SAMPLES
HS 301
Who Am I ?
I live in Port Orchard with my husband and three children. We have a 17 year-old son, and two adopted Romanian daughters who are 13 and 14 and then a 20 year-old son who is out of the home, married and has a two month-old daughter. Our family is growing.
We also have three dogs, one cat, and a bunch of guinea pigs. It's hard to keep the guinea pig population down.
I like to travel, garden, read, do beadwork and any other kind of artistic activity that I can think of.
Work has been at the Veterans Home for 11 years as a nurse attendant. I've learned a lot there and I have met many interesting people. There are so many kinds of people in the resident population. Most of them are men ranging from World War II veterans to Gulf War veterans. From just old feeble men to young mentally ill, drug or alcohol addicts. You name it; it’s there. I love being around these different kinds of people. There's never a dull moment.
I desire to see all there is to
see
To hear all there is to hear
and
To feel all there is to feel.
Who am I?
I have wings.
I am a Robin who sings a beautiful song in the morning to soothe all souls.
I am a hawk with a good eye to hunt for my food.
I am a crow, cantankerous and ornery. I’ll just hang around to see what's happening and look for those opportune moments.
Why Do I Want to Help?
I want to help people because it is a rewarding experience to truly help someone. It's almost as if you feel like you've become part of the human race when you reach out to touch someone in a helping relationship. It is natural and good. It is right and pure. While expressing our generosity according to Dass & Gorman ( 1985) " we experienced our "kin"-ship, our "kind"-ness. It was "Us." In service we taste unity"(p. 5-6).
The need is great. From the young to the old there is a wide range of challenges that face us that can be different yet they can be the same. I want to make a difference, to contribute in some way to make this world a better place.
I have worked with the old now for many years. It has been an enriching experience for me. To be able to reach out and touch these people, to really get to know them and learn from them has been a growing experience to me. Many of them are lonely, hurting, or scared. If I can reach out to them to relieve their suffering and they know I really care, it makes their life a happier place as well as mine too. Then on the other hand, there are the angry, bitter ones who will try to manipulate or hurt you and this is definitely a challenge. These are the times when a helper can feel doubt and wonder if this is what they really want to be doing.
Experiencing the adoption of my two daughters from Romania has been a rewarding experience for me. In this way I have been able to help young people to grow beyond their experience of suffering and hardship into what I will hope to be loving and productive citizens of our society. It is exciting to see them progress and it makes me feel proud to think that I've had some part of it. Then again there are times when it is frustrating to see them revert back to their old habits. The orphanage behavior of me first, aggressive and sometimes ruthless can be hard to deal with. On the positive side though it makes me feel good to think that I'm contributing in some small way to their development.
Getting to know people is one of the benefits of helping. You learn how they think and feel as well as learning about where they came from and what their families are like. I have grown from these experiences.
People have different life experiences that give them all unique views on life. Our past is part of our present and according to Diamond (1999) " if something lives in our memory, it is inevitably going to color and influence the way we look at things that occur in the present"(p.116).
We don't always know what a person's past memory is. It can be past experiences or it can involve genetics. Either of these can have long term effects. The experiences in our lives regardless of whether they are good or bad mold us into what we are. We can only hope that people won't repeat their mistakes. Diamond (1999) tells us " it is very much within our power to change your behavior so that we don't make the same mistakes today that we made yesterday." (p.117).
Schwerin (1997) tells us that the person’s genetics can pass on from generation to generation with their results of genetic tests affecting a person’s sense of their families, their future, and the decisions they will make. As a helper I would like to be able to assist a person to make the best decisions for themselves in regards to these past memories of genetics as well as life experiences.
I would like to help people in unhappy situations to reach to others in ways that will benefit them. If they choose a different path I must remember that according to Poindexter, Valentine & Conway (1999) a person has a right to" " self-determination ", meaning that all of us, unless we hurt ourselves or others, have the right to determine for ourselves how we live our lives "(p.17). Not only do I want to help I want to be a good helper, forgiving while treating people with respect at the same time.
Helping is a healing process for the helper. They might feel tired at the end of the day but will have happiness in their heart.
Encore #3
The Lessons of Chaos was interesting reading indeed. If a person did not know about these lessons or understand they might think of chaos in a negative way. It is when you delve deeper into the meaning of these concepts is when you begin to understand the simplicity and the complexity of systems. As a helper we are concerned with how we can help make a change in a clients personal system. How can we be creative while helping?
If we are to understand how change can happen for someone who is needy it is important as helpers to understand these concepts of chaos. Perhaps one small idea might be all it takes to help this person make a change in their life. There are times according to (Briggs & Peat) when we have " moments of insight when we see or hear something that would be meaningless, nonsensical, or trivial to someone else, but which seems to set in motion a significant change in our perception" (p.25). As helpers we must be creative to produce an idea that might help someone. All change requires creativity.
To be creative we must participate in chaos. Briggs & Peat (1999) tell us artists have always known that creativity blossoms as they participate in chaos. As they lose control they then begin to participate. No one knows what the end result will be as you participate in any process. As helpers we would like the end result to be positive so we know that we need to be careful as far as what idea we are going to possibly put into motion. While thinking of positive outcomes, according to (Briggs & Peat),
…many of the world's wisdom traditions teach that action should not only take into account the welfare of others in the future, it should be based on authenticity of the moment, on being true to oneself, and exercise in the values of compassion, love, and basic kindness. Positively butterfly power involves a recognition that each individual is an invisible aspect of the whole and that each chaotic moment of the present is a mirror of the chaos of the future. (p.42)
Often people ask for help when they feel they are locked into a cycle where they feel powerless. This person will repeat the same mistakes over and over again. How can we help a person break their cycle? We can only hope that maybe one small thing or idea that we said, or maybe one action that we took might be the catalyst for a change.
It is exciting to enter into the field of human service and to think about the creative possibilities that lay ahead. It is also awesome to think of the responsibilities that come with this creativity while dealing with human beings. The effects and changes that the human service professional has on mankind will be felt well into the future.
HS 302
Welfare Reform
Just over a hundred years ago the Paris Medical Society compiled statistics from all over France to try and figure out which treatments were the most effective. The results of that study were appalling, but they marked the birth of what we now call modern medicine. That study revealed that patients who received professional medical care fared no better than those who did not. To their great credit, those physicians made no attempt to conceal their results. They accepted the fact that their methods were ineffective, and began the search for a new paradigm. Their willingness to accept an unpleasant truth was a brave act, one that we can still learn from today. I will discuss a number of topics in this paper, but the central tenet is that meaningful welfare reform can only take place when we have reliable and unbiased data to help us steer the course.
The information in Chapter 19 defines the basis of conventional wisdom for the management of the American welfare system. The budgets mentioned illustrate the scope to which the system has grown. The arguments set forth in the chapter are thought provoking, but often quite abstract. It speaks of ‘radical pragmatism’ and ‘disorganized capitalism’. In this field of study we are often called upon to view social issues in the abstract, but we must never forget that in the end it always comes down to real people with real needs.
