Assessment 1: Essay. Matching our ideas about community with community work models/approaches

Answer

Matching Ideas About Community with Community Work Models/Approaches

One of the primary roles of social work practice is the evaluation of pressing issues in a community and the adoption of the best models, methods, and processes to address those issues (Weil, 2014). Social workers are change agents who should initiate and support programs aimed at community development. In the quest to attain community progress, it is vital for practitioners to integrate both their theoretical comprehensions of the workings of society with their own visions as to how they would like the community to change (Wiggins et al., 2013). Whereas some practitioners believe that community development can be achieved via the mobilisation of people at the grassroots, others emphasize the technical nature of problem-solving (Weil, 2014). The definition and understanding of a community by a social worker determine the model that they will use to promote positive change and ensure a better society. This paper provides ways that the author understands and view a community, desired changes which should be made, and the community work model which can be used to attain such changes.

Definition and Explanation of My View of a Community

One of the issues which community work faces is the lack of a precise and standard definition of the term. As such, Wiggins et al. (2013) argue that the term community has been seen as a simple form of welfare work. Various attempts have been made by scholars to analyse the concept of a community. For instance, according to Clarke (2018), a community is a social system consisting of social relationships within a fixed locality and with a shared spirit. However, Boehm & Cnaan (2012) asserts that the term community expresses a category of people who have common disadvantages within a municipality. Still, a majority of social work practitioner consider a community to be a grouping of people who possess common characteristics and feelings of solidarity. I adopt the definition of a community as a group of people with common challenges and facing similar social and economic issues. My view of a community is that of people having related problems which can be resolved through the unity of purpose and collaboration. My understanding of community will shape the approach that I use in the quest to ensure community development and progress.

One of the communities that I desire to work with is the Aboriginal and Torres Islander populations located in the Northern Territory (NT) Australia. One of the issues that the community faces is poor health. Notably, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians in the NT have a prevalence of major behavioural and biomedical health risk factors when compared to the other communities in other parts of the country (AIHW, 2016). Some of the behavioural risks that they encounter include high rates of smoking, poor nutrition, a lack of physical activity, and excessive alcohol consumption among other risks. As such, the community has encountered some biomedical risks which lead to the development of chronic diseases such as obesity and even having very high levels of calories and subsequently mortalities (Browne et al., 2018). Whereas the rates of alcohol consumption in the indigenous communities in NT is higher than it is in the non-indigenous populations, the rate of alcohol consumption is even more complicated (AIHW, 2016). One of the primary reasons for the poor health and the unhealthy practices for the community is a lack of education as to the risks associated with their traditions and ways that they can maintain healthy lives.

Desired Change for The Community

The fundamental change that I would like to see in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australian community is better health and wellbeing. A change in behaviour and lifestyles can only attain such a goal. As such, I would likely to see the community members reduce their rates of smoking and eventually stop it (Macniven et al., 2017). Moreover, I would aim to see a reduction in the rates of alcohol consumption of the community members and ensure that the intake of alcohol is only done without reaching harmful levels. I would also be keen to ensure that the people in the community increase their rates of physical activity. Notably, at the moment, one of the primary reasons for the high rates of obesity and overweight in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians is physical inactivity. Moreover, I would be interested in ensuring that the community members change their lifestyles and decrease the intake of foods rich in calories. In this regard, I would seek to ensure that they only take nutritious foods which will have benefits to their health (Browne et al., 2018). I am well aware that the intake of unhealthy foods has been a contributing factor to obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular complications. Ultimately, it will be my goal to see that the rates of mortality in the community decrease and the overall health and wellbeing being improved.

Community Work Model to Best Achieve the Change

The model that I feel with better achieve the change desired in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians is the community education model. Notably, the community education model is a community work model which seeks to equip the community members with the knowledge as well as the insights and skills necessary to make their community function optimally (Wiggins et al., 2013). Also known as the popular education model, the community education approach is pegged in the belief that individuals in the community can be able to participate in social aspects fully but are inhibited by their lack of comprehension, confidence, and even a collective consciousness (Boehm & Cnaan, 2012). As such, through raising their level of critical consciousness, members of the community can change their behaviours and lifestyles and work towards the attainment of a common goal. Community education entails people reflecting critically on their objective reality; because transformation in the community will not occur unless the levels of consciousness of the members of the population are raised about the problems and issues that they face.

The community education model will be used to inform, educate, and raise the levels of awareness of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community about the impact of their lifestyles on their health and why they need to change. I would use posters and social media to educate the community why they should reduce smoking and alcohol consumption as well as engage in increased physical activity (Macniven et al., 2017). I will conduct the education outside the formal education system but rather emphasise on communication and partnership in learning. The education will be people-centred and thus will ensure that people from the community learn together and sometimes bring on experts to run the community education programs. Through non-formal education, the community members will be provided with an opportunity to validate their experiences, dreams, cultures, and even values (Brodsky & Cattaneo, 2013). Via education for conscientization, the community will be considered an empty vessel and; as the social worker, fill their receptacles with as such information as possible to ensure that they change their unhealthy lifestyles and adopt healthy consumptions and behaviours.

            Various praises and criticisms have been placed on the community education model of community work practice. Brodsky & Cattaneo (2013) hold that the approach is one of the effective strategies for the empowerment of the community members which enables them to build their skills and confidence through cooperation, mutual learning, and sharing. Additionally, Weil (2014) argues that it leads to community participation as all community members are given an equal opportunity through educational empowerment to be part of the decision-making process on matters affecting their community life. Moreover, community education enables people to build their social and human capital and thus benefit through better health, stronger social networks and eventually enhanced family life (Macniven et al., 2017). However, critics of the model have argued that the effectiveness of the model is based on the level of literacy of the community members as well as the ability of the practitioners to use an appropriate language suitable for the target population (Clarke, 2018). Additionally, the community education approach has been viewed as ineffective especially where it does not have mechanisms of reinforcing the changes made and supporting the community members to prevent them from falling into the same behaviours which were changed.

In conclusion, social work practitioners have the primary role of fostering community development through the adoption of the most appropriate community work models. The community that I would like to work with is the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in the NT. Notably, this community faces adverse health outcomes because of the lifestyles and behaviours of the members. For instance, increased smoking, high consumption of alcohol, and physical inactivity have led to many chronic conditions and mortality. As such, it is vital to address adverse health and unhealthy lifestyles through increased sensitisation. Using the community education model, I will raise the awareness and consciousness of the members on the importance of only taking healthy and nutritious foods, decreased smoking and alcohol intake and undertaking physical activity. Although the community education model has been praised for its ability to increase the levels of awareness through participation and shared experiences, it is faulted for its ineffectiveness when used inappropriately for illiterate populations.