Introduction
The teachings from the class are very essential in understanding the various aspects of life. In the Republic of Canada, people face several challenges that make their lives difficult. Issues such as social discrimination and racial segregation have been reported to be dominant, further affecting the unity of the state negatively. Whenever peace and unity in the society is achieved, people tend to live happily. However, it has become difficult to achieve this situation where all human beings are treated equally. Individuals have basic differences that make it difficult for them to be freely incorporated into the society. The teachings introduced are very essential in promoting unity and social reconstruction in the community. Canada, to date, faces several social challenges that make it difficult for development to take place. Public housing has become a core problem to the extent that slums have arisen. The government and the local society have employed several mechanisms in order to address the social issues. However, it is yet to be seen whether tackling the issues will bring about unity and economic development. The teachings from the class are very useful in that they expose the challenges that people face and how eradicating these challenges will be useful to the general society. Communal rot such as poor disposal of the garbage, unhygienic laundry rooms and the internal conflicts that arise should be handled in a manner that will promote social integration (James, 2012). The practice by the landlords to overcharge rents has also had a major impact to the economy of the society. This is because most tenants opt to live in cheap structures that they can afford. The teachings are very useful because they address such issues and give the necessary remedies to overcome them.
Throughout this coursework, several practices and theories are learned. One of the key practices learnt is that of Anti-Oppressive Practice. In essence, this practice refers to the attempt that is made within the social work with the main aim being to acknowledge that there is oppression in the societies. In essence, this practice largely aims to negate and remove such an influence in oppressing people. The social work is expected to be a caring profession which promotes equality when providing services to the community. However, due to the discrimination and stereotyping that the community adopts, it becomes difficult to offer services equally since most people end up being biased in the delivery of services.
The theory of diversity and difference was also well explained in the course. Diversity, to a large extent, requires that the members of the society should accept and respect all the members regardless of their origins and their cultural backgrounds (Schissel et al. 2008). Individuals are in most cases, unique, as it is impossible to find people that are similar. Through recognizing the individual differences and working together towards achieving our goals, it becomes possible to enhance the development of the society. Discriminating against an individual for such issues such as ethnicity, racial dimensions, gender, socio-economic status, sexual orientation, physical abilities, sex and age will only harm the relationship among the members of the community. With such scenario, it is difficult to imagine how development will take place. The examples given in the course on how different people were treated in Canada reveal that discrimination is a social problem that is inherent in the society. There is a need for there to be reforms in order to accept the differences that exist. These theories are very crucial in understanding the way of life that a given society adopts. However, through the course, the discrimination based on the individual differences should be avoided.
Several issues in the course have influenced the way that I work. Social service, as already argued above, entails a care system in which one directly deals with people. Understanding the needs of the people and their expectations are, therefore, crucial and paramount in an attempt to serve them correctly. To a large extent, the readings have shaped my decision making and allowed me to appreciate the existence of diversity amongst us. Working with a diverse population can be a tricky affair. This is because of many reasons, among which one is faced with. This is because of many reasons, among which one is faced with challenges. For instance, one is bound to interact with various people that have their own opinions about certain issues. The readings play a crucial role in shaping one to be appreciative of the fact that we need to accept diversity and the differences that exist amongst the people in the society. The knowledge and understanding about power, inequality and exclusions enhanced my understanding of equality in the society. Despite the fact that those in power are considered as being superior to the rest, truth is that all the people are equal. Recent times have seen the power being traded as a commodity. This understanding is important since it would be easy to handle people in the leadership positions, because they are similar to the other members of the society. Giving preferential treatment to the people in power is, therefore, a way of discrimination, based on the social status of an individual. In order to achieve equality, all people have to be subjected to similar conditions, regardless of the positions they hold in the society.
In order for unity to be achieved in the communities, some community groups engage in a number of activities with the aim of engaging diverse communities. The main aim for this is to ensure that all members from different geographical regions and cultures get to enjoy being in Canada. Canada is considered to be a country in which discrimination is rife, making life difficult for the newcomers. One of the mechanisms that have been employed is that of employing the anti-oppressive practice (AOP). Several community groups have embraced this theory as being the dominant force in the social work practice. In essence, the anti-oppressive practice approach targets to offer the workers ample time in their work by ensuring that their individual needs are addressed without any form of discrimination. Their social status is also not taken into account, meaning that all members in the society will be treated equally. This approach insists that people in power should use their positions to serve others and benefit them instead of oppressing them. Exclusion on the basis of gender, skin color, physical abilities, sexual orientations among many more other reasons have been addressed by the community groups to ensure that diverse communities are engaged. This is a crucial step in promoting togetherness and unity within the work place (Schissel et al. 2008).
One alternative strategy that I will employ in order to strengthen community-engagement processes with diverse communities is through presenting equal opportunities to trainings. In most cases, communities tend to prefer employing and recruiting people from within to carry out the relevant social works. As much as this has its advantages, the main disadvantage is that it does not promote cultural diversity in the workplace. Cultural diversity in the work place is very crucial in that it gives the community different perspectives through which they can decide what the better option is. Learning other people's way of life will help one to be in a better position to incorporate a variety of ideas to the way that the work is carried out, hence giving it different options to choose. To a large extent, this will also mean that unity is achieved in the community by avoiding the discriminations and the stereotypes that come along in most cases. Accepting diversity and employing it positively in the workplace is essential because several ideas can be gathered in solving the challenges and problems that may arise in the community. Promoting unity will aid an organization to portray a multi-cultural outlook, which will add to its reputation.
References
James, C. (2012). Life at the intersection: Community, class and schooling. Halifax, N.S: Fernwood Pub.
Pyles, L. (2009). Progressive community organizing: A critical approach for a globalizing world. New York: Routledge.
Schissel, B., & Brooks, C. (2008). Marginality & condemnation: An introduction to criminology. Black Point, N.S: Fernwood Pub.
Schissel, B., & Brooks, C. (2008). Marginality & condemnation: An introduction to criminology. Black Point, N.S: Fernwood Pub.
Wharf, B., & Clague, M. (1997). Community organizing: Canadian experiences. Toronto: Oxford University Press.
