuals it made me realize how important leadership skills are and that there are so many different qualities that make a good leader. Being a leader isn't just about bossing people around and having the most knowledge. It is being able to connect with others on a personable level and allow them so see you as a leader. Being confident in one self is one of the most important leadership qualities one can have. The ability to build relationships and bonds with the people you are working with allows you to have great communication with the group.  In one of the Community Tok Box readings it discusses the difference in leadership styles. I feel this is a very important aspect of leadership to consider. Leadership styles help to connect within parts of the organization and outside of the organization or community. Confidence is also key, because when you are confident in yourself and see yourself as a leader then others will see you as a leader. Being comfortable in your own skin and where you are can make the biggest difference and most effective message. 

History in the Making

To understand and appreciate the resources, organizations, and programs there are today that help social work to be successful it is important to take a look back to where it all began...

Once upon a time there was no such thing as a social worker, social justice, community organizations, or welfare. In the 20th century the United States went through the Great Depression. The Great Depression took much more out of the economy and the human population than was expected. Before the depression welfare and poverty were not likely to be known and utilized by many. After the depression public welfare became more recognized and accepted. A part of what made welfare and poverty more recognized was due to social work. Welfare became part of the Social Security Act in 1935 under Franklin D. Roosevelt. These were the years when social work was looked at as just a vocation and pass time and slowly began to be seen as a career and a profession.

There lived courageous and determined people such as Jane Addams, Florence Kelly, Lillian Wald, Harry Hopkins, Frances Perkins, Molly Dewson and Aubrey Williams who were all parts of the change in the way social work is viewed. In the 20th century these people helped change the social work profession and helped gain its respect it has today. Through the Great Depression many outstanding results came about. Unemployment and work programs, the Federal Emergency Relief Act, Civilian Conservation Corps, and other public programs were all created to help with what the depression had put on people. This allowed individuals and families to get the support they needed. Such programs offered jobs for those on unemployment and struggling to find a job placement, which in turn helped financially.

Macro social work practice is the work that is done with communities, organizations, and policy to help change and better the quality of life for those in need. Macro practice made an effective change by the combined diversity of different approaches and practices which showed to be successful. Community justice, social justice, and distributive justice were three starting components that helped advocates to create the change that was needed. Where social work started with community practice and its focus on social justice is more affective when individual social workers and the profession of social work come together in order to make the macro practice and goals achievable.

Another part of what made a huge impact on macro social work was the work done by women. Women in social work and social justice play a big role in the rights women and others have today. Such things that women helped to create change with involve benevolence, reform, and rights. Macro practice has to have many different parties involved in order for it to be successful. One women who made a tremendous effect on social work is Jane Addams. She is known for her work in creating settlement housing in Chicago for immigrants. For this she won a Nobel Peace Prize. During the New Deal which was a result from the Great Depression, Frances Perkins was the first women to be part of the cabinet of U.S President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

As known social issues were tackled and resolved, there are new ones rising everyday. Such social issues that macro practice lobby for are the LGBT community, health insurance, adoption, incarceration, welfare, single parents, substance abusers, the disabled, the elder, your neighbors, classmates, and family members. Everywhere around you there are people who need help. Throughout history as new issues have arrived macro practice social work is here to find a solution to it. Although macro practice doesn't result in a quick outcome, the last effect of it can be forever. One person may not  get their happily ever after, but the practice of social work is here to make sure that the rest of us can come a little bit closer.

http://www.welfareinfo.org/history/

http://www.boisestate.edu/socwork/dhuff/xx.htm

http://www.naswdc.org/pressroom/features/general/history.asp

http://www.historyofsocialwork.org/eng/index.php

http://www.trincoll.edu/depts/tcn/valocchi.htm

Hill, K. M., Ferguson, S. M., & Erickson, C. (2010). Sustaining and Strengthening a Macro Identity: The Association of Macro Practice Social Work. Journal Of Community Practice,18(4), 513-527. doi:10.1080/10705422.2010.519684

My Signature Themes Report

https://gx.gallup.com/services/pdf?v=pdfGeneration.prince.7.0.binPath

Your Signature Themes SURVEY COMPLETION DATE: 02-06-2012

Melissa Lanctot

Many years of research conducted by The Gallup Organization suggest that the most effective people are those who understand their strengths and behaviors. These people are best able to develop strategies to meet and exceed the demands of their daily lives, their careers, and their families.

