Essay Example on Low-income populations are negatively impacted by their environment due to many circumstances

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Low-income populations are negatively impacted by their environment due to many circumstances including inequalities of resource distributions. Such inequalities include healthcare, food and nutrition, education, housing, pollution, and transportation. The video on unnatural causes of health disparities clearly described the problems racial disparities outlined the multidimensional nature of racism. This video discussed the implication for clinical practices and how race stress and a lack of social support could be addressed. For example, Gua a 49-year-old hardworking janitor refugee suffered a heart attack and also lost his daughter to a gang's shootings in his own house. He later moved to a better environment but could not get a job and had to return. The video also showed how a change of environment could easily transform a person's life. One example in the video a child raised up in this affected community developed asthma due to pollution toxins or other harmful substances in the air and water. The health issues affected his activities including schooling and peer interactions. His life changed by moving to a clean and healthy community. I am motivated by the actions taken by the community members. Professionals in collaboration can rescue these communities with developmental plans supportive to community efforts.

Although the approach to the macro level may be complicated, the community actions and the support of organizations and institutions will create the possibility of advocacy for a policy change Meyers 2007. I would address the situation introduced in this video as a Community Social Worker specializing in Organization. I plan to use a combination of two macro practice theories for this paper the General Systems Theory and the Empowerment Theory. Macro practice theories are commonly understood as the study of a community or society of social institutions and socio-cultural change required on a collective level. The primary theory I will focus on is the General Systems Theory GST. GST describes a situation where various systems interact and interface with each other In the case of unnatural causes of health disparities. GST looks at the dynamic relationship between the interrelated parts GST has common interconnecting components and principles that help one understand how the system works. In the video Qua's situations explain how health challenges are often masked as he experienced health and environmental issues as a refugee Robbins et al 2012; The video on unnatural causes of health disparities described a place of poverty crime and poor food quality complicated by health issues caused from job injuries. These people live in an environment polluted, with toxins like tobacco fast food illnesses, like high blood pressure dying of diabetes and more. Each part of a system can affect the other.

These systems have boundaries some more rigid than others. The more penetrable boundaries exist as an open system and resistant boundaries are a closed system. A systematic approach to macro social work practice demands the social workers to identify study and analyze the need for change and to begin formulating solutions. Biologist Ludwig von Bertalanffy proposed General System theory in 1928 Hutchison 2015. This theory progressed under two related assumptions that have been practiced by social workers since the 1960s and 1970s. Bertalanffy proposed that any element is best understood by considering its interactions with its constituent parts as well as its interactions with larger systems of which it is a part of Hutchison 2015. System theories investigate both the principles common to all complex entities and the models that can be used to describe situations of problems. The various systems theories used by social workers are backed by evidence gathered through the scientific method intended to explain the problems to be addressed. Two types of systems were identified as closed systems and open systems. Closed systems are closed off from the outside environment and all interaction and knowledge is transmitted within the closed system. An example is socially and geographically isolated families and communities. Open systems interact with the environment through giving and receiving information that is in constant interaction with other systems. An example is an internet-based social network.

The theoretical approaches are often used to explain human behavior and serve as starting points for practice models and treatments or solving a problem for their clients at the macro level practices Hutchison 2015. Low-income populations are often voiceless powerless abused manipulated and under-appreciated Hearn and Parkins 1993 viewed organizations as multiple oppressions of the social construct to exclude discrimination against some categories of people. Various researchers believed oppression happens through a variety of processes including marginalization, domination, subordination, degradation, ignoring, harassment, invisibilizing, silencing, punishment, discipline and violence Hutchison 2015.


 As observed in the video oppressed groups can include women younger and older people persons with disabilities, lower economic class, persons of color and sexual minorities. The commitments to social justice involve the use of a professional code of ethics, guidelines to perspectives of the dynamics of privilege or unearned advantages as well as discrimination and oppression of minorities in communities. Empowerment theories focus on processes that individuals and collectivities can be used to recognize patterns of inequality and injustice and take action to increase their own power. Decisions can be made to change and improve the circumstances of the people in any given community. Creative activities and events that bring the community together can be initiated.


This requires working with other colleagues in other professions to plan and implement programs of care and support. Together we can help the people to cope and adapt situations of self-help with their health issues isolation, poverty, racism and other forms of discrimination. I will support and help the community take control of their lives and live more independently. in community activities, I will commit to finding their strengths and help empower them using their own identified potentials with patience and determination. I will also commit to addressing the interpersonal networks with family groups within the community and residential or health-related and organizations. The different professional collaboration will include working alongside the police, health and education services, and increasing numbers of volunteer and independent agencies. The result of poverty in the community is evident in this video. The people were affected by race, age, gender and genetics not necessarily by the fault of their own. This must be understood identified assessed and planned for with a strategy for action, using various systems theories approaches, that involve the study of circumstances at the micro level, mezzo level and macro level in order to transform the lives of this community.

