JeffVandLou Volunteer Day with North Grand Neighborhood Services

Week #6 (10/1): News Article - Kate

Is segregation the problem in Ferguson? 

by Jonathan Rodden, Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/monkey-cage/wp/2014/08/18/is-segregation-the-problem-in-ferguson/

This article explores the situation currently going on in Ferguson and possible reasons for such. I really enjoyed this article for several reasons. Rodden talks about how many people think the situation (I say situation and mean the death of Michael Brown and the aftermath) in Ferguson has occurred because of segregation in St. Louis. He explains (according to others’ statements), that whites will do whatever it takes to prevent backs from moving into their neighborhoods. 

It seems the author doesn’t agree with these statements and actually calls it “depressing,” because it suggests that black individuals in North County can take over local government and police force, when all the white people die in North County or move to St. Charles.

The main point I took from this article is Rodden’s discussion about the actual status of Ferguson, in relation to segregation. While St. Louis is one of the most segregated regions in the US, Ferguson (among some other North County areas) is one of the most racially integrated areas in Missouri and even beyond Missouri.Rodden then goes on to discuss data that he has found representing his claims about Ferguson being integrated.

Towards the end of the article Rodden states, “it is that the racial integration of the community has not been reflected in the municipal government and police force, whose racial composition still reflects the status quo of the 1980s.”

I really enjoyed this article. I feel like at the beginning of the riots occurring in Ferguson, many people were especially disrespectful towards black people (facebook, twitter, all other social media).  What I am seeing in Ferguson is a serious issue of officials not racially representing those in the community. Thoughts?

Week #6 (10/1): Reading Blog - Kate

Chapter 5, Understanding Communities , is about community theory, perspectives and practice models. The three dimensions of communities are geographical space, a pattern of social interaction, and symbolic identification that gives meaning to one’s identity. The functions of a community are 1) production distribution, and consumption 2) socialization 3) social control 4) social placement 5) mutual support 6) defense and 7) communication.

The book goes pretty in depth on systems theory; a community is open rather than a closed system and it is dependent on its external environment  for certain resources and a community must establish the boundaries that define both it and its function within the surrounding environment. Changes in one aspect of community, produces change in other parts (which we hear a lot in micro classes).

Human behavior theories focus on how individuals in a community understand and find meaning in relationships, what values guide their actions, and how their needs are determined; this can be examined through interactions and values, collective identity, and needs. 

Theories about power politics and change mean that local communities and units within local communities become dependent on external sources of resources.

The book touches on a community practice model, but we won’t read about that until chapters 9,10, & 11.

My favorite part of this chapter was the part about systems theory. At the beginning of the chapter it states, “Many people identify with multiple communities,” and “ For many, affiliation with more than one community is an intrinsic part of who a person is.” Just because a person lives somewhere, works somewhere, belongs to a group etc., it doesn’t mean that little piece makes up all of that person. It’s extremely important to remember that as future social workers.

Week #5 (9/24): News Article - Lori

"'Walking Wall' provokes talk about Delmar divide"

St. Louis Post Dispatch

Community section of the Sunday, 9/7/14

 

This article discusses how a local artist, Damon Davis, has built a “wall” to begin having discussions about the Delmar divide.  I found this interesting because I had watched a video in my Cultural Diversity class regarding this issue.  The video was dated but this obviously continues to an issue in our current time.  There was an obvious divide in the video between blacks and whites and of socioeconomic status along Delmar.  I was not really aware of this until I saw the video but it was very eye opening.  

Mr. Davis received donations from several organizations to create this work of art and social experiment.  He calls it the “Wailing Wall” and built it in March.  The wall is 8' by 4' and there are slots at different heights on both sides of the wall.  Mr. Davis has asked that residents of St. Louis provide insight as to what they see as the issues regarding racism and discrimination in St. Louis.  The goal is to get people talking about these issues and offer solutions to the ongoing problem that has plagued St. Louis for generations.  He has then posted the letters to a website for everyone to view with the hope that this will spark constructive and positive discussion about the racism and division within St. Louis.  