Welfare for able-bodied adults is in fact a relatively new concept. Just a hundred years ago loggers here in the Northwest were at the mercy of fate. If a worker lost a hand or an arm that person became unemployable, but those who are unable to work still have to survive. Society learned a long time ago that it was better to feed these people than fight them, but dealing with these issues in the long term can be very complex. A few of the ideas advanced in Chapter 19 (e.g. CEZ, SIP) address improving the physical infrastructure of those living in poverty, a good idea in principle, but probably unworkable in practice. Such concepts are tantamount to asking a whole class of people to 'lift themselves by their own bootstraps', which is a physical impossibility. Similarly, increasing the minimum wage presents another conundrum. As the minimum wage rises, fewer jobs are available due to simple arithmetic. Child day care and adequate health care are concerns that we need to meet, but how we do that is a thorny question. Above all, we need reliable information on what does and does not work.
Welfare has always been a highly partisan issue. To define the competing positions of the major parties in this short paper requires gross oversimplification, but I will do so in the interests of brevity. In short, the Republican position is that welfare often rewards the indolent at the expense of hard-working people. The Democrats see this as heartless and insensitive. The Democratic position asserts that the government has a moral obligation to assist the poor. The Republicans see this as the first step on the path to socialism, and if welfare policies are carried to extremes they may have a point. Partisanship is perhaps the biggest reason we don't have reliable information, since both parties
Another obstacle to welfare reform is the "one size fits all" approach that results from legislation at the federal level. This can, and sometimes does, result in actions completely at variance with the intent of the law. I will attempt to illustrate this point anecdotally with two fictional cases below.
Case One: Mary's husband runs out on her, leaving her to care for their two children. The kids have been without milk for three days. Should we help her?
Case Two: Old Clyde got fired for showing up drunk at work a couple days ago. He's been out of Ripple for three days. Should we help him?
The two cases listed above are obviously very different, but "on paper" they might be identical. Both are cries for help from citizens in need. I think that most people would elect to help Mary, while most would refuse to help Clyde. Unfortunately, the law doesn’t work that way. The law, especially when enacted at the federal level, must be written using broad strokes. In fact they can be so broad that the distinction between these cases can be lost. Even worse, it might happen that Clyde fills out his forms correctly while Mary makes clerical errors, resulting in approval for Clyde and rejection for Mary. Such things actually do happen, which adds more fuel to the welfare reform debate.
Of course, the United States is not the only nation wrestling with these issues. The rapid growth of the world’s population and its attendant lower class gave rise to new philosophies of government, new approaches to social welfare. Chief among these are socialism and communism. These philosophies insist that a classless society is the best way to avoid class warfare. In principle there is much to admire in those ideals, but they come at the price of hope. The death of dreams and ambition. As a practical matter they have proven ineffective, in large part because they offer people no incentives. Taken as a whole Americans would never embrace socialism or communism, but the idea of caring for those unable to care for themselves is both noble and necessary.
On August 22, 1996, President Clinton signed into law the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act. At the signing ceremony he stated, " This should be remembered not for what it ended, but for what it began: a new day that offers hope, honors responsibility, rewards work, and changes the terms of the debate." Those are all the right words, but the jury is still out on whether or not that bill will produce the desired result.
Most Americans recognize the need to assist the poor, and are willing to accept the financial responsibility to make it happen. The problem has always been figuring out how to go about it. These issues live in the political arena, which often exacerbates the problem. Inflammatory rhetoric and conflicting sets of data make it difficult to figure out what does and doesn't work. Government statistics (not necessarily impartial ones) show the welfare rolls decreasing. Statistics also show that food stamp usage is falling almost twice as fast, and no one seems to know why that is. As I mentioned at the outset, I think that the lack of reliable information is the biggest roadblock to welfare reform.
I also believe that changes in society at large have not been adequately factored into the welfare debate. In the past twenty years we have seen the emergence of huge polyglot commercial entities. I suggest that these enormous corporations have a large role to play in leveling the field of social equality. As an example, I will use Boeing. How does one get a job at Boeing? Well, if you hold a Master’s degree in aeronautical engineering your chances are pretty good. This implies, of course, that your parents had a quarter of a million dollars to spend on your education, and that you were bright enough to complete the courses. Okay, so bright people from well-to-do families seem to be covered. In a similar vein, if your uncle or your buddy plays golf with a Boeing VP you have a pretty good chance. So a friend of a friend of a friend also seems like a good way to go. But what if you’re just a regular Joe? A guy or a gal from an undistinguished background who’s willing to work hard to try to get ahead? Sorry Jane, I’m afraid things don’t look all that good for you.
Twenty years ago there were many more opportunities. The mom and pop grocery store down on the corner. Bob’s Auto repair. Jerry’s Bicycle and Lock Repair. Thousands of places where people could go to find work, to gain experience, and perhaps most important of all, get a solid recommendation. The pool of employers has now been reduced to a few polyglot empires, and these corporations have little incentive to take a chance on an unproven inner city youth. It would be unfair to blame the corporations, because they have legitimate business concerns. The bottom line is and always will be the bottom line in a successful capitalist enterprise. We have no right, legal or moral, to insist that these corporations hire persons from disadvantaged backgrounds. What we can, and I think should do is offer these corporations financial incentives to do precisely that. Perhaps the government could pay a third of the salary for the first year or so, giving the corporation a financial incentive while giving the employee an opportunity to build a reputation. There have been many such programs, but they have usually been short lived and underfunded. Our political leaders seem to have seriously underestimated the impact of these polyglots on social issues. A large part of the ultimate solution may involve energizing these large employers to take more chances, but we need to be realistic and recognize that they will not do this out of any sense of civic duty. To make this happen we will have to make it worth their while.
To break the cycle of welfare we will need to bring one of the most powerful tools we have to bear on the problem. That tool is hope. Why would a person want to leave the welfare system if the alternative is flipping burgers part time at the local McDonald’s? Especially if doing so involves a pay cut? What does a person feel when they’re bussing tables and they know it’s the best they can ever hope for? We know the answer to that question all too well. We see the crime, the drug use, the anger that festers in all those disenfranchised. We all grew up with the American dream. If you work hard enough you can be whatever you want to be. A lofty premise, but it must seem as far away as the moon to those at the bottom of the ladder. And what do we do about it? One party wants to give them a kick in the butt, while the other wants to hold their hand. They need money, they need jobs, but above all they need hope. A real opportunity to make their own destinies. A chance to realize the dream. Not everyone will succeed, but if everyone has a fair opportunity we will have carried out our moral obligation. That may not be enough, but it is more than we have done in the past.
HS 303
Encore #1
This was my first real exposure to Zen philosophy. I found it to be an intriguing philosophy but I found that the more I learned the more confusing it got. The basic principles are simple but it is not easy to comprehend the whole. David Brandon’s "Zen in the Art of Helping" depicts human services as the whole of all helping systems. To expand on this further, without interpersonal systems working together we could not have human services systems at all. Yet you can't break the helping system into parts because it is just one thing. Hmmmm… this seems to be getting us nowhere. Let me start over.
