The Principles, Strategies, and Frameworks in the Community Project - Term Paper Example

Report on Community Project Introduction This report presents a critical reflection on a community project we embarked on as a group in order to gain understanding and experience on how community projects operate. Firstly, it provides an overview of the community project we embarked on by describing its purpose, goals and operations. Secondly, this report describes our experiences in the course of our engagement in the community project. It further provides details on the principles, strategies and frameworks that informed our practice in the course our engagement in the community project. Moreover, this report highlights the challenges and dilemmas identified and experienced during this community project. In addition to this , it highlights opportunities for improvements that can be implemented in order to realise positive outcomes. Overview of the Community Project Metro Migrant Resource Centre (MMRC) is a non-profit community based organisation which aims at providing support and welfare services to individuals, families and communities. The organisations’ vision is to work towards the realisation of a just society which respects and appreciates individuality, diversity and human dignity and provides equal opportunities to all so that everyone can realise their full potential. Moreover, the mission of MMRC is to become a leader in the human welfare services sector by providing high quality, sustainable and relevant services to individuals, families and communities from different backgrounds. The organisation seeks to provide services that are underpinned by client participation and best practice through a workforce that is motivated, skilled and resourced to realise social equality. In order to realise these goals MMRC has over the years instituted a wide range of programs and partnerships that aim at meeting the specific needs of individuals, families and communities from different backgrounds (MMRC 2013). Some of the key programs or initiatives instituted by the organisation in a bid to promote social equality mainly revolve around tenancy, community engagement, family youths and children and the provision of settlement services (MMRC 2012). MMRC also forms partnerships with other organisations in a bid to empower community members and promote social equality. The Homework Club is a good example of a program or community project conceived by Ashfield Public School in partnership with MMRC. This project was instituted in order to promote better learning outcomes amongst school going children and prepare them for them for future. It also seeks to help immigrant learners experiencing learning challenges especially those relating to the acquisition of a second language to adopt and catch up with others. Thus this project or program exemplifies key strategies and principles of community development such as empowerment, social inclusion and social capital building. Nonetheless, the main aim of this community project is to engage with parents and provide a safe and conducive learning environment where children can do their homework and access resources such as technology, books and volunteer teachers. Persons running the Homework Club in Ashfield include Nick, the Youth Project Officers and Joan, the librarian. As the youth project officer, Nick oversees “Special Tutorial Assistance Programs” in four different school in the inner west. His roles involves teaching, organising children’s study schedule, exercising duty of care for children attending the program and facilitating the recruitment and induction of volunteers and parent information sessions. On the other hand, Joan’s roles include; organising volunteers, teaching and organising ancillary projects such as multicultural events that promote inclusion and respect for diversity. Engagement in the project The designated program for our group work community project was the Homework Club. Prior to embarking on this community project, it was foremost crucial to communicate with the contact person at the university in order to get linked with the coordinators of the Homework Club. After obtaining the contacts of the club’s coordinator from the university contact, it was quite a challenge to access the club’s coordinator. For weeks, attempts to reach the club’s coordinator through the telephone and email proved to be futile. Due to the pressure to get the assignments done, this experience was somewhat nerve racking. Eventually, one of the coordinators responded to the emails sent and directed our group to contact another coordinator. However, when this coordinator was contacted, he was not available. Following a back and forth communication via email, our group was able to schedule an appointment with Nick, the club’s Youth Project Officer. Finally, two group members attended a meeting with Nick and were able to agree on volunteer terms. The hurdles and delays experienced in the course of securing an appointment for volunteering portrayed the inadequacies of the club’s management and coordinators. Homework Club sessions mainly took place on Thursday evening therefore, we had to leave early every Thursdays in order to take part in the running of this project. Following our arrival at the Migrant Resource centre in Ashfield, we were received by Nick, the club’s Youth Project Officer. Nick was unable to provide adequate information concerning the background of the project. Although he was the project officer, he did not have any