Artifact Reflection

In Spring 2021, four of my classmates and I presented a business plan that we created as a requirement for Dr. Fitch’s Fundamentals of Social Work Administration course. The assignment required us to document our community’s needs related to gaps in existing services, a mission and values statement for our agency, an analysis of supports and obstacles, a budget for our program operations, measurable goals, and details about the services being provided. My groups’ shared passions and practice experiences led us to create P.R.I.D.E, a non-profit center for LGBTQ+ youth, ages 12-21. This fictional center offers free emergency shelter, case management, counseling, and support groups for clients. Our business plan dictated that P.R.I.D.E. staff would partner with Columbia Public Schools to offer free health clinics, resources, and comprehensive sex education.

My group’s first step was identifying gaps in local services for LGBTQ+ youth and collecting data on the outcomes associated with these service gaps. We used this research to inform our program development. The goal of our agency was to provide LGBTQ+ youth with the health and housing resources needed to thrive in a safe and supportive environment. Our main objectives were to improve the mental and physical health of LGBTQ+ youth while decreasing the number of nights this population spends unhoused. My group used a logic model to illustrate the relationship between our program's use of resources and desired outcomes. For example, in order to increase the mental wellness reported by Columbia’s LGBTQ+ youth by 10%, our agency would provide three support groups and ten counseling sessions each week.

My role in this project included researching the most recent data concerning the health and safety of LGBTQ+ youth in the Midwest United States (specifically Missouri or Columbia when data was available). I also had a role in developing our budget, including selecting private and public grant funding sources based on our needs and how likely we were to receive that funding. One reason I chose the PowerPoint that my group used to present our business plan as my artifact is that it demonstrates my ability to work in a group and identify areas where advocacy efforts are needed to achieve socially just outcomes. Another reason I chose this artifact is that it showcases my ability to present a business plan in a way that gains support from stakeholders. A strength of my artifact is that it attempts to address the needs of a population that is so often neglected or harmed by policies and programs. A lot of research, planning, and editing went into the production of this artifact. I believe that my group created a thorough business plan and presented it in a way that would gain the support of stakeholders.  

Competency Reflection

In my application for this program, I wrote about the reasons that I opted to pursue a social work degree when my career goals had previously been centered in the counseling psychology field. The biggest reason for this switch was how drawn I was, and still am, to social workers’ commitment to disrupting oppressive systems and promoting social justice. Since submitting my application, my knowledge of how to effectively advocate for the equitable distribution of any resources and services needed to reduce mental and physical health disparities has grown considerably. During my foundational practicum at True North of Columbia, a domestic and sexual violence service program, I saw the impact that clients’ access to safe and sustainable housing had on their outcomes related to safety, health, and healing from traumatic experiences. During my practicum, I created a housing resource packet for clients and an informational handout for rental groups. The housing resource packet provided information about local housing options and resources intended to help clients make informed choices about housing. The informational handout provided to rental groups explained how housing access relates to the cycle of domestic violence, True North’s mission, and rental groups’ roles in disrupting the cycle of domestic violence.

My courses and field experiences have enhanced my ability to identify barriers to positive client outcomes that exist in the structure of an organization or service model. In my field practicum at The Bluffs, I observed residents who were hearing impaired having more difficulty participating in the memory and mood assessments. In response to this, I created and began utilizing visual aids during the assessments. The visual aids have the assessment questions and answers written on them in large font. So far, this has been an effective method of decreasing barriers to communication and understanding during assessments. In my future career, I plan to use the skills related to this competency to answer questions such as, “Who is not getting the opportunity to be successful?” and “What groups are being left out by the structure of this program?” I believe that interacting with diverse clientele and using an intersectional lens when doing so is the best way to begin answering these questions. These experiences will help me identify patterns in negative client outcomes and better understand where practice and policy change is needed.