I found this very inspiring and think it is a great idea.  People often are fearful or embarrassed which prevents them from speaking out about these delicate issues.  However, this experiment gives people an opportunity to truthfully express their thoughts and feelings anonymously.  If the discussion does not happen then change will not either so any small step towards this is beneficial to our whole community.  

The “Wailing Wall” is located at 4709 Delmar Blvd and more information as well as the letters that have been placed in the slots can be found at wailingwallstl.tumblr.com. 

Week #5 (9/24): Reading Blog - Lori (Part III)

Chapter 4:  Understanding Populations

This chapter offers several tasks to be completed when working to identify a population and the needs of the population chosen.  The tasks discussed in this chapter are:  developing cultural humility, seeking diverse perspectives, searching the professional knowledge base on the target population, selecting factors that help in understanding the target population, and developing a working hypotheses of etiology about the problem.  

The authors discuss the importance of having cultural humility as part of task 1.  This differences between cultural humility and cultural competence are also defined.  Basically, cultural competence is learning and becoming more educated about the different cultures that one may be working with.  Whereas, cultural humility is an ongoing process of self awareness. It is more an in depth discovery within one that helps them to learn about the differences but also to focus on working in collaboration with community members and providing equity within the relationship.

Task 2 outlines the importance of seeking diverse perspectives.  This includes talking to those who have actually experienced the issue that is being examined because they are the expert and can truly report the feelings, struggles and challenges that have occurred.  Those individuals have valuable insight not only to the issues but also to the strengths of the community or population that is being served.  Also, the author points out again that it is extremely important for the researcher to be involved in the community.  There are four research approaches discussed (Table 4.3) to provide more insight to this idea.  The research approaches are:  Participatory Action Research, Needs/Assets Assessment, Empowerment Evaluation and Demystification.  The author also encourages the researcher to identify an ally within the community to assist them in developing rapport and educating them about the population that is being helped.  This task also emphasizes the importance of using frameworks or other theoretical ideas that have been previously proposed to help understand the population better.  One such idea is that of dual perspective which believes that one must look at an individual as being part of two systems, the nurturing system and the sustaining system.  The nurturing system is that of the individual’s values which have come from their immediate family whether that be parents, siblings, aunt/uncles, etc.  The sustaining system is that which influences the individual from the outside of their family and are the values that are represented by the individual's culture.  Additional terms such as double consciousness and intersectionality are also discussed within this task.  

Task 3 discusses the importance of reviewing the professional literature that is available in order to gather as much information and education as possible on the identified population.  This should also include examining what interventions have worked on similar populations in the past or what has not worked.  Also important in the literature review is learning about different theoretical perspectives that have been discussed and determined if they are useful to apply to the target population in order to have a better understanding of the functioning of the community.  Task 3 also identifies the importance of understanding human growth and development and applying that in the context of the population.  As discussed in this section it is important to not view adults and children or adolescents as the same because they may all be at different areas of development whether that is emotionally, physically, socially, etc.   The different types of discrimination are also discussed in this section including sexism, racism, classism, heterosexism, ageism and ableism.  

Task 4 focuses on selecting factors that will assist in understanding the target population better.  After one has reviewed the professional literature and gathered information from those residing in the community or those of the target population, it is crucial to then consider what the needs are of those individuals.  There may often be many needs and many issues that are related or seen as a cause to those issues.  The social worker must then determine what the most important of those needs are and the most effective intervention.  

Finally, task 5 involves determining what the hypotheses is and what the causes may be regarding the problem that is effectively going to be changed.  It is crucial to analyze what the population has reported and what the problem is that has been identified when determining what the hypotheses is and developing a possible cause of that problem.  By developing a hypotheses the social worker can then begin to focus on interventions that will alleviate or make some change in the issues that the population or community are being affected by. 