training on social work. However, Joan the librarian provided invaluable insight on how the project was formed and how it operates. Following a brief induction, each group member was allocated a student. We were expected to assist the students with their homework. I was assigned an ESL student undertaking a school assignment. No assignment criteria or instruction was provided neither were we introduced to the students. During my one on one session with the student, I was able to notice that the student had limited understanding of English. As a result, the student was unable to read with confidence or understand what is expected of him in the task provided by the school teacher. This situation was a bit challenging mainly because my specialty is in social work and not teaching. Nevertheless, I encouraged the student and helped him to understand the requirements of the assignment. I was surprised that after a brief explanation, the student was able to grasp key requirements of the assignment. The following two weeks were school holidays therefore the Homework Club was not operational. In the course of these two weeks we directed our focus on findings more information about the project and discovering new ways of helping the students at the club with their assignments. When the club sessions commenced, we continued to assist the students with their homework until our volunteer tenure ended. Overall, the project was successful and it provided invaluable insights on how community projects operate. Principles, strategies and frameworks that informed practice Practices and undertakings in the course of the community work project were based on a number of principles, strategies and frameworks in social work. Firstly, the practices used in the course of this project were based on the principle of empowerment. According to Zastrow (2009) empowerment is a process that involves helping individuals, families and communities to improve their personal, interpersonal and socio-economic strength and develop a strong influence towards their circumstances. Empowerment accentuates on synergizing people’s abilities, interests, values, resources and accomplishments towards the accomplishment of specific goals. The principle of empowerment is based on the assumption that individual, families and communities have strength to sustainably realise their needs (Zastrow, 2009). Practice at the Homework Club mainly involved helping young students to improve their learning outcomes by providing resources and equal chance of participation in learning. It also involved empowering students by motivating them, building their confidence and self-esteem and exerting a positive influence on their lives. In this case, practice was based on the notion that each student is gifted and has the ability to perform remarkably in their study if they are directed, motivated and encouraged. Evidently, the practices employed in the course of the Homework project exemplified the principle of empowerment. Practices and undertakings at the Homework Club were also based on the strength perspective. The strength perspective is closely associated to an empowerment approach mainly because it also focuses on the strengths of people’s abilities, skills, interests, aspirations, resources and accomplishments. In social work, the primary focus of social worker is often geared towards identifying shortcomings and dysfunctions in the community and subsequently coming up with solutions that will help to address the identified weaknesses. One of the limitations of focusing on weaknesses is that it impairs the capacity of social workers to identify the potential of the people they are working with (Zastrow, 2009). Nevertheless, at the Homework Club the strength perspective is evident with both Nick from MMRC and Joan working together collaboratively with the school community and the community as a whole. It is apparent that the Homework Club is an ancillary project that celebrates diversity and promotes inclusion through small initiatives. While working at the Homework Club, my role as a social worker mainly focused on the strengths of the students. I focused on enhancing students’ self-esteem, self-confidence and enabling them to view themselves positively as individuals with strengths and competencies (Zastrow, 2009). Thirdly, the practices used in the course of this project accentuated on community development. Community development is a strategy in social work that focuses on helping people to better their communities through self-directed and collective action (Twelvetrees, 2008). Moreover, community work involves working with people using information, strategies and skills so as to encourage them to take personal initiatives in addressing issues that affect their lives (Coulshed & Orme, 2012). The Homework Club is a good example of a community project that employs the principle of community development. When engaging in this project, the main focus of practice was on helping students to take personal initiatives in order to improve their learning outcomes and find solutions to their own learning problems. Eventually, when learners realise positive learning outcomes they are bound to become creative, independent and self-sustainable members of the society who find solutions to problems in society. Moreover, the undertakings at the Homework Club help to address the needs in the community associated with the integration of immigrant students into new school systems. Moreover, practices used in the course of Homework project