From a simple and easy to understand perspective Brandon (1976) tells of a Hindu story as told by Inayat Khan:
The little fish went to the Queen fish and asked:
" I have always heard about this sea, but what is this sea? Where is it?
The Queen fish explained: ‘You live, move and have your being in the sea.
The sea is within you and without you, and you are made of the sea, and you will end
in this sea. The sea surrounds you as your own being." (p.16)
I really enjoyed that poem, and I found it to be an excellent example of Zen philosophy.
As human services helpers it is wise for us to remember that when people have problems there is usually a reason for those problems. Problems are a natural part of our world. There is a purpose and a reason for all things. As Brandon (1976) puts it " we are born; we suffer and we die" (p.14). This is the way of the world.
According to Brandon (1976) some of the problems people have are internal while others can be caused by the world around them. He tells us that environmental factors can cause distress. Sometimes a person needs material help while at other times advice might be the only thing a person needs (Brandon, 1976). This would be an effective (from a Zen perspective) way of helping rather than hindering a person’s life process.
Brandon (1976) talks about compassion and its role in helping. He talks about the importance of not judging others so that love is able to flow freely. It seems that only in this way can true harmony occur between people. I believe this concept defines compassion and is one of the core elements of helping. From this we can see where " helping and being helped have tended to merge, become joyfully confused, interactive and entwined to the mutual benefit of both persons" (Brandon, 1976, p.117). Only when we are totally immersed in this human interaction can we truly help another person while at the same time find joy and satisfaction in the field of human services.
Living in the here and now is another important part of Zen philosophy, but according to Brandon (1976) only children can really accomplish this. Living in the here and now has long been recognized as one of the components for healthy living, but the idea is often ignored. When Brandon (1976) talks about perceptions being influenced by past experiences it made an impression on me. He tells us that sometimes you can't even see a person today because of these past memories that are superimposed over their image. He also describes good listening skills as an important part of the here and now, stressing the need to allow others to speak for themselves.
Interpersonal exchange is where compassion must begin and is a vital component in all human services systems, since any approach must be compassionate in order to be worthwhile. Having compassion for someone does not mean intervening or manipulating a situation for the good of that person. Brandon (1976) tells us that it is important for helpers to make people aware of their choices. I believe it is only at this point that a person can make changes freely and without coercion, allowing them to live life to its fullest.
Encore #2
No child should ever be forgotten and there should always be someone to speak for a child. Marc Parent’s Turning Stones is an intense story, sometimes sad, sometimes funny, captivating the reader as he talks about life as a Child Protective Service worker. Parent didn't forget the suffering children and he continues to speak for their rights.
I had some reservations about reading this book because it is never pleasant to read about children that are suffering. Once I got started reading it though I didn't want to put it down. His recollections tell the true story of how it is to the work on the front lines of protecting children in New York City. It gives a person a "feel" for what social workers do.
Marc Parent (1998) speaks of the children as being his little guides as he worked on his basement building a foundation that was strong enough to withstand any of life’s challenges. He grew up and matured from his experiences. There were times when doubts would creep in and he would wonder am I good enough to do this job. In the final analysis he realized it was good enough for that kid so it was good enough for him.
As we enter into the field of human services we will also have doubts about whether we're good enough to do that job as we look at the magnitude of the larger system and wonder how we can affect any kind of change. In the end it all boils down to that one person that we helped. This is what it's really all about.
Parent (1998) talks about boundaries and the fine lines involved in his work. He talks about the "zombie place" where children go deep into themselves because of pain and suffering. He tries to make sense of the reasons why people end up in these places where they cross the line into despair.
I have often wondered how the people of Romania could allow many of their children to end up in orphanages. What are the circumstances that could bring a parent to the point of abandoning their child to a life of hardship? Something big or perhaps I should say little events happened in order to bring these people to this point of severing family ties.
Parent (1998) understood that " with a simple twist of the dial, the deepest calm can turn to chaos-how stealthy the chaos is and what a convincing costume of serenity it wears" (p.233). Before long there were orphanages everywhere. To this day they are still discovering orphanages that no one knew about and they estimate that there are around 100,000 children in orphanages. Circumstances had set into motion a whole new way of thinking in Romania. They believe the system will take care of the children. They will be okay and they are better off where they have food and shelter and are taken care of. The orphanages were hidden and with that lay dangers.
Parent (1998) knew about dark secrets when he said, "hidden for the time being, the secret waits patiently to be discovered in a shudder. They wait-all atrocities do. They wait to be revealed…. It waits for the coming spring of discovery like the furious swollen bud of a new rose" (Parent, 1998, p.234). No one could imagine the hardship these children suffered or how ill equipped they were for life outside of the orphanage.
My two Romanian adopted daughters spent their first nine years of life in an orphanage. They were born at the time when Romania was at a very low point experiencing hunger and cold in the late 80’s. I can only imagine the hardships they went through. They are incredible girls and they are my guides to building my foundation for entering the field of human services. Many times I have asked myself am I good enough to do this job? Are my skills good enough to help equip these girls for life when they grow up? Someday I will find out and hopefully I can look back on it all and feel proud. Maybe the small things I have taught them will help as they enter adulthood. It's like the story Parent tells about the nuns turning stones. " There's no difference between turning a stone and splitting the earth in half. At the very core of it, there's no such thing as a small change, there is only change " (Parent, 1998, p.351). I want to make a change in my daughters’ lives and if they feel it's good enough for them, then it is good enough for me.
Dear Abbie,
I'm sorry to hear about your brother Arnold Joseph. That must have been terribly difficult for your family. You know when I lost my brother in the logging accident Arnold Joseph was there to help our family through the grieving process. He was a good man Abbie and when the boys, Thomas and Victor, told me about what had happened to him I felt so bad. I had no idea he was having such a hard time.
Living on the Indian reservation in Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho must be like living in a different world for you and your family. I feel so fortunate that we got to know each other at the University in Spokane. We learned so much in our Human Services classes as we were taught about effective interpersonal communication and how it relates to groups and systems. After visiting with Thomas and Victor I got to thinking about life on the reservation and how it is a system within the larger system of our society today. I thought about healthy and unhealthy interpersonal communication styles and I wonder how it is for Native Americans.
I know the house fire on the fourth of July was terribly traumatic for Arnold Joseph. Thomas and Victor told me the whole story about how he had been drinking and accidentally started the fire with some fireworks he had. Luckily he was able to save the boys. Thomas of course doesn’t remember his parents since he was a baby when they died in the fire and your mom took him in. Victor said he didn't know that his dad had started the fire but he had to live with his parents' drinking and his dad’s unhappiness and grief. Victor had to become a tough little boy to survive all that.
I remember when Arnold Joseph left for Arizona and didn't come back. He always thought he could disappear and was always practicing it and I guess he finally did it. I don’t understand how someone can think they can disappear but maybe it was just his way of coping with the grief. I remember it was hard on Victor, as he was only eight at the time. He would flash the porch light on and off trying to signal his father. Arnold Joseph had truly disappeared though, as he never saw those signals. It reminds me about the book Turning Stones that we read in class. " It doesn't matter how good you are at flag signals if no one is watching- the distress call is only as good as the person looking out for it" (Parent, 1998, p.33). It seems that both Arnold Joseph and Victor had been calling out for help. What I don't understand is why no one seemed to hear their calls for help. Abbie, I'm not trying to be critical but that seems like some of the unhealthy interpersonal communication styles that we talked about in class. Maybe you can help me to understand what happened.
