Social Work Field Placement

I am still awaiting my placement for my FIRST ever Social Work experience. I am MAJORLY excited, and can't wait to work in the field. My first choice for my field placement is at an organizationthat prepares young adults coming out of foster care by teaching them independent living skills. Transitioning to the real world is hard/scary enough, but doing it as a child who grew up in foster care must add to the stress significantly. Depending on the child's experience, they may not have a single person they can turn to. Having those people in your life, who can give you that extra oompf, tell you that you can do it, is very important to the self-esteem and confidence of anyone!

Each child is assigned a Life Coach and a Mentor. These key people prepare the child for life in the real world, providing them with those supportive relationships that are critical to the well-being of any human. They help the child develop independent living skills, prepare them to move on to higher ed or employment, help them secure quality housing, and urge them to take on leadership opportunities.

The cool thing about this organization is that they incorporate technology into their services. When a client finally secures quality housing, they are provided with a computer. In addition to face-to-face visits with their coach and mentor, these young adults can stay connected with them through the Internet. They use instant messaging and email to converse. They also offer independent living skill modules, such as how to balance a checkbook, on the web. Being the complete tech geek that I am, I was totally drawn to their approach. As you can see, I am very hopeful to be placed here. :D

I've decided to go for the Child Welfare certificate, as well, which means I have to:

• Complete the MSW, of course


• Take "Child Welfare" elective


• Take "Social Work Practice with Vulnerable Children" elective


• And do one of my 2 field placements at a Department of Children/Families or approved agency (of which Kids@Home is)

Wish me luck on this placement!!

Chlamydia cases reach all-time high

Even though our world has progressed to depths we are all amazed at, we are still fighting the big fight against viruses, bacteria and other invisible creepy crawlies. In 2007, the US had a reported ONE MILLION Chlamydia (bacteria) cases. According to Consumer Reports, this is the highest reported number for any disease ever reported. Of course, the report says that women reported at 3x than men, and young women and women of color get a double whammy. The CDC thinks there are far more cases out there that are not even reported or diagnosed! 

I bring this up because it brings up my love for prevention programming. I really believe in this idea. If you give people the tools and the knowledge, you are empowering them to make a better decision for themselves. Yea, I know what you're thinking. Unless you are living under a rock or in the middle of the desert, you should know about common health issues such as these. Unfortunately, you would be really surprised at what people do and do not know. Ignorance gets higher every day as our world expands and evolves.

Anywho - your health is important. TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF, and this is especially important when you choose to have sex. Be smart. And tell the person to take a hike if they don't want to engage in safe sex. There are PLENTY of willing people to engage in the  horizontal bop with you. 

http://www.cdc.gov/std/

Obama's People

So, after the glorious inauguration yesterday, I was browsing though the New York Time's special magazine edition - Obama's People. I came across a face I am all too familiar with: SAMANTHA POWER!!!!!!

I'm a big fan of Samantha Power (she's Irish!). She is a top foreign policy expert from Harvard, and to be more specific, she is a genocide expert. Her fist book, A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide; is a book I have referenced many times while writing papers in my undergrad. It is a seamless account of all the genocides since Armenia, and how the U.S. was or was not involved.


Anywho, this probably means nothing for any of you. However - I feel like this is a HUGE step in the right direction for Darfur and the countless other human rights atrocities that are occurring around the globe. This, to me, shows that Obama is genuinely concerned about these stupid violent acts.


My Human Diversity teacher also shared with us that he has worked with Barack and Michelle in Chicago. He wanted to give us his opinion on our new President, and the best thing he could say about the man was that he genuinely listens. Can you imagine a President that listens to his people??


WOOHOO!

My Social Work Internship: Step One Complete!

Next Fall/Spring I will be partaking in a BIG part of my education and future career goals: interning in a social services agency!

Can we say HAPPY?

Can we say EXCITED?

Can we say SCARED SHITLESS?

I have to say I am a bit upset that they do not offer any type of work with refugee orgs. This is SOUTH FLORIDA - there is an abundance of refugees and immigrants here. Sheesh. Anywho, I do have other interests. I am very interested in assisting youth with independent living skills, creating and implementing prevention programming and empowering this population to become self-sufficient and successful. SO...here are my top selections from what is offered (although I have not yet submitted the application, this is something I need to think about...)

1. An organization that provides independent living skills to foster care adolescents. This organization really stands out to me. Students work with program participants to guide and support them through a variety of independent living skills. Student will also work with various community agencies to fill the needs of all program participants. Each person is paired with a Life Coach and a Mentor. They assist with life skills, education, employment and obtaining quality housing, and actually involve them in leadership opportunities. I went to their website and they actually use technology in their programming, which is so rad. If a person obtains housing, it sounds as though they provide them with a computer so that the person can always be connected to their life coach and mentor, who do communicate with them through email and instant messaging. This does not replace the weekly face-to-face meetings but I definitely think it gives the youth some reassurance that they can reach their "life lines" if needed. Also, they provide some of the life skills training via the web, such as budgeting and time management.
2. A prep-school that provides education from PreK-12. It sounds as though I would be working with groups doing life skills classes, crisis counseling, parent education, after school groups, case management, parent groups, student groups. I do not know why I am drawn to school-based social work, but I am. :)
3. An Adoption Agency. I am not sure yet if I want to move this above the prep school to become my 2nd choice. People who know me well know how badly I wish to adopt a child one day and working within this area sounds so rewarding, as well as very depressing. (I guess all areas of social services have those 2 aspects to them though).
4. A residential facility where abused and abandoned children are assured a home, a family environment and the services they need in order to heal and grow. They provide case management, life skills, tutoring / mentoring, mental health, and after care programs. I like that interns are able to build an internship to suit their interests and growth potential with a flexible environment that gives each individual their own unique opportunity to grow.
5. A group counseling center that focuses on group counseling for all kinds of things - couples, parent-child / teen, schools, adults, etc. The thing that drew me to this organization is that groups are led by graduate students and are co-led by volunteer group leaders with graduate degrees.
   
   Anywho - more on this later. :D