What I learned in Social Work 1016

What I have learned from Social Work 1016

     It has been an interesting semester.  I was excited to begin a new journey in my life, in attending Algoma University this fall. I have tried to have an open mind and I hoped to meet the required academic expectations.  At this point in my life, I entered the Social work program knowing that my passion is for working with individuals.  I have had many opportunities to work in the Social Services Field and gained many insights on the gaps in our society.  I came into this course, eager to make a difference.  I now recognize that there were many areas that I was unaware of when working in the field.
      Being educated on the history of Colonization, and the Elizabethan Poor Laws, is imperative and answered so many questions that I had about the way society functions.  Many citizens in our country are firm believers in “the deserving poor”.  For years I could never put my feelings and thoughts into words around these issues. I used to be impacted by discussions about people who are receiving a social assistance.  Now, I understand that is a learned behaviour from generation to generation. 
    The same can be said for racism. It is a learned behaviour and ingrained thought process that must be challenged.   I come from a family that is racist and was brought up to believe solely in the neo conservative, neo liberalism, ideologies.  I refuse to continue in the same beliefs. I will make a change within my generation.  I am making a promise to myself that my grandchildren will not engage in that belief system. I will do my best to protect them from the narrow-minded, racially prejudiced, influences and provide them with a new lens through which to view the world.
     Learning the different political lenses is a must in Social Work.  I love the quote “when it is personal it is political”. Once I was introduced to this standpoint I became apprehensive. This showed me that I had some growing to do.
     Preparing for our group presentation, I became familiar with the Indian Act.  I still, have a difficult time comprehending how my ancestors were conquerors.  The Europeans established a perspective that the First Nations people were savages, and this attitude is prevalent even today.  In studying the Human Rights Act (HRA) I discovered that our government contains great ignorance. The last residential school was not closed until 1996, nineteen years after the HRA was written. It has not been implemented well for the First Nations peoples.  
     The people who sit in The House of Commons are liars.  It has been said that “We know when a politician is lying because their lips are moving”. 
     Doing these blogs, and reading the text, intrigued me to continue with second semester. I know in my soul I am meant to be Social Worker.  I will spend my entire professional years advocating, and assisting the First Nations people.

Heather

Depression Among The Historical Members Of Society

Depression Among The Historical Members Of Society

Depression is a defined as a medical illness in which a person has persistent feelings of sadness often with discouragement and a lack of self-worth (Medical Center).  There are many elders within our community that feel as if they have been forgotten, abused, lonely, and that no one cares.  Most of the time this issue is never recognized or treated.  The older citizens of society have been around the block; in terms of going through life adapting to changes and dealing with all the struggles life throws at you.  People in today`s society seem to have no respect for their elders, and don’t realize that they have gone through the situations the younger members of citizens are currently dealing with.  In other words, they are more experienced and knowledgeable then todays generation of people.  The main causes of depression in older adults and the elderly are health problems, loneliness and isolation, reduced sense of purpose and fear.  All of these attributes play a huge role and have a massive impact on lifestyle.  As people get older, they become less independent and need more help and caring for.  Many older members of society feel that they are to proud to let anyone know that they are indeed suffering, and would like a lending hand.  Throughout my journey of life, I have came across a situation dealing with elder abuse.  My neighbors at camp were in there late 80`s when the wife had passes away.  The older man was devastated and never really recovered from the tragic incident.  His family lived all over the world, leaving him all by himself.  My family was the only people he had left, he considered us his family but we were only up there in the summer, where as he lived there year round.  This man had no one there to talk to, or take care of him.  As the years went by he became very depressed.  We noticed that something was wrong because he was always sad, he gave up all his hobbies, and he seemed to be drinking a lot more.  It wasn’t until my dad confronted him and asked if he way okay?  He then opened up to my dad and told him everything.  To sum it up, he felt neglected and that there was no longer a purpose for him in life.  After seeing this first hand I knew it wasn’t right, and that people that have been around and contributed to society should end up living in such a lonely and sad life.  Society must be more aware of the problems our elders face on a daily basis, and lend out a hand to help.  Although most elders are to proud to admit they are suffering, they are truly hurting inside and are dying for someone to reach out and socialize with.  As a social worker, I would like to do work in this field when I receive my degree.  No one should have to live in such a state, especially the people who need assistance the most.

Work Cited

"Depression in Older Adults and the Elderly." Depression in   Older Adults and the Elderly: Recognize the Signs and Find Treatment That Works. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2012.

"Depression in Older Adults and the Elderly." Depression in Older Adults and the Elderly: Recognize the Signs and Find Treatment That Works. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2012.