emphasized on the principle of social inclusion and participation. The Homework club included students from different cultural, linguistics and socio-economic background. A number of students attending the club were immigrants from non- English speaking countries therefore, promoting social inclusion and participation was important in order for these students to be fully integrated into a new system of education. During the sessions at the club, all students regardless of their cultural, linguistics or socio-economic background received equal opportunities to participate and engage in learning. Volunteers engaged with the students on a one- on- one basis using personalized illustrations that the students could relate to. Furthermore, each student was provided an opportunity to express their views and ideas regarding issues that affect them. Sessions at the Homework Club were also based on the relational social work framework. The basic notion of relational social work entails close partnerships and reciprocity between social workers and the community or systems that they work in. In essence relational social work involves engaging with the existing networks in a community or system so as to enhance the capacity to address problems (Folgheraiter, 2007). When employing this approach, the main focus was directed towards networking and mobilising supportive networks of problem solving comprising of the program coordinator, the librarian, parents and volunteers. For instance, when experiencing difficulties relating to the learning of students, parents, the program coordinators and other volunteers were consulted and involved in finding amicable solutions that will aid students to realise better learning outcomes. Moreover, both Nick from MMRC and Joan worked together collaboratively and alongside the community in order to improve learning outcomes of students who attend the Homework Club. This show that the relational social work framework informed practices and undertaking at the Homework Club (Folgheraiter, 2007; Morris, 2004). In addition to this, the practices and undertaking at the Homework Club reflected the principle of community engagement. Basically, community engagement entails a process through which members with in a community are involved in decision making or collective action towards the realisation of a particular goal. It involves seeking broader participation and involvement of community members. Community engagement is crucial mainly because it promotes innovativeness, inclusion, better decision making accountability and mutual trust and respect. (Murphy 2012; Pierson, 2008). Community engagement is one of the overriding principles of social work that was keenly observed during the volunteer sessions at the Homework Club. During some sessions at the club parents, willing volunteers from the community and other relevant stakeholders were invited to teach, share their stories and mentor students. Parents of immigrant students from different cultural and linguistic background were invited to offer perspective on issues relating to their culture. Their involvement provided invaluable insights on suitable learning approaches of students. Challenges, Dilemmas and Opportunities Generally, volunteering at the Homework Club was engaging, informative and fulfilling, nevertheless, several challenges were experienced. Some of the key challenges of this program include the lack of adequate support and involvement of parents and community members due to conflicting schedules. Moreover, this program lacks proper coordination as far as the recruitment and induction of volunteers is concerned. For instance, it was initially difficult to contact or access the key coordinators of the program in order to obtain details or sign up as volunteers. The fact that there is poor coordination when it comes to the recruitment and induction of volunteer may act as an impediment to accessing support for the program. Moreover, there seemed to be some conflicting goals and priorities in the project. The Homework project is basically a partnership between Ashfield Public School and the MMRC. The key aim of Ashfield Public School is to promote better learning outcomes amongst students by engaging parents through community development initiatives. On the other hand, the key aim of MMRC is to promote community engagement, social inclusion and participation, empowerment of students and building social capital (MMRC, 2012). Effective merger or synchronisation of these goals into one holistic project is possible. However, some goals or priorities may be overshadowed by others. Since the key aim of Ashfield Public School is to promote better learning outcomes of its students, this goal may be emphasised and pursued at the expense of MMRC’s priorities such as , social inclusion , empowerment of students and building social capital. For instance, at the Homework Club the main role of volunteers is to assist children with their homework. Although this role is important since it may empower and improve the learning outcomes of students, it does not adequately touch on or involve some of the key priorities of MMRC. However, whereas these two entities have conflicting aims the MMRC offers support and provides a stronger volunteer base. Additionally, when volunteering for the Homework Club several dilemmas were experienced. Firstly, there was some role confusion. As observed earlier, both Ashfield Public School and the MMRC have different goals. Therefore, following our induction at the Homework