Chapter 3 blog
In Chapter 3, the author discussed the need for change within communities based on understanding the problem, need, or the
opportunity. Based on social work practice, assisting in the community
is based off macro level change. In some situations,
social workers run into certain problems in working in a community
because they have a passion just want to fix the problem at hand. Some
social workers who just want to come and fix the problem will run into
problems of assuming without studying about the
content of the problem. As a social worker it is important to study and
receive the background instead jumping into assumptions. Why is it that
as social workers, we can listen to the problem and have a solution,
but when we have personal problems within ourselves
or community, we are not always quick to see the solution?
Another problem is that when a social worker tries to create change
within the community, the people within the community might view the
social worker as a person who is not familiar to the community, which is
an outsider. Promoting change within a community
is such a hard task to do because there is only two ways to go, which
is whether the change will be positive or negative. For example, in the
University City community, there is construction of the Washington
University dorms for students who are entering
into Washington University. After speaking with some individuals who
reside in University City, there are some concerns about having that
dorm can hinder the student’s focus on schoolwork because of where it is
located or whether there will be a lot of traffic.
If you have not drove past the construction site it is in the Delmar
Loop across the street from the Chiptole restaurant and before the
Shells gas station on Delmar and Skinker, and notice the location of the
dorms and see how this change can affect the University
City community.
I completely understand the concerned citizens who are hesitant about the new Wash U building on Delmar. There are certainly a handful of pros and cons for the community as a whole; it'll bring money to the nearby businesses, and the students might make a good effort to become a part of the community. On the other hand, they could be disruptive and annoying. Plus, it's tough to immerse yourself into a preexisting community when you're part of a much larger organization, especially one that already owns so much around there. As a U City citizen who lives about 3 blocks from there, I'm trying to convince my girlfriend that we should move to South City, because I'm not too optimistic about it. It's already pretty crowded around there, especially with students.
ReplyDeleteWhat is the size of the dorm? While driving around, I already saw a lot of apartments in that area, so I guess I'm not sure how much of a change the dorms will make? It seems like the people in the Loop are pretty young anyway. And the problems that were publicized in the last few years in the Loop were high school aged kids, weren't they? So will a slightly older group help? Sorry, I guess I'm adding a lot more questions than answers.
ReplyDeleteI think one of the issues with University City (and why it's hard to get a grasp on the general population) is a large percentage of the young adults are transitory. They're there for school and leave when they're done. It almost seems like these are changes being made for them, while the community as a whole is afraid that this will just cause more problems.
ReplyDeleteYou raised such a good question at the end of your first paragraph. I think that being an outside observer, you see things differently than those who live inside the community. It's crucial to find out what people in the community think needs to change, but being a social worker, you may view that there's an underlying problem beneath that surface issue. Gaining the community's trust and not acting like a know-it-all helps them to be more accepting to your desire to help.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you said about understanding the background of the community first before making changes or fixing a problem within. It is important to involve those living in the community as they have many assets and can help an outsider understand the root of a problem. It's also beneficial to establish rapport with the residents of a community because they want to see the changes happen but would like a say in the matter as well.
ReplyDeleteVery nice job covering the reading. I agree with you that one area of great concern is that the sw does not know what the real problem(s) are because of a small area of focus. Very often the small area of focus is done with the intentions of the sw solving a problem.
ReplyDelete