Week #5 (9/24): Reading Blog - Lori (Part II)

"Ethical Challenges for the “Outside” Researcher in Community-Based Participatory Research" 

This article focuses on Community-Based Participatory Research and the dilemmas that may occur when conducting such research.  The objective of CBPR is to engage the community and focus on what the community members believe is the issue that needs to be addressed or the need of the community.  The community is of priority throughout the process of CBPR.  CBPR also includes tenets such as empowering the community, co learning between the community and the researcher, cooperation, asset building and action.  However, there are some issues to be aware of when conducting CBPR.

One issue to be conscious of when conducting CBPR is to be sure the community is in agreement with the topic that is going to be addressed.  Ideally the concern should be agreed upon by the community members and leaders.  However, there are times when the researcher can propose an idea to the community that the researcher may feel is of concern.  It is important to possibly have a liaison if there are cultural or racial differences between the researcher and the community members that would be the focus of the research.  The liaison could assist in building a bridge to facilitate communication and change.

Another issue to contemplate is how the researcher may be viewed by the community members, especially if the community views the researcher as a person of authority or power.  This may result from “historical trauma” in which certain cultures have been oppressed and tortured by other cultures in the past.  Examples of this are African Americans or Native Americans who have both been treated cruelly and wrongly by the white race. 

Thirdly, racism is an ongoing issue and will most certainly come into play in one or all of the three following ways:  Institutionalized racism, personally mediated racism and/or internalized racism.  However, one way to combat these forms of racism is to be aware of them and also to have “cultural humility”.  This means that one must be willing and able to discuss racism when they see it in play or even after it has occurred.  Being open minded and courageous enough to discuss the issue will contribute to the decrease in these forms of racism.

Participation is another issue or barrier that one may encounter when conducting CBPR.  It is important to identify who the community is that will be researched rather than relying on community stakeholders to identify it for the researcher.  Along with this is it crucial to be culturally sensitive and aware of the members of the community that are being researched.  This may include providing transportation, child care or food to accommodate their situation.  It may also include changing the site for research or using an interpreter or translator to conduct the research based on the community's needs.

Finally, there may be some disagreement between the community and the researcher once the findings are analyzed and presented.  The community may not be in agreement with the findings being published for fear that it may adversely effect them or others similar to them.  There must be discussion initially regarding this issue as well as throughout the research project.  However, if during the presentation of findings the community asks for the results to remain private the researcher should strongly consider this.

Week #5 (9/24): Reading Blog - Lori (Part I)

"Making Sense of Qualitative Research:  The Qualitative Research Interview"

This article mentioned three types of interview techniques used in qualitative research; structured, semi-structured and unstructured.  Structured interviews was briefly mentioned as it often is used in quantitative research.  Unstructured and semi-structured were discussed further as well as the importance of them.  There were also ethical and technical issues discussed in the closing of the article.

The authors explain that an unstructured interview process typically involves the researcher observing the interviewee, taking notes and then possibly becoming part of the activity that is being observed.  This process also takes place over some time and involves 1-2 key interviewees.  Historically, this type of interviewing has been used in the field of anthropology.

A semi-structured interview is the most commonly used form of interview in qualitative research and can occur with only one person or with a group of people.  The interview typically consists of a set of questions with which the interviewer has prepared but the interview is not solely determined by these questions.  Through the course of the interview there may be some spontaneous conversation which is prompted by the open ended questions that the interviewer has prepared.  Of the different types of semi-structured interviews the individual in-depth interview is the most widely utilized tool for qualitative research.

The individual in-depth interview begins with building rapport between the interviewer and interviewee.  Rapport is important in the success of interviewing so that the interviewee feels safe and comfortable which will enable them to fully participate in the interview process.  The authors discuss four different stages of rapport building which include apprehension, exploration, co-operation, and participation.  The apprehension phase includes feelings of nervousness about the situation.  The interviewer would be wise to use open ended questions which address the research question at hand and also be cautious regarding how the questions are asked.  The exploration stage is characterized by engagement from the interviewee which leads them to the co-operation phase when they begin to feel some benefit from the interview process and are comfortable.  Finally, the participation phase involves the greatest level of rapport and is a time when the interviewee begins to be the teacher in the process regarding the question that has been posed.