Victor always wants Thomas to act more like a brave warrior. Thomas always wants Victor to let down his shield. They are so funny when they talk like this. They are good for each other. Let’s see, they must be around 19 or 20 by now and are both handsome young men. Thomas seems like the type that can communicate well because he is friendly and likes to talk and tell stories. He is good at dialogue because according to Ellinor & Gerard (1998) stories are important for dialogue. It doesn’t matter if a story is true or not at least people are talking. Thomas’s stories are entertaining and get everyone talking. Communication seems harder for Victor since he seems like the type that takes the more traditional Indian role of being quiet and stoic. Often he seems like he won’t listen to people. He has been quick to judge and Ellinor & Gerard (1998) tell us this limits our ability to listen. We know this is important for good communication.
Thomas told me that he had a dream that told him to go wait at the river for a sign. I don't know what kind of sign he's talking about since there is no one around there. I guess somehow he figured out he needed to help Victor to go to Arizona after Arnold Joseph died. So the two of them went as "one" in their journey to get Arnold Joseph's ashes to bring him home. Together they were able to help each other. Since Thomas is so friendly and outgoing it seems that he is the one that always helps Victor.
Now we both know that Victor helped Thomas too. It reminds me of the poem that Brandon (1976) told about helping:
Helping you?
The only way
I can let you know
that I need your help
is to insist
on helping you. (p. 102-103)
They helped each other making them a dynamic duo.
Thomas asked me " do we forgive our fathers "? Victor threw his father's ashes in the river and cried out in anguish and fell down. He had forgiven his father. His bitterness escaped at the river. Brandon (1976) tells us that nowness is like a flowing river. Emotions drift in the current like logs and branches labeled as anger, greed, and fear. Victor's bitterness flowed away down the river and he was healed. He wasn’t judging his father any more. " The beginning of compassion both to oneself and to others is in decreasing the number of judgments " (Brandon, 1976, p.48).
The boys asked me, " if we forgive our fathers what is left"? Maybe suffering is just a part of life for everyone on this planet." We are born; we suffer and we die" (Brandon, 1976, p.14). I’m so happy to see these young men understand life in our fast-paced world today. They know that some of our most important lessons are some of the oldest in the world. They know how to bring people together drawing on everyone's strengths to reach a solution. They were finally able to bring this matter of your family’s anguish to a closure.
They are truly remarkable and I know you're very proud of them. Take care.
Your friend, Jean
Discoveries
Jean Boyle
HS 303
March 12, 2001
A successful dyadic relationship involves building a relationship. My relationship with my partner is to be a working relationship, one of empathy, compassion and honest communication. Actually, it should be much like any other healthy interpersonal relationship. Abby and I are the last in our class to pair up. We’ve never met each other but I did read some of her postings during the last quarter, and she seemed like an interesting person with a good sense of humor. This begins our dyadic journey. I am really looking forward to working with her and I think we will get along well together and be successful in our projects.
Abby and I were assigned to each other because we were the last ones to pick a partner. Our interaction may be challenging since our only means of contact is via the Internet. This means we cannot rely on body language or verbal communication, only on the written word. It may not be easy to reach an understanding of who will do what in the dyad or even who wants to do what. Empathy is a vital component of interpersonal communication, but using the Internet may make it more difficult to achieve this goal. Somehow we have to reach out and touch each other through what can be a very impersonal medium. Poindexter, Valentine, and Otter (1999) tell us " empathy therefore involves entering the world of another person without losing one's own sense of self " (p.55).
Communication begins by getting to know one another. I need to understand her feelings and her situation. It often takes days for her to respond to my e-mails, something that is causing me concern because our assignment deadline is getting closer and closer.
It is important to remember in a helping relationship that when you are working with a "difficult" person it is not always the fault of that person (Poindexter et al., 1999). Lately I find myself questioning my partner, our situation, and even myself. But there could be any number of things making this a difficult situation. Making judgments at this point would not be helpful and would build a barrier between us.
I will continue to try and contact her, hoping she has some ideas as to what we want to do. We really need to get started on our Chapter 15 project on developmental disabilities. I wonder if I am getting my feelings across to her. I’ve sent her a few of my suggestions hoping she will agree with one of them or offer one of her own. Rosenberg (2000) tells us that "in addition to using positive language, we also want to avoid vague, abstract, or ambiguous phrasing and to word our requests in the form of concrete actions that others can undertake" (pp. 73-74). This is good advice for anyone trying to use the Internet for human interaction.
As we approached the deadline Abby came up with a wonderful idea, an expansion of one of my earlier suggestions. I don’t think I would have come up with the idea myself, but I think she would not have come up with hers without any help from me. It gave us a wonderful feeling, knowing that we had finally connected with each other. We are working well together now, focusing on our common goals. "Self expression becomes easier, however, after we empathize with others because we will then have touched their humanness and realized the common qualities we share" (Rosenberg, 2000, p. 121).
Since Abby and I are both middle-aged women I suggested the idea of looking at things from a grandmother's perspective. Abby suggested that we do this by writing letters. The Grandma Abby and Grandma Jean letters became a reality. There is a flurry of activity and our creative thoughts are flowing. The Grandmas are on a roll, talking about their children and their grandchildren and their struggles with developmental disabilities. These grandmas are part of a family, and they talk about how people deal with a larger system when burdened with a developmental disability. There are cultural differences between the two grandmas, but they have a close personal relationship since they are old friends. The communication between them is frank and honest, but they are non-judgmental. The empathy and compassion I feared we might never achieve came alive in those letters. Abby and I are working together in harmony, talking about the present but never forgetting the past. We both saw where "helping and being helped have tended to merge, become joyfully confused, interactive and entwined to the mutual benefit of both persons" Brandon, 1976, p. 117). We successfully completed our presentation and I think we both feel very good about it. We e-mailed each other with congratulations and good wishes.
Our next assignment is a project based on the video "Smoke's Signals". Once again we are unable to connect until the last minute. Abby had a death in her family, her husband's grandmother, and it had quite an impact on her. I send her an e-mail telling her how I feel. I know it must be difficult right now for her and her family. "Compassion means giving people room; opening doors rather than closing them; asking questions rather than giving answers. It means becoming sensitively aware of another person’s situation and feelings" (Brandon, 1976, p. 49). I talk to her about "Smoke Signals" and offer some ideas on what might work for us. I ask her a few questions about Native American culture since she is half-Indian, hoping to get the dialogue going. I wait for her because she seems to be the one who perfects these ideas. She must still be grieving because she told me to go ahead and get started without her. I stare at my e-mail looking at my questions to her hoping to come up with some brilliant idea. Then it hits me; it's right there in front of me, so obvious and so simple. Then again I think the concept is maybe too similar to the one we used in our last project. Still, it is a good way for us to express ourselves. I send another letter explaining my idea to her. Once again we are old friends. She lives on the Indian reservation and I ask her questions so she can help me understand what happened to her family. In this project I ask the questions and Abby responds. In our first project she wrote to me and I responded back. I kind of like taking turns this way.