"Related Content." University of Maryland Medical Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2012

Drew

The Labour Market

Labour Market

            The Labour Market is defined as the market in which workers compete for jobs and employers compete for workers (The Free Dictionary).  Throughout my research and preparation for the group assignment in this class, the labour market was a category that really caught my attention.  The labour market is based on entho racial- background, including ethnicity, race, religion, first language, accent an country of origin.  Radicalized immigrants need Canadian experience, which is a significant restriction or barrier to establish employment.  Canadian and Global labour market barriers are due to the lack of or weak operation of employment, rights and protection challenges.  Also, systemic reduction in the full time stable jobs with a variety of benefits, have been caused to shift to part time, temporary contracts with little or no benefits, as well as a lower wage.  In my own life my family and I have suffered in terms of issues dealing with the labour market.  My stepfather, who is from India, had too take a massive cut in his income, as well as his benefits being eliminated.  This really affected my whole family, because my mother did not work at the time and there was no other source of income.  During this time, my family struggled to put the children through extra curricular activities, and there was no extra spending money to have a good time.  After my dad took a pay cut, he was then laid of and out of work.  This caused him to take another position, which was not a stable job, and the income barely covered the bills.  This is not a pleasant lifestyle to live, and no one should have to go through and suffer living in such manor. 

Drew

What I have Learned

Being in the group racialized people at first was hard to understand and grasp what was needed to be talked about and researched. It was a little complicating but my group managed to put it all together. Each one of my group members contributed to and voiced their opinions on racialized people.

Throughout the course and blogs I learned so much from knowledge that I already knew, to learning that racism still exists today  and many people undergo it. Racism will always be an issue but whether we stop the stereotyping and discriminating it will still affect the lives of racialized people.

I never knew that there were many issues of racism to this day until we started researching about them. It was shocking to see some articles and read my fellow bloggers blogs on this topic. It really opened my eyes to lean myself away from discriminating against anyone or stereotyping people. We need to learn not to judge a book by its cover because nothing is what it seems and it takes time to realize that. 

- Alyssa

Down With Tuition

                         Racialized woman in Canada, still an issue today

I am inspired by four woman in particular concerning women’s rights, and thank them for the progress that we have seen because they took a stand. They are the famous five, or the valiant five. They started the Person’s Case fighting for women to be considered qualified persons eligible to sit in senate. After losing the case they appealed it and won. This was a huge step in women’s rights, and started us on the road to equality. (Wikipedia, 2012)

I have decided to write about racialized persons, woman in particular, and tuition concerns around post secondary education. I found the most interesting article, and think it will enlighten you on the struggles that woman today still face.

Did you know that woman and racialized persons pay more for education than the average white male? This is again another shocker for me. You don’t think of things in such depth until it directly affects you. After your post secondary is done you start paying tuition back plus interest.  Woman and other racialized people have a lower income which means it takes longer for them to pay back their loans unless they are from well off families. Woman only earn 70 cents on every dollar that a man makes. This makes their interest high on the pay back of the loan, because it will take longer for her to pay it back than him. How is it that no matter which way we turn men still has the better deal in society? Seems like our government should be paying more attention to these issues seeing as this is their future as well as ours. There are ways to change this social injustice, but yet our government refuses to put money into our education to make post secondary education available to everyone especially the racialized people, and the lower class. Our Canada needs to practice what it preaches. Equality among all people is what we are supposed to be about. (Lyder, 2012)

Kate

Works Cited

Lyder, R. (2012). The Peek-Fight for Equality, Down With Tuition Fees. The Peek , 52 (1), 1.

Wikipedia, t. f. (2012). Emily Murphy- Wikipedia, the free encyclopidea. Retrieved 12 11, 2012, from Emily Murphy-Wikipedia, the free encyclopidea: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emily_Murphy

A school coming together to raise awareness on racism

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A school coming together to raise awareness on racism

I found this news paper article from The Sun from back in 2009 and the head line said this “A blow against racism Student strikes back after being hit, taunted -- and finds himself charged with assault” (The Sun 2009). It caught my eye so I went in to read it. This article blew me away when I saw that most of the school stood up for the 15-year-old Asian boy that got charged for breaking his bully’s nose. And the 15 year-old Asian boy got charged for assault causing body harm. So the whole school stood up and protested about this issue.

In The Sun paper on Tuesday, April 28, 2009, there is a report of an entire high school protesting in support of a15-year-old Asian boy.  This boy was the only one charged in a high-school fight in which the other boy allegedly started the scrap after racially taunting the Asian student. (The Sun 2009).  The Asian boy apparently had a black belt in karate but the first punch was thrown by the person racially slurring the Asian boy.  The Asian boy was punched in the mouth then retaliated by punching the other boy in the nose.  The Asian boy, who reportedly is an excellent student, is also facing expulsion from school.  The other boy is also facing expulsion but no charges have been brought against him by police.

I was bullied when I was in school many years ago and the pain is still there with me.  Every day I walk in pain because of the past. I understand what bullying can do to a person’s self esteem. I wasn’t bugged due to my race but I was bullied for my size and it still causes pain.