Finally, the article discusses technical and ethical issues in completing qualitative research by using the individual in-depth interview.  Technical issues include malfunctioning equipment when tape recording, accuracy of transcription and the use of computer software for data analysis.  Ethical issues include confidentiality, reducing unintentional harm, providing clear and accurate information regarding the research being conducted and the interview process and exploitation of the interviewee. 

Week #4 (9/17): News Article - Ashley

St. Louis American
"Open letter to Ferguson police chief"
by LaWanda Wallace

http://www.stlamerican.com/news/columnists/guest_columnists/article_6206a996-3933-11e4-93ec-6fcdf941e22d.html

I chose this article because it touched me and made me step out of myself and think about things from her perspective. I think this article does a good job talking about what is going on in Ferguson: the problems and the changes people want made, and explaining why these things need to be done. I think it is awesome that she was able to shake a police officer’s hand even though they are seeing eye to eye about things. I think it is great on both parts; the police and the protesters have not been getting along throughout this and I think the fact that they are able to put their differences aside and see each other for who they are is great.

I think the solutions offered in this article might actually help mend the relationships between citizens and police. I also like at the end how Ms. Wallace tells the police chief to talk to the community as if Michael Brown were his son. This is the best advice I have heard. I believe this is the way to show the community the police care about the death of a citizen and how they are taking things seriously. I personally believe no change/healing can occur until this happens.

Week #4 (9/17): Reading Blog - Ashley

Chapter 3: Understanding Community and Organizational Problems

Social workers want to change or fix problems within both individuals and communities. Individual problems may be caused by community or organizational problems. For this reason, macro and micro level social workers can both work to change macro level problems. Change is a process and takes time; it happens in small steps that build up to a big result. This chapter focuses on how to identify, research, and change problems within communities and organizations. While there are many ways to make change happen this book focuses on the rational planning approach. This approach involves research, planning and executing each step, and arriving at the desired outcome.

The first step to making change happen is to recognize a need for change and be prepared to do something about it. It is important to understand that a problem is only a problem because several people acknowledge a condition needs to be changed, and is a problem. You should talk to the person that decided there was a problem, those affected by the problem, people and groups that have helped fix problems before, people or groups that support and oppose the problem, and people or groups that can approve or deny and changes made. After all the information is gather, it should be narrowed down to the most useful. The information should help identify the causes of the problem including relevant events in history. The historical events should be put in order to help understand the history of the community or organization and the problem.

After identifying the problem, it is important to explore the knowledge base. Evidence-based practice (EBP) is used to assess past research findings and help decide the best approach to solving the current problem. EBP requires evaluations of the approach and adjustment based on those evaluations. It is important to define the concepts of the problem to help collect supporting data. It is important to incorporate both qualitative and quantitative data while finding supporting data.

After finding data, it is important to interpret the data into something that makes sense. This can be done in a number of ways. One way of interpreting data is through cross-sectional analysis. Cross-sectional analysis looks at a certain point in time and a certain population/sample. The results of the study can be transformed into graphs and charts to help understand the results of the study. Time-series comparisons look at a variable over a period of time; the results can also be transformed into graphs for easy interpretation. Epidemiological analysis focuses on finding the cause of a problem, even when clear cause and effect relationships cannot be found. Qualitative data can also be displayed using figures and charts.

The last step is to select factor that help explain the underlying cause of the problem. To do this it is important to look back over all of the past information gathered: historical events, past research, and supporting evidence. From there the researcher should develop an idea of what cause and effect relationships must dealt with for change to occur. It is also important to stay away from blaming the problem on lack of resources. Because lack of resources is always a problem within communities and organizations (no community/organization ever has enough money), it is important to find and explore other options. While lack of resources may be a problem, it does not explain the contributing factors and does not help solve the problem. As greater understanding of the problem comes about, a hypothesis should be developed about the problem. This hypothesis will guide the intervention and should be a working hypothesis that can be changed.