Club, it was somewhat confusing whether one should adapt the role of a social worker or teacher since the main role of volunteers at the club was to assist students with their homework. Consequently, it was necessary to employ an integrated approach informed by principles, strategies and frameworks in social work such as empowerment, community engagement, strength perspective and community development. In essence, during the club sessions students were not only assisted with their homework but they were also empowered, motivated and taught how to appreciate diversity, build their confidence and self-esteem. In addition to this, parents, community members and other relevant stakeholders were also engaged in initiatives of the club. Several ethical dilemmas were also experienced in the course of this community work project. Prior to embarking on the community work project at the Homework Club no verification or authorisation procedure was followed. Furthermore, no induction training or introduction to the students was carried out. The fact that the coordinators of the club did not introduce us to students raises the question whether they were negligent or were protecting the privacy of the students. According to the Australian social work ethical codes of practice, social workers are expected to uphold their client’s right to privacy and confidentiality. Social workers are expected to protect their client’s information by determining who should or should not access their client’s information. Therefore, in this scenario it is plausible to argue that the coordinators of the club adhered to ethical requirements to uphold the students’ right to privacy and confidentiality. The Australian social work ethical codes of practice further require that when working with children, social workers are to obtain informed consent from lawful authorities. In this scenario, the coordinators of the club did not follow verification or authorisation procedures before allowing volunteers to take part in the club activities. Moreover, we did not obtain consent from lawful authorities when working with the children. Therefore, in this case this ethical code of practice was not upheld. Despite of the several challenges and ethical dilemmas experienced at the Homework Club. There are numerous opportunities for growth and improvements that the coordinators of the club can capitalise on in order to improve the outcomes of the club. Firstly, MMRC should engage, consult and connect with parents and other relevant stakeholders in the community in order to expand and enhance the effectiveness of the program. Secondly, there is need for MMRC to not only support the school homework initiative but also institute other community based initiatives that address the specific needs of people within a particular community. At the club level, the coordinators of the Homework club should focus on recruiting professional teachers or tutors in order to effectively improve the learning outcomes of students. Lastly, the club coordinators should institute proper induction procedures that provide volunteers with adequate information on how to effectively carryout their practice. Conclusion This report has presented a critical reflection on a community project we embarked on in Homework Club. Homework Club is a community project conceived by Ashfield Public School in partnership with MMRC. This project was instituted in order to promote better learning outcomes amongst school going children by assisting them with their homework. When volunteering at the Homework Club our practice was informed by of principles, strategies and frameworks in social work such as empowerment, community development, social participation and inclusion, strength perspective, community engagement and relational social work. Generally, volunteering at the Homework Club was engaging, informative and fulfilling. Participating in this community work project provided invaluable insight on the intricacies of community development projects. It provided first-hand experience on crucial aspects needed to operate successful community work initiatives and helped to effectively decipher the role of a social worker in community development. Although, several challenges and ethical dilemmas were encountered in the course of this project, there are numerous opportunities for growth and improvements that Homework Club can capitalise on in order to improve its outcomes. References Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) (2010). Code of Ethics. Retrieved on May 17, 2013 Coulshed, V. & Orme, J. (2012). Social work practice. 5th Ed. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan Folgheraiter, F. (2007). “Relational Social Work: Principle and Practices.” Social Policy and Society 6(2):265-274. Metro Migrant Resource Centre (MMRC) (2012). Annual Report 2011. Retrieved on May 17, 2013 Metro Migrant Resource Centre (MMRC) (2013). About Us. Retrieved on May 17, 2013 Morris, K. (2004). “Partnership working: changing understandings in child welfare services in England.” Protecting Children 19(2), pp. 61-68. Murphy, F. (2012). Community engagement, organisation and development. New York: Springer Pierson, J. (2008). Going local: working in communities and neighbourhoods. London: Routledge. Twelvetrees, A. (2007). Community Work. 4th Ed. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Zastrow,C. (2009). Introduction to Social Work and Social Welfare: Empowering People. Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning. Read More