This is not just a racially charged event, but an excellent example of bullying.  Schools generally have a zero tolerance for bullying and fighting on the premises, but in most cases, the zero tolerance is just talk.   Rarely does a bully receive punishment, as most people won’t speak up in defence of the bullied student.  This could be due to fear of retaliation by the bully and his buddies.

In a neo-conservative government, they would support the police because they look at the individual and his reaction to the event.  They tend not to look at  the event itself, or the fact that it is racial in nature, or even considered bullying.  Their opinion would be that because the Asian boy had a black belt in karate, he should have been aware that he was capable of out-fighting his taunter.  Neo-conservatives have a selfish view, survival of the fittest is how they look at the world.  They would only get involved if it impacted or was perceived to damage their views.

By: Jeff

References

Clarkson, B. (2009, April 28). A blow against racism. . Retrieved from http://www.torontosun.com/news/canada/2009/04/28/9272411-sun.html

Generic OxyCotin...Approval

    I am a firm believer that Addiction is a human problem NOT a race problem. I have witnessed first hand how addictions can destroy lives, and families.  Stigma forces those with addictions and their families to hide their struggles. It seems that no one wants to give voice to this subject. Many family members, friends, and loved ones refuse to acknowledge the problem, or banish the person struggling with addiction from the family. Those who face addictions do not choose to do so, but have an illness.  Families, friends, and addicts themselves do not know how to cope with their addictions. Many try 12 step programs, turn to police, or a family doctor, for strategies on coping. The truth is that it is up to the individual facing the addiction to seek help and the family cannot do it for them.
 Where is the government in all of this? They are the people who have the power to bring about change.   Do the politicians even have any power?  Who really makes the laws?  Or do the pharmaceutical companies have all the power?  Does Pardue Pharma, a company that has already been brought up on criminal charges in the United States have power over our politicians? This is the company that created the original Oxycontin and now a generic, tamper proof brand.
According to Mullaly (2007), the Social Democracy economic beliefs are "government intervention of public ownership of economy. Public control of economy, and equitable distribution of income and opportunities, (p. 208)."  Mullaly believes that it is the responsibility of the government to intervene in order to protect public interest, but they seem to be failing this responsibility.
The drug Oxycontin has been a huge concern for millions of people throughout Canada. Once prescribed this pill, causes physical and mental addiction.  Many people who have been prescribed Oxycontin for medical needs become addicted to the medication and resort to illegal means to purchase the drug, once their doctors no longer write prescriptions.  Similar stories are coming forward by the thousands.
What does this have to do with racialized people?  The province of Nunuvit is represented by Federal Health Minister, Leona Aglukkaq.  In discussions about bringing the new generic, tamper proof product to the market the Ontario Health Minister, Deb Matthews, brought forward grave concerns against allowing this product back into the Canadian drug market. A new study in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry is being release in December addressing the issue of Oxycontin and adolescents. This study shows that the Inuit youth are at higher risk than any other youth in Canada. Double that of the First Nations peoples. These findings were leaked in August to the Nunavat newspapers.
Leona Aglukkaq states that “this is not a political issue, it is a scientific issue.  That if there are concerns about this, the individuals who work with medicine should make this final decision.  Politicians are not the ones to make this decision”(Van Dusen,  Nov. 12, 2012). Here is a woman who has the authority to aid the citizens she represents, and chooses not to!
Nishnawebe Aski Police Services (NAPS) has seized millions of dollars worth of prescription drugs off of the streets within the past year.  NAPS  serves 35 First Nation Communities in Northern Ontario. This police service has been notified that as of March  2013, that they will no longer receive any funding from the Police Officer Recruitment Fund in order to train new police officers. This means with an increase in drug related crime there will be no funding to train police officers to meet the needs of reducing crime.
In 2004 there was 27.2 million deaths related to Oxycotin in Ontario. In 2007, Pardue Pharma paid out a 634 million dollar settlement to the state of Virginia, pleading guilty to misbranding with the intent to defraud.  Who will ultimately protect the citizens of Canada?

Heather

Reference List:

Bell, S. (November 29th 2012). Generic Oxy Descision Wrong on all Accounts. Wawata News Online. Retrieved from: http://wawataynews.ca/archive/all/2012/11/29/generic-oxy-decision-wrong-all-counts_23784

Carpenter, L. (November 22nd 2012), Naps questions approval of Generic Oxy. Wawata News Online. Retrieved from: http://dev.wawataynews.ca/archive/all/2012/11/22/naps-questions-approval-generic-oxy_23770
Mullay, B. (2007). The New Structural Social Work. Canada. Oxford University Press

The Fifth Estate. Infographic Oxycotin Facts and Stats. CBC News . Retrieved from:http://www.cbc.ca/fifth/2011-2012/timebomb/infographic.html

Van Dusen, J. ( November 19th 2012). Minister Won't Interfere with Generic Oxycontin Approval. CBC News. Retrieved from:http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2012/11/19/pol-Oxycontin-patent-expiry.html