A pattern has begun to emerge in our working relationship. "Dialogue answers our call for ways to unfold new patterns of order out of what can seem like chaos. It helps us to see into complex situations by focusing our attention on relationships between the parts" (Ellinor & Gerard, 1998, p.7). I am beginning to understand Abby and her way of doing things. We have built a relationship of empathy, compassion and honest communication.
I have felt many different emotions from the beginning to the end of our dyadic experience. It was fun and not fun, easy and hard, flowing and frustrating. Probably any Dyad will feel these wide ranges of emotions because we are, after all, only human. These trials and tribulations are natural and vital for the development of a healthy relationship. Therefore it is wise to understand these differences. Abby and I have come a long way and we are happy to celebrate our success.
References
Brandon, David (1976). Zen In The Art Of Helping. England: Penguin.
Ellinor, Linda, & Gerard, Glenna (1998). Dialogue. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Poindexter, Cynthia, Valentine, Deborah, & Conway, Patricia (1999). Essential Skills For Human Services. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Rosenberg, Marshall (2000). Nonviolent Communication. Encinitas, CA: PuddleDancer Press.
HS 305
Can we remember some of the wisdom of our grandparents? Listen to the children playing and the old men telling stories. It was a simpler life without fear. We were playful and creative. This is what everyone wants today. Life was purposeful and our goals were clear. Today we are in the fast lane trying to accomplish many tasks as quickly as possible, like a machine without feeling. As we hurry it is easy to lose sight of where we are going. If we would just slow down and look we would be able to see our reflection in the world (Wheatley & Kellner-Rogers, 1996).
If we were to look at our reflection what are we going to see? We will see our connection to the world around us. We are a part of the environment and the environment is a part of us. We are organized into a system and this is what we desire and need.
According to Wheatley & Kellner-Rogers (1996) " when living beings link together, they form systems that create more possibilities, more freedom for individuals (p.19). We strive to find what works. We don't need perfection. There is an old saying that goes something like this; if it isn't broken don't try to fix it.
As the world self-organizes we question our beliefs that nothing happens without us. According to Wheatley & Kellner-Rogers (1996) we enter into a strange place where we don't have to organize and design the world. We can be more creative and participate in the evolution of our environment. In a human service system we can help others by providing the tools they need to do their work. This allows for healthy human systems where people are supportive and trusting of each other (Wheatly & Killner-Rogers, 1996).
Each person has his or her own way of looking at the world. Life experiences help to shape an individual’s view giving them a unique perspective on the way they choose to live. We can't control or dictate to another person how they should live their life. We can only hope to help them change by providing them with the tools they need to make their own decisions. Wheatley & Kellner-Rogers (1996) tell us "we can only disturb… but we can never give anyone an instruction and expect him or her to follow it precisely. We can never assume that anyone else sees the world as we do" (p. 49).
There is a basic human need to trust one another and a desire for respect. This is noticeable when small groups get together and work on a common goal without rules to guide them. Everyone pulls together and according to Wheatly & Kellner-Rogers (1996) out of the mess a system appears that works. This is a healthy system where there is freedom to create at will.
Today in our complicated world there are many rules and regulations. People are often confused because they know even if they follow the rules they are unsure of what the consequences will be for them. If they don't follow the rules then they are unsure of consequences of their actions. Rules and regulations are used according to Whealtley & Kellner (1996) as weapons to make ourselves feel safe. Within this safety is separateness which they say is detrimental for our well being in a system and seeking world.
The wisdom of days gone by was for a simpler life with fewer regulations and a clear sense of the consequences of our actions. Our greatest gift that we can give to the young people today is a sense of connectivness and belonging with a realization that they are an important and vital part of a much larger system. This is a difficult task in our complicated world and they have many challenges facing them. We can help them though by providing them with the information they need to truly connect with other people in a healthy way.
Legacy of Learning
Jean Boyle
HS 305
June 5, 2001
Welcome to Jean’s Place. The road getting here took a year and had its ups and downs, twists and turns. There were lessons to learn along the way, people to meet and baggage to carry, but it was worth the effort.
The beginning of the journey was confusing for me. Some of this was because travel in cyberland was a new medium for me. There were new concepts, new ways of thinking. For instance; systems. I sort of knew that unity was important for healthy living, but I didn't know the extent of it in human services. Now that I am at Jean’s Place I've got a good view of these concepts.
My personal system involves the ideas and beliefs that I use for survival. I am more than a collection of genes. The ideas and beliefs I have picked up along the way are just as important for my survival. My genetic makeup and past memories also influence the way I connect to the outside world.
Of course, my life journey began many years ago. I have a lot of baggage I’m still packing around from the past. For instance, I have a basic mistrust of government, probably due to the Vietnam era, and from being around Vietnam veterans who are still suffering from their experience. I didn’t think they ever received the respect they deserve. Anyway, this distrust is still with me today. Diamond (1999) explains this concept when she says,
We need only think of an amnesiac to understand the role memory plays in determining who we are. We also know, commonsensically, that if something lives in our memory, it is inevitably going to color and influence the way we look at things that occur in the present. (p. 116)
Along the way this past year, I learned more about unity. According to Dass and Gorman (1985) " unity, not separateness, is our starting point " (p. 40). I recalled my experiences with Romanian orphanage children a few years ago. The last time I saw them I had began to connect with them. Now after studying this year, I understand the mixed feelings I was feeling back then. Dass and Gorman (1985) tell us " nobody teaches us to face suffering in this society. We never talk about it until we get hit in the face " (p.52). My separate self wanted to connect with these children.
I learned about chaos. According to Briggs and Peat (1999) " positively butterfly power involves a recognition that each individual is an invisible aspect of the whole and that each chaotic movement of the present is a mirror of the chaos of the future " (p.42). I now realize people ask for help when they feel they are locked into a cycle where they feel powerless. These people will often repeat the same mistakes over and over again. As helpers we try to find the one idea or action that might be a catalyst for change.
Now I'm halfway to Jean’s Place and I’m learning how to communicate and how to help. I team up with a partner for awhile and I learn how to work and travel in a dyad. We are learning how to communicate with each other, how to help each other and what a healthy interpersonal relationship is. Both my partner and I must be equally willing to be involved in this relationship. Poindexter, Valentine and Conway (1999) tell us that a helping relationship does not always progress smoothly but we must remember that this relationship is a two-way street.
Along the way, the idea of turning stones and affecting change became very clear to me. Turning over one stone can change the world forever. As I prepare myself to enter into the field of human services I have doubts about weather I am good enough to do the job, and as I look at the magnitude of the larger system I wonder how I can affect any kind of change. In the end it all boils down to that one person that I have helped. This is what it's really all about.
I know that circumstances can often push people to, and even past, the breaking point. Parent (1998) understood that "with a simple twist of the dial, the deepest calm can turn to chaos- how stealthy the chaos is and what a convincing costume of serenity it wears " (p. 233). As a human service worker I will not forget the people who are pushed to the side or not recognized.