Week #3 (9/10): Reading Blog - Maggie

Chapter 2: The Historical Roots of Macro Practice

Chapter Two discusses how social work has become what it is today, as well as ways that it will be changing in the future. Its starts with how our society has changed throughout time as the result of population growth and immigration, industrialization, and urbanization. Before these changes occurred people were more independent and relied less on outside help, however, once these changes began individuals became more reliant on each other, as well as outside organizations. During this time society typically believed that the poor and other groups deemed as inferior, brought their misfortune upon themselves and that helping them would not get them out of poverty. Oppressed groups during this time were plentiful, with most groups, besides European white Americans, being discriminated against. Such events included the Trail of Tears for Native Americans and the continuous oppression African Americans faced before and after the Civil War. Social work began as a result of such societal issues; one of the first social work organizations was the Charity Organization Societies (COS) and Settlement House movement. COS organizations worked with smaller agencies to provide services to individuals and were run mostly by upper and middle-class volunteers. Charity Organization Societies usually thought of poverty as a problem with the individual who was experiencing poverty and not as the result of societal problems. Settlement houses around the same time as COS agencies, the first being Hull House in Chicago. Settlement Houses focused on societal change, as well as the individual. These organizations were both private agencies and the government had little involvement. This all changed with the great depression, with a major shift from private organizations to government agencies. After this, government agencies dominated human services for several decades. Beginning in the 1960s with President Johnson’s War on Poverty, there was once again a shift back to private organizations with the government contracting outside organizations to provide services.

This chapter also discusses how social work is a constantly changing field, partially because our society is also constantly changing. Some changes that have impacted social work, and will continue to impact the field, include technology and lack of communities. In American society, individualism has always been favored over togetherness, with a recent decrease in group activities. This has impacted communities as a whole, and has had an impact on macro practice social workers. Technology has also had an impact on the social workers role in society. There are two ways it does this, one being that the problems individuals face will be different, for example cyber bullying has recently become a significant issue in our society. Technology will also impact how social workers do their job with the development of computers, tablets, and other advances. These are only a few of the ways our society will continue to change in the coming years.

The book also points out that even with all of the changes that have occurred; our society still has a long ways to go when it comes to oppression of groups. With there still being a significant amount of discrimination towards certain groups, such as the LGBT community. Finally, this chapter also discusses how necessary continuing change is for our society and how important it is for macro practice social workers to strive for it. There are several different types of change including people-focused, technological, and structural change. All these focus on different aspects of our society and are necessary to continue improving it.

Week #3 (9/10): News Article Blog - Mary

"How psychology can help Ferguson heal" by Nadine J. Kaslow and Norman B. Anderson
St. Louis Post Dispatch, September 5, 2014

http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/columns/how-psychology-can-help-ferguson-heal/article_f6d6e76e-92c7-59a8-b7da-6321c3be882f.html

There are a few significant developments this week in the Michael Brown case which are interesting but also well covered and I found this article while I was reviewing those. This article is different in that it is a commentary rather than “what’s the latest?”

I like this article because it furthers the question of “What now?” rather than reviewing what happened in depth while still summarizing the facts and the issues realistically. The authors call us (well, really, I think they are speaking to other psychologists) to action. The specifics listed in the article bring to mind some of our assignments for this class that Holly went over with us Wednesday. For example, the authors say: “Fund evidence-based interventions to prevent violence, treat trauma and help individuals cope with violent environments.” What about using this idea for one of the interventions to research for the Community Study Paper and the Intervention Proposal paper?

So maybe there’s something here we can build on from the article or maybe the article just confirms how “spot on” and topical her assignments are for us.

I almost changed the last couple of sentences because I don’t want to make light of the issues or offend anyone. This quote from my daughter in a facebook post regarding St. Louis after the shooting of Michael Brown sums up my feelings as well, “I love this city and it hurts me to see this happening here, but not as much as it hurts me that I am not entirely surprised that it could.” While it hurts to talk about all of this, I don’t see that as a reason to stop talking or stop joking around about how our professor is picking out the best assignments for us.