Lauren D., Week 9

 No Magic Cape

“But I think we can never eradicate racism. We can educate ourselves about the inequities. Social workers can play a primary role and look at the structural inequalities. The purpose of social work is to enhance social functioning, remediate social ills, and alleviate oppression. I don’t think you can change the world, but you can change one person at a time.”

http://www.socialworker.com/feature-articles/ethics-articles/Racism%3A_The_Challenge_for_Social_Workers/

            As the powerful quote from “Racism: The Challenge for Social Workers” highlights above, being in the Masters of Social Work program at UNE, has given me hope in helping to bridge the gaps of racism.  I have certainly learned that I do not have a magical cape and I cannot swoop in and save the world from all injustice and inequality; but, I can network and build connections, such as with the group of youth engaged within our social inclusion project.  I have also learned that it is not enough to just educate myself about inequities through conferences that highlight “all you need to know about cultural competency,” but rather, I need to work with those diverse cultures and learn their morals and values first hand- listen to those individuals, rather than think I am in expert.  For I am certainly no expert in a culture I have never lived, and who am I to pretend I am?  It becomes too easy in the professional world to think we are skilled because of certificates of completion or educational levels achieved.  Cultural competency learning, can only truly come from that first-hand connection with those living the inequities and injustice. 

          During this week’s group, the incredible youth and young adults participated in developing a “plan of action” to be carried out addressing the cultural gaps identified in previous focus groups.  The group collaboratively decided to design a plan of action which focuses on providing a training to educators teaching at the high school and college level.  This training would be inclusive of the youth themselves presenting the holes that exist for minority groups in the educational system and ideas for teachers and administrators in closing in those holes to create equality for all students.  The energy in the room while brainstorming this plan of action was impressive- you could feel the excitement and dedication each youth and young adult brought forth!

Lisa D., week 7

This week the group came together and  compiled all the information that was collected from the three focus groups. The group themselves and the two high school classes. There was a lot of wonderful information that came through. There was also repetitive  thoughts and opinions that came from each focus group.

When asked the questions of:

What are the gaps or challenges you face?  Response:  Lack of cultural awareness, being forced to fit in, lack of knowledge and communication form others, stereotypes and fear of difference, white privilege, blind racism, preconceived notions, Teachers expecting you to know everything about your country and culture, teachers lack knowledge and drop the ball, and lack of minority representation.

How can we bridge these gaps? Response: Mutual investment in minority groups and stake holders, Educators & administration open to growth with genuine listening, taking in change, and reform,More training programs on implicit bias, awareness and education on cultural competency, Principals, guidance counselors and teachers learn how to make better connections with parents, Teachers engaging in different environments outside a school setting to experience other aspects of culture and diverseness, Letting teachers know to not make assumptions (needing help on school work),undervalue minorities instead asking students if they are comfortable sharing about their experiences in their country or their culture.

What are barriers  and hopes in bridging these gaps? Response for barriers: Fear of being harmed, lack of resources, misunderstandings, lack of white allies, lack of mentors who are of color,stereo types and being told to “stop acting black”Internalized self hatred and fear of making change. Response for Hopes: Restoring culture, knowing that you are not alone, continuing to celebrate what is not being celebrated by the dominant race, Our own cultural celebrations and keeping the human spirit alive.

How can we create change? Response: Cannot be a bystander, continue to create programs that truly involve all people of all cultures, Keep a balance of ongoing dialog,awareness and action, be yourself, be part of writing bill at the state level and knowing history, no judgment, having a voice, question everything,be a good person, mentor, friend, family member and partner and lastly to “THINK LOVE, SPEAK LOVE, BE LOVED!

Lisa D., week 6

This week we went back to the same high school and did a focus group fro a senior class. This time it was myself and one other young adult. The class was earlier in the morning and the students were not awake yet for our presentation. It took some time for the class to wake up and open up in sharing their thoughts, opinions and experiences. Since there were just two of us running the focus group, we split the class into two groups and worked with them on 2-3 questions.

The questions that were asked were:

What are barriers or gaps that you face on a daily basis?

How can you as youth bridge these gaps?

What are challenges in bridging these gaps?

The students gave fabulous insight to these questions. 

Next week you will see the compilation of data from the three focus groups. 

Lisa D., week 5

The group of young adults and myself went into a local high school and did a focus group with a junior class. The group did a fantastic job of explaining with our project is and what a focus group is. We broke up the class into small groups and each of the young adults lead a group in 2-3 questions on cultural gaps the teens face  on a daily basis. This was a very lively class and had a lot to share with their own personal experiences. The young adults running the focus group had a very positive experience and were very motivated to reach out to all the high schools in the area to do this focus group. 

Lisa D., week 4

 Taking a step Back

Due to being sick the group had to cancel the focus group with he high school. We did reschedule for the following Wednesday. This was a blessing in disguise because it gave an opportunity to practice more for the focus group. In fact, the young adults in the current group had a chance to answer the questions they will be asking.  This went really well, there was a lot of information given as well as other topics that formed aside from the questions. The group was very engaged and had a lot of great information to share. Some common societal gaps that were prevalent:

Language: the meaning of words and phrases

education: How white kids are seen as a victim and kids of colorer seen as the perpetrator in any heated situation in a classroom.

Lisa D., week 3

 This week was on the more quieter side. The group was working very hard to finish up their stories. I presented to the group an opportunity for them to facilitate a focus group at Casco Bay High school next week. The group voted and were excited to do it. Together we came up with discussion questions to ask the class on helping us to define the cultural gaps in our system. 

Some of the questions they came up with are: 

What do you believe are some gaps in the system?

How has these gaps been shaped throughout America’s history?

What are the gaps or challenges you face?

What are the gaps or challenges your families face? And other people you know?

Are any of these gaps intentional? Why?

How can we (together) bridge those gaps?

Stay tuned for the outcome of this focus group!

Lisa D., week 2

 This week, the group started to write their stories of who they, their experiences and what they want people to know about them.

The group was bigger than last week,  four more young adults joined us. They offered amazing insight and were excited to write their story.

In listening to these very intelligent young adults today, what was evident were the judgments and misconceptions they have to face on a daily basis from teachers, police and other people who come into their lives. Thoughts and experiences were shared of how other people perceptions of them are immediately formed before getting to know who they are as human beings. The group shared that others see them for the color of their skin, the clothes they wear or their sexual preference. People do not take the time to see their ideas, hopes and dreams.

 It is important to be free of misconceptions before knowing a person. It is important to talk about making judgments of others before we really know who they are and what their experiences are. 

As human beings we are programmed to automatically judge a person or size them up.  Everyone does it. Wether it is first meeting someone and assessing what they are wearing, noticing their age,  color of skin or how their voice sounds. 

The theme for today, would be to have awareness of judging others by first appearances before getting to know each other.