Communication is the tool used to reach out to other people. Dialogue is one form of communication. " And one of the powers of dialogue is that it can teach us to develop a membrane or a muscle … to receive someone else's pain deeply enough to learn from it" (Ellinor & Gerard, 1998, p. xxvii). It is just as important to know how to listen as it is to know how to talk to another person.
We learned about Zen philosophy and the art of helping. As human services helpers it is wise for us to remember that with Zen philosophy when people have problems there is a good reason for these occurrences. They are natural and a part of our world. There is a purpose and a reason for these things and as Brandon (1976) tells us " we are born; we suffer and we die " (p. 14). This is the way of our world.
As I reach the final stretch of the road to Jean’s Place there are a few more things to learn. I join a group of three other people and we work together in our small group learning how to make decisions and complete our tasks. Together we are one as we practice collegiality. We learn what it means to lead as well as how to facilitate a group. I think one of the most important things I learned out of this exercise was how to trust my group. Sometimes we question our beliefs that nothing happens without us. According to Wheatley and Kellner- Rogers (1996) we enter into a strange place where we don't have to organize and design the world. We can be more creative and participate in the evolution of our environment. In a human service system we can help others by providing the tools they need to do their work. This allows for healthy human systems where people are supportive and trusting of each other (Wheatley & Kellner- Rogers, 1996). The four of us pulled together and we created our presentation. This was a healthy system where we had freedom to create at will.
Jean’s Place has gone through many changes. All these new ideas and concepts have improved the structure, building a strong foundation for a future in human services. It isn't finished yet, as there are more journeys to travel with more changes to be made. It's looking pretty good though and the view, well, it’s getting better every day.
References
Brandon, David. (1976). Zen: In The Art Of Helping. New York: Penguin.
Briggs, John, & Peat, David. (1999). Seven Life Lessons Of Chaos. New York: HarperCollins.
Dass, Ram, & Gorman, Paul. (1985). How Can I Help? New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
Diamond, Ethel. (1975). Aristotle Would Have Liked Oprah. Deerfield Beach, FL: Health Communications, Inc.
Ellinor, Linda & Gerard, Glenna. (1998). Dialogue. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Poindexter, Cynthia Cannon, & Valentine, Deborah, & Conway, Patricia. (1999). Essential Skills for Human Services. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Wheatley, Margaret J., & Kellner-Rogers, Myron. (1969). A Simpler Way. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler.
HS 402
Final Paper
HS 402
Jean Boyle
Aug. 7, 2001
The way we organize into groups and the relationships between these groups offers us a glimpse into the world of larger systems. As we look at the world around us it is often difficult to understand the structures of the systems that affect us, and it is even more of a challenge to understand the tools that can be used to maintain or change the system. We can begin by using systems thinking, which is a different type of approach than the traditional ways of analyzing. Systems thinking looks at the big picture and at the interactions that make up the system. These interactions are the result of the way an organization is structured and understanding these structures helps one to understand the dynamics of an organization. In order to understand how a system is structured and to know how to use tools to change the system we need to understand what the tools are and how they can be utilized. The ways we think and the ways that corporations are structured also affects how we are organized. The new sciences offer further exploration into chaos and lead us to unknown territory in thinking patterns and management. These different ways of organizing help us to understand systems and structures, which is important when preparing oneself for entering the field of Human Services.
In the United States social classes are organized around hierarchy and the mechanistic paradigm. Hierarchy is like a pyramid with some people having authority over other people. The top position has very few people with the majority of people being at the bottom.
Mechanistic thinking keeps people compartmentalized, isolated amongst themselves rather than connecting with other people. Systems, according to Oshry (1996), are not just a bunch of people; they are patterns of relationship. The attitudes of different social classes towards each other are comprised of distinct patterns.
The social classes in the United States are comprised of the elite, middle-class, and poor. The elite is the choice, or the best part of a group in a society or profession. The middle class is the class of people between the classes of higher and lower social rank or standing. In the United States the middle class includes owners of small businesses, professional and white-collar workers, well-to-do farmers etc. The poor class is characterized as being destitute of property, needy, and indigent.
Each of the classes considers the other two classes as outsiders.
" Western organizations, like Western societies as a whole, organize and control their members on the basis of firm boundaries and formal rules that are universal for all members of any given category " (Zohar, 1997, p. 103).
The elite views the middle class as workers to carry out their plans and ideas. The elite is responsible for the whole system and feels that the middle class is too dependent and not entrepreneurial enough. The elite views the poor class as insignificant, lesser, dirty or dangerous.
The middle class views the elite as being responsible for the affairs of the world.
The middle class views the poor class as needing to be directed or educated as to how they should conduct themselves. The middle class feels that they provide services to the poor class and feel they have been abused in the process.
The poor view the elite as being the cause of all their problems. They feel they are slaves and that the elite are unjust and don't care about their welfare.
The poor class views the middle class as always wanting more from them. The middle class is always right whereas the poor class it is just existing for the benefit of the middle class.
A human service agency is a business that serves people with the infrastructure being based on the economy, social arrangement of the community or state etc. An agency is organized according to how the elite or middle class feels will be most beneficial to all concerned. The government agency uses bureaucracy for the order of social affairs. It is thought that workers within the bureaucracy can define social problems and come up with strategies to address them. Since the bureaucracy has a common goal everyone works towards these goals. Ideally the bureaucracy’s goal would be to help the people that come to a human services agency in a manner that would help them to overcome their problems. Rigid bureaus with hierarchies limit individual freedom and can be the cause of the problems perpetuating themselves.
Organizations exist to make decisions and to solve problems. Human service agencies are based on hierarchy, which is a series of ordered groupings of people within a system. The people at the top of the hierarchy have the final say in decision making and exert power over the people in the bottom positions. It is in this way that a human service agency can control the services the people are receiving.
Human service agencies have public policies in place that are decided by the political structures in the United States. The United States government is based on democracy. This means rule by the people with one of elements being equality among citizens. Equality among the citizens means as human beings they are due equal respect. Democracy is characterized by people having the freedom to choose the way they would like to run their organization, with the final say being a majority vote deciding the outcome. Hierarchy enables the government to control equality and it is against the law to set up artificial boundaries against equality. Equal opportunities for education are another condition of democracy. Education enables people to move within the social classes.
The democracy in the United States is based on democratic capitalism, which is an economic system. Many other countries are based on democratic socialism, and they also believe citizens should control their economic future. The degree to which people own property varies between each country, but usually the government owns such things as industries, utilities, and transportation systems.
Some of the systems in the United States are socialists in nature, including the state and federal prison systems, the Post Office, the schools, the military and veterans' homes and hospitals. There is a great deal of government bureaucracy and very little public control over these systems. Some of the problems that come with this are corruption and preferential treatment.
