21 Dec Have you ever wondered why some areas appear to be safe, clean, and filled with many varied businesses, while others appear run down and lined with only check-cashing centers, fast-food r

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DISCUSSION WEEK 5

COMMUNITY SOCIAL WORK

Have you ever wondered why some areas appear to be safe, clean, and filled with many varied businesses, while others appear run down and lined with only check-cashing centers, fast-food restaurants, and liquor stores? As a macro social worker, you often will see that communities thrive and falter due to the resources available. The ways in which society provides and allocates resources disproportionately benefits certain groups while harming others through lack of resources or displacement.

All communities have strengths despite their challenges. Use of the strengths-based perspective helps you to identify the potential strengths of a community and how to advocate for its members to obtain the resources and services they need to be successful.

RESOURCES

Be sure to review the Learning Resources before completing this activity. Click the weekly resources link to access the resources. 

WEEKLY RESOURCES

TO PREPARE

· Identify characteristics that represent your community. Then, take a picture that represents these characteristics in your community. Note that your photo does not need to be literal—it can be symbolic.

BY DAY 3

Post a response to the following:

· Include a picture you took that represents the characteristics you identified in the community.

· Provide a description of the community.

· Explain the strengths and challenges associated with that community based on its characteristics.

· Explain how you could utilize community strengths to address their challenges.

· Identify at least three (3) macro-practice skills, and explain how you would use these skills to help the community address their challenges.

Support your post with examples from the course text and any other resources used to respond to this Discussion. Demonstrate that you have completed the required readings, understand the material, and are able to apply the concepts. Include a full reference of resources at the bottom of the post.

BY DAY 6

Respond to at least two colleagues:

· Identify a role a social worker might take when working with the community identified by your colleague. Provide a specific example of what that role might look like.

OR

· Describe two social work skills your colleague could use when practicing with this community.

REFERENCES

Required Readings

· Kirst-Ashman, K. K., & Hull, G. H., Jr. (2018).  Empowerment series: Understanding generalist practice (8th ed.). CENGAGE Learning.

· Chapter 4, “Skills for Working With Organizations and Communities” (pp. 138–174)

· Austin, M. J., Anthony, E. K., Knee, R. T., & Mathias, J. (2016).  Revisiting the relationship between micro and macro social work practice. Links to an external site.   Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services, 97(4), 270–277. https://doi.org/10.1606/1044-3894.2016.97.33