A review of the knowledge and skills you have acquired can provide a basic sense of your abilities, but an awareness and understanding of your natural talents will provide true insight into the core reasons behind your consistent successes.

Your Signature Themes report presents your five most dominant themes of talent, in the rank order revealed by your responses to StrengthsFinder. Of the 34 themes measured, these are your "top five."

Your Signature Themes are very important in maximizing the talents that lead to your successes. By focusing on your Signature Themes, separately and in combination, you can identify your talents, build them into strengths, and enjoy personal and career success through consistent, near-perfect performance.

Empathy

You can sense the emotions of those around you. You can feel what they are feeling as though their feelings are your own. Intuitively, you are able to see the world through their eyes and share their perspective. You do not necessarily agree with each person’s perspective. You do not necessarily feel pity for each person’s predicament—this would be sympathy, not Empathy. You do not necessarily condone the choices each person makes, but you do understand. This instinctive ability to understand is powerful. You hear the unvoiced questions. You anticipate the need. Where others grapple for words, you seem to find the right words and the right tone. You help people find the right phrases to express their feelings—to themselves as well as to others. You help them give voice to their emotional life. For all these reasons other people are drawn to you.

Adaptability

You live in the moment. You don’t see the future as a fixed destination. Instead, you see it as a place that you create out of the choices that you make right now. And so you discover your future one choice at a time. This doesn’t mean that you don’t have plans. You probably do. But this theme of Adaptability does enable you to respond willingly to the demands of the moment even if they pull you away from your plans. Unlike some, you don’t resent sudden requests or unforeseen detours. You expect them. They are inevitable. Indeed, on some level you actually look forward to them. You are, at

302848597 (Melissa Lanctot) © 2000, 2006-2012 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.

1heart, a very flexible person who can stay productive when the demands of work are pulling you in many different directions at once.

Strategic

The Strategic theme enables you to sort through the clutter and find the best route. It is not a skill that can be taught. It is a distinct way of thinking, a special perspective on the world at large. This perspective allows you to see patterns where others simply see complexity. Mindful of these patterns, you play out alternative scenarios, always asking, “What if this happened? Okay, well what if this happened?” This recurring question helps you see around the next corner. There you can evaluate accurately the potential obstacles. Guided by where you see each path leading, you start to make selections. You discard the paths that lead nowhere. You discard the paths that lead straight into resistance. You discard the paths that lead into a fog of confusion. You cull and make selections until you arrive at the chosen path—your strategy. Armed with your strategy, you strike forward. This is your Strategic theme at work: “What if?” Select. Strike.

Developer

You see the potential in others. Very often, in fact, potential is all you see. In your view no individual is fully formed. On the contrary, each individual is a work in progress, alive with possibilities. And you are drawn toward people for this very reason. When you interact with others, your goal is to help them experience success. You look for ways to challenge them. You devise interesting experiences that can stretch them and help them grow. And all the while you are on the lookout for the signs of growth—a new behavior learned or modified, a slight improvement in a skill, a glimpse of excellence or of “flow” where previously there were only halting steps. For you these small increments—invisible to some—are clear signs of potential being realized. These signs of growth in others are your fuel. They bring you strength and satisfaction. Over time many will seek you out for help and encouragement because on some level they know that your helpfulness is both genuine and fulfilling to you.

Individualization

Your Individualization theme leads you to be intrigued by the unique qualities of each person. You are impatient with generalizations or “types” because you don’t want to obscure what is special and distinct about each person. Instead, you focus on the differences between individuals. You instinctively observe each person’s style, each person’s motivation, how each thinks, and how each builds relationships. You hear the one-of-a-kind stories in each person’s life. This theme explains why you pick your friends just the right birthday gift, why you know that one person prefers praise in public and another detests it, and why you tailor your teaching style to accommodate one person’s need to be shown and another’s desire to “figure it out as I go.” Because you are such a keen observer of other people’s strengths, you can draw out the best in each person. This Individualization theme also helps you build productive teams. While some search around for the perfect team “structure” or “process,” you know instinctively that the secret to great teams is casting by individual strengths so that everyone can do a lot of what they do well.

Macro Practice