Community work on a Macro Level
I am a Zimbabwean national who migrated to United Kingdom in 2002 due to political unrest and deteriorating economy. I was involved in a protest calling for the former President of Zimbabwe and the leader of the ruling political party RG Mugabe to step down as president of Zimbabwe after a 37 year rule. The reality of the current situation in Zimbabwe is there is lack of employment, corruption, poor health care and poverty due to the socio-economic structures in the country. I linked this protest to the Conflict Theory which explains how power structures and disparities affect people’s lives. Macro social work generally addresses issues experienced in mezzo or micro social work practice, as well as empower clients by involving them in systemic change.
Dr Martin Luther King once said “a time comes when silence is betrayal” (May, 2015, p.2). He had a vision to eradicate social and economic inequality. As well as promote social justice the social workers “could align themselves with environmental organisations to forge political and social change” (Lysack, 2012, p.242).
Lysack, M. (2012). Emotion, ethics, and fostering environments citizenship. Environmental social work, 231-245) Oxford: Routledge.
May, G.(2015). A revolution of values: Martin Luther King Jr. and the Poor People’s Campagin.
Cultural and Spiritual Sensitivity
It is crucial that social workers/therapists become well informed about their clients’ cultures, spirituality and are sensitive and competent. In learning about these, social workers need to be aware of how powerful and significant culture and spirituality is in relation to clients’ behavior, values, and beliefs. Becoming culturally competent requires the ability to integrate knowledge, awareness and skills while maintaining a positive working relationship with the client (Sue and Zane, 1987). Today, the concerns regarding cultural competency continue to accentuate the importance of preparing social workers for a diversified society.
Spirituality (has been recognized by many as a key part of wholeness. In western approaches to mental health, the Indigenous concept of well-being and spiritual wellness is largely absent. Linklater, (2014) attributes the resiliency of Indigenous people to various protective factors and indicates that “Indigenous resilience should be seen as culturally rooted, community based response that encompasses resistance and survival strategies as leading sources of strength” (p.26).
Linklater, R. (2014). Decolonizing trauma work: Indigenous stories and strategies. Blackwood, NS: Fernwood Publishing
Critical Thinking and Reflective Practice
Critical thinking is described as a crucial part to the process of moving academics from purely acquiring and exhibiting “knowledge to critically examining and engaging with the issues of social work as a discipline and a profession”(Gibbons & Gray, 2004, p. 21). Reflective practice allows me to identify my practice strengths and weaknesses, guides my awareness of the values and theories informing the actions of others and ensures the need to check that my practice is in line with professional values. In other words, reflective practice allows me to self assess and improve my learning both as an MSW student and in relation to my work and life experiences. Thompson and Pascal, (2012) suggest, “reflective learning seeks to validate the knowledge, skills and experience used in practice, and recognizes these elements as valuable components in learning” (p. 314).
They further add that practitioners are recognized as “active participants in learning, rather than empty vessels to be filled by the expert”; in this case the educator (p. 314). This practice is an extension of anti-oppressive practice and is used as a tool by practitioners so that they can remain client-centred, minimize the effects of their power/privilege and be empathetic in their relationships with clients (D’Cruz et al., 2007). Understanding oppression is crucial in modern social work, because it is considered to be an underlying cause of many social problems. Oppression is a complex social phenomenon, which can take various forms and exists on personal, cultural and structural levels.