Kick for kids
The paper will address my experience as a social worker at Kick for Kids. I spent two hours at Mutual Ground in Aurora IL. The kids at the center were mostly abused and I couched them to play soccer. The paper will show the importance of a social worker, and the personal experience of helping people in a society.
Bruce (2009) argues that the work of a social worker has changed in many ways. People expect social workers to solve all social problems. The children at Kick for Kids centre looked very troubled. At first they did not like me and some even feared me. My guide, Mr. Smith told me not to worry since I was new to them and they could not trust me. After a brief orientation, I