Corporations are increasingly becoming a part of Human Services in the United States. There is a growing need for Human Services and the government has failed to keep up with these demands. With the continual erosion of the economic position of the middle class the voluntary sector for nonprofit organizations is unlikely to meet all of the future service demands. Non-profit organizations have to become more competitive in their fund-raising efforts to compete. The problem with corporations being involved in Human Services is the absence of government regulation and easy access to capital from commercial sources, which can drive them into corporate greed. Here lies the possibility of the elite taking advantage of the middle class and the poor in the United States.
The socio-economic classes are organized around Labor, and the different occupations define our society as it is today. The different occupations are also what defines us individually and our role in society. One of the best examples I found of this was while reading Gig. A commercial fisherman out of Alaska said, "you're a pillar of the community, even though you’re just a blue collar worker. The whole community revolves around you and your industry " (Bowe, Bowe & Streeter, 2000, p. 182). His role is vital in his community and is an example of one of the ways that we organize in our society.
Organizations can be built around hierarchies, ideologies, paradigms, and metaphors. These are used as organizing techniques, but they are also used to initiate and maintain change. Depending on what the group's purpose or goals are will determine what organizational model is most effective. The government of the United States is based on bureaucratic and hierarchical organization.
Hierarchies are useful for organizing large groups of people that have a common goal. They have procedures that guide their activities as they work towards their goals. It is thought that since workers within the bureaucracy can define social problems and come up with strategies to address them, change can be initiated as a common goal that everyone works towards. A hierarchy tends to be a rigid model and is a good way to maintain change.
An ideology is the body of doctrine, myth, belief, etc. that guides a social movement, institution, class or large group. It is a value system or belief system that has been put into place by a group of people or by the government. They can include: nationalism, democracy, Marxism, capitalist and, socialism, liberalism, conservatism, and others. " Ideologies are stories about the world we live in and our place in it " (Sargent, 1999, p. 3). Each group believes that their ideology represents the truth, as they believe other ideologies obscure the truth. Sargent (1999) tells us that ideology is a mechanism of social and psychological compensation for a social group’s explanation of the world.
Ideologies can be used as an organizing technique in several different ways. As we look at democracy being an ideology it affects the way we organize professionally, personally, as well as how we organize our families and communities. Democratic capitalism is an ideology that uses profit as its measure of success and efficiency.
It is obvious today that economic and political systems are intertwined as we read about the use of political power on economics around world at the Web sites on poverty. According to one of the sites the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. The site claims this to be a deliberate act to keep the elite in power and the poor in a subservient position. It maintains that the poor are struggling to survive in their society and feel powerless to move up to the middle class. Often times what at first appears to be a good intention is actually hindering the poor people. One such myth is the example of " food dumping ", where excess food is taken to third world countries. Many people do not realize they're doing more harm than good when they do this. They don’t realize they are undermining local farmers in those communities and in the long run it is detrimental to their economy (Shah, 2001).
To use this ideology to initiate change would require educating the American people about the harm they are doing. In order to maintain change we would have to make sure that our government policy is not making it harder for people to end hunger for themselves.
Paradigms are the very basic assumptions we have of our environment. These are unconscious thoughts that we have developed since birth and it frames the way we see everything. Here in the West our medical, Human Services and educational systems are organized around scientific paradigms. According to Zohar (1997) we can become trapped inside our paradigm and in order to initiate change we have to step outside the rules. She goes on to tell us that we cannot change the structures of organizations within the present structures. To maintain change in our paradigms we need to rewire our brains (Zohar, 1997).
A metaphor is the transfer of the relation between one set of objects to another set for the purpose of brief explanation. This can be useful for extending the knowledge to explore the environment, which can sometimes offer newfound freedom. On the other hand, metaphors can restrict knowledge and set up boundaries. They can be used for organizing and they can also be used to initiate change. With the use of conceptual metaphors Human Service workers can begin to understand complex issues that other people are dealing with. Along with understanding these issues the worker can use metaphors as a tool to change systems.
Understanding organizing techniques can contribute to the well being of all healthy organizations. The organizing tools can be used to help affect changes in people's lives as well as affect changes in the larger systems that people live in today. In Human Services these tools can be used to teach or guide people to help themselves. In unhealthy organizations the same tools are used to confine and constrict people to a certain way of life where they are unable to make changes for a better quality of life.
In the Western way of thinking we are always looking for the cause of events. We strive to find the explanations that can tell us why something happened. We want to control our organizations and we would like to predict the outcome of events. The new sciences today are opening new ways of thinking. Zohar (1997) tells us that the " new paradigm science is indeterminate. Predictability and control are impossible, even damaging. Quantum and chaotic systems thrive on uncertainty and ambiguity" (p. 48). These ideas help us to see the big picture.
As we look at the world of larger systems we began to understand the way they are organized. To maintain or change these systems we have looked at a number of tools. By looking at systems thinking and quantum thinking we gain a better understanding of the big picture. Mastering these skills can only help one when entering the field of human services.
References
Bowe, J., Bowe, M., & Streeter, S. (2000). Gig. New York: Crown.
Oshry, B. (1996). Seeing systems. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler.
Sargent, L. (1999). Contemporary political ideologies. Fort Worth: Harcourt.
Shah, A. (2001). Causes of poverty. Trade related issues. [On-line]. Available: http://www.globalissues.org/TradeRelated/Poverty.asp
Zohar, D. (1997). Rewiring the corporate brain. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler.
HS 461 Collaboration
Part D
HS 461
Jean Boyle
a. Did the project reach its goals?
The goals of the patient care plan meeting at the Washington Veterans Home are to assess the health-care needs of the resident while encouraging and maintaining them at their highest level of functioning. The interdisciplinary care team accomplishes this as they reflect on services necessary to meet the medical, nursing, mental and psychosocial needs. High-quality long-term care includes an appropriate care plan for each resident. They are reviewed regularly, and are developed by a multi-disciplinary team.
One of the goals of the team would be to prevent declines in functioning levels. The patient care plan meeting that I attended was for an elderly gentleman in a wheelchair. Their primary concern seemed to be that they would like him to increase his activity level. With his agreement they decided to increase his participation in physical therapy as well as encouraging him to walk to and from his meals. These are the goals that are in progress. This would qualify as a goal that will have measurable outcome.
Goals to still to be acted on in the future would probably be his medical status. They were closely watching his blood tests as there had been a problem and they will continue to monitor these tests.
b. What would you suggest as ways of improving the collaboration?
The collaboration seemed to work very smoothly and was very effective. I realize they don't have a vision but they do have a policy for patient care plan meetings that is quite extensive. I think this would make it easier to follow a set path but I question whether it would allow for any growth. I think it might be beneficial if they could attract new partners and perhaps come up with some new ideas for activities or interests for the residents.
HS 383
My name is Jean Boyle and I would like to welcome you to Emma’s Place. I am the adoption coordinator and a member of the staff of Emma’s Place. Immigrants and their families are often interested in adoption as a means of adding to their family. As adoption coordinator I offer assistance and guidance in the following areas;
It is our sincere desire at Emma’s Place to offer these services to prospective parents in a manner that will provide all the necessary information to help them make informed decisions.