 This takes hard work to create awareness involvement support resources and materials building relationships, trust advocacy and policy changed. The various system theories help to comprehensively find solutions to addressing the problems in this community. Particularly how they are connected and relate to their on the living environment and the system construction as a whole. Their socioeconomic status plays a major role in the individual socioeconomic situations, physical and cultural community environment, personal management of health and health care, financing and delivery of services to the minority. In this situation identifying and using the strengths of in the clients in addressing some of their own problems is important. Empowerment theory is practiced through and used to build relationships trustworthiness and being supportive to clients' skills, gifts, and talents. Encouragement and development of an individual's potential is necessary for personal development and advocates toward change. This leads to findings solutions to unequal treatment that has caused the existing disparities between whites and nonwhite communities in the healthcare access and its quality. Health disparities are often beyond individual understanding and many presume it's normal. Yet the video shows many health disparities of short term and chronic health illnesses that become long term issues when left unaddressed. This makes it clear that the need for advocacy at the macro level to have policy change is necessary. Addressing health disparities in the community requires evidence-based study proof by the micro level to gain the approval of macro-level practice, theory involvement. System theories support the collaborative work of social workers with other professional helpers from different fields that provide both formal and informal support to create a comprehensive systems approach.

Empowerment theory directs us to build on people's strengths capacities and support clients with resources to help them accomplish their personal and collective goals and aspiration. I find it important to integrate these theories to provide solutions. Goals and outcomes will be based on the best available evidence guided by the understanding of the systems in which intervention for change strategies will occur. A macro-level is systems on a broad level that affects individuals indirectly. The process of intervention is complicated and overwhelming without a start from micro-level participation. The macro practice is guided by an evidence-based process of intervention to bring about organizational community and policy change with the outcome investigated by micro and mezzo practices. At micro level practice, social workers identify goals based on the available neither the micro and macro intervention processes can affect change in any given society without the other. The social workers involve the person-environment economic political and social behaviors in the community At the micro-level, the social workers connect to understand the relationship with the mezzo level interrelationship with individuals in the community in order to explore the source and relationship of problems. They make efforts to systematically approach to address the micro-level problem by organizing community resources available to ensure services are provided through combinations of communities, staff collaborative partners and volunteer efforts.

 Individual clients are empowered to exercise their own potentials to minimize some social problems and lead to advocacy to policy change. The goal of integrating micro-level and macro-level systems is to help social workers in the assessment of individual group organizational and community. As a community volunteer with Redeemer community garden in North Minneapolis. I was responsible for a small piece of solving the problems and didn't necessarily understand all the complexity faced at the time. Now I can relate to steps actions and challenges of initiating such a project. As an immigrant with no income, I had no idea of American system theories. However, I managed to build community through relationship connections building trust and involved people with common goals and interests into different activities that included diverse populations, involving children, youth parents, and other adults. This community project I initiated attracted various partners volunteers and different organizations that raised funds for development in the community and transform the lives of many. The community gardens are still ongoing today. It is the association between education income and health challenges now. I deeply understand the system theories and their importance in helping solve problems. It is challenging to continuously progress with helping and promoting low-income communities due to funds for community development and gaining continuous support. The challenge is oftentimes compassionate participants or activists are demotivated because they cannot meet their own personal financial needs. Due to various partnerships and collaborations, it often takes hard work and a long period of time to accomplish tasks that involve macro-level decisions for policy change and many social service workers experience work burnout. The systems theory is not only that everything is connected but also the understanding of it explains the relationship between communities and distributions of resources in all societies. The social workers understand the interconnections of person and environment on the micro mezzo and macro levels, those impacts the well being of their clients Wenger 2014.

The complex way system theories affect a community is that when one part fails to perform its role all other parts of the system is impacted. For example, a family interacts with various systems in their community for their well being. This includes direct services to the community schools and community agencies and each system affects the other. I believe that human behavior successes failures and health is largely by the living environment. Children born in poverty or wealth assume it's normal to be poor or rich and not right to ask questions. It is the lack of knowledge of another person not like you not being an equal to you or me. Awareness through participatory action will be the solution to finding common ground in communities that will lead to advocacy towards policy change in the systems References http stthomas kanopystreaming com video unnatural causes place matters Meyers K 2007; Racial and ethnic health disparities Influences actors and policy opportunities Canda E Chatterjee P Robbins S 2012; Contemporary human behavior theory A critical perspective for social work Hutchison E D 2010; Dimensions of human behavior Person and environment Sage Publications https www pearsonhighered com assets samplechapter 0 2 0 5 0205838782 pdf Wenger C J 2014 Client System Assessment Tools for Social Work Practice.

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