As part of the staff of Emma’s Place it is my responsibility to assist and support immigrants and their families with adoption issues that might be new or unfamiliar in their new home in America. The board of directors at Emma’s Place has put policies into place that ensures our agency achieves its mission. We also have community members who volunteer their time and expertise at the agency and in the community helping to serve immigrants and their families.
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Being an adoptive parent is immensely satisfying, as I know from personal experience. I have two daughters from Romania that I adopted when they were nine years old. I am familiar with adoption agencies and the criteria used in a selection of an appropriate agency to meet the needs of the prospective adoptive parents. I have knowledge of the costs of adoptions and of different ways of financing these adoptions.
Many prospective parents have questions regarding bonding and attachment of the older adoptive child. I have extensive knowledge of this subject after much studying, attending seminars as well as speaking with many adoptive parents.
I am a graduate of Western Washington University's Human Services Program. My experience involves my own personal experience and the experience of working with other parents as they went through the process. I have firsthand knowledge of the adoption processes overseas. I have visited orphanages as well as escorted children home.
It is my desire to continue to assist all families as they go through the adoption process. It is also my desire to help the children who need a family no matter what the reason was that brought them to their situation. "Every child deserves a home of his own "~ Harry Holt.
The picture above is of three Romanian children taken on one of my visits to a Romanian orphanage in the country.
Synthesis
HS 383
Jean Boyle
Aug. 16, 2001
As we begin to look at the way nonprofit agencies and organizations are organized and created it is important for us to understand how to manage the day-to-day activities of this system. It is also important to understand the dynamics of the system. Each member of the organization is an individual that contributes in his or her own unique way to the group. The individual depends on the group to function and the group is depending on each individual at the same time. Together we created our nonprofit agency called "Emma’s Place". As we got to know each other we developed trust, grew together, and became one.
Nonprofit organizations are thought to be one of our largest employers in the United States. It is estimated that there are at least 1,500,000 non-profit organizations registered with the Internal Revenue Service (Smith, Bucklin & Associates, 2000). With numbers like this it is noticeable that nonprofits are a very important part of our economy and play an important role in service areas.
We begin to create Emma’s Place by understanding that our objective is to convince Ari of the worthiness of our proposal to receive the funds necessary to open the doors for business. Thus we began to create Emma’s Place. If Ari likes our creation then our agency will receive the funds that we need to become a reality and we will be able to help immigrants living in the United States.
We begin by a choosing a role that we want to play in the simulation. There are a variety of roles to choose from. Our staff included the following: Executive Director, Personnel including Consultants, Marketing and PR, Law and Political support, Counselor, Special Events, ESL and Cultural Activities, Adult Day Care and Health, Children's Activities, Adoption Coordinator, Fund Developer, Information and Referral, Cafe, Artesian Shop, and Hospitality. Board members included; Chair Treasurer, and three other Board Members. There were also community members involved. My role is adoption coordinator.
Together we create a mission statement for Emma’s Place. Smith, Bucklin & Associates (2000) tell us " the statement should concisely articulate why the organization exists and what it hopes to achieve-its purpose and values (p. 4). We create the following mission's statement;
Emma’s Place, a private nonprofit agency, has as its mission to assist immigrants, their children, and families in fostering and cultivating new relationships; develop emotional and social support; and address essential issues affecting their quality of life, so they become acclimated to their new home in America.
We each present our role that we will play later in the final simulation. We need to talk about the responsibility that we have in that position, and how the role and responsibilities that we chose are different from the other two major categories. As Adoption Coordinator and part of the staff of Emma’s Place it is my responsibility to assist and support immigrants and their families with adoption issues that might be a new or unfamiliar in their new home in America. The board of directors at Emma’s Place has put policies and procedures into place that insures our agency achieves its mission. We also have community members who volunteer their time and expertise at the agency and in the community helping to serve immigrants and their families.
As we become comfortable in our roles and begin to explore the possibilities for Emma’s Place the organization begins to take shape. A system is formed from this exploration and stability is provided for the members. We continue to be guided by our mission statement. " A nonprofit organization is typically born out of the group's desire to solve a problem, meet a need, help a profession to develop, or create new opportunities " (Smith, Bucklin & Associates, 2000, p. 27).
Traditionally organizations relied on membership dues for funding but in these days they need to come up with other ways to make money. Market and consumer driven programs are used today to support the nonprofit organization. According to Smith, Bucklin, & Associates (2000) selling is when you're offering something in exchange for money whereas marketing is when you understand the need of the consumer and you offer a product or service to meet that need. The end result of marketing is seen by consumer satisfaction as their needs are being met.
An organization needs to clearly define how much money they need to raise to be able to achieve the goals they plan to use to accomplish the mission of their organization. There are many different ways to raise money but it is now becoming clear to me how important it is for nonprofit organizations to be creative while doing this. There is much competition and it is important to make sure organization is making money and not being drained of funds.
Some of the different fund-raising activities are; trade shows, conferences and education programs, sponsorships, grants etc. We decide to have a festival called EmmaFest as a fund-raiser. Everyone looks for donations and volunteers and finds creative ways to get them. As it turns out people's relationships play a major role with the donations and volunteers. Our group relies heavily on their relationships to acquire what they need for fund raising. Smith, Bucklin & Associates (200) tell us that for successful fund-raising is important to start to with individuals who share your organization's goals and that cultivating relationships should be the first fund raising concern. Some of the donations and activities include a concert by Neil Diamond, ethnic food booths, children's activities and talent show.
In the role of Adoption coordinator I have the opportunity to help plan our nonprofit agency and to participate in raising funds to support our programs. I am able to locate used furniture and office equipment for Emma’s Place from a used furniture company in Centrailia where my son works. He drives the company truck and will deliver all the used furniture that we need. I play a part in planning children's activities for our festival especially the talent show. I help to coordinate adopted children to sing the chorus with Neil Diamond at the festival. Another fund-raising accomplishment I have had is arranging for some of the Seattle Mariners to sign photographs of themselves with the children to be sold at fund raising events.
As adoption coordinator I need to decide how to raise funds to support my program at Emma’s Place. There are many options but I decide to provide the services of homestudies and post placements for adoptive families and to charge for these services. I can see the interrelatedness of the different parts of our organization as we have resources among us that will be beneficial to the adoptive families. The possibilities of these resources makes Emma’s Place very unique for adoptive families. For instance, they will be able to utilize Law and Political Support, Counselor, ESL and Cultural Activities, Children's Activities, Nurse, and Social Worker for the School District.
Now I understand that it is difficult to compare an adoption agency to Emma’s Place. They are each unique but as they work together they create more possibilities for the benefit of the adoptive families. This creates a healthy system where people are supporting one another.
" The Land of Opportunity is an attitude. It is an openness to new ideas, a willingness to listen, an eagerness to learn, a desire to grow, and the flexibility to change" (Hateley & Schmidt, 1997, p. 105). At Emma’s Place we truly understand the needs of the immigrants.
References
Hateley, B. & Schmidt, W. (1997). A Peacock In The Land Of Penguins. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler.
Smith, Buklin & Associates. (2000). The Complete Guide To Nonprofit Management. New York: John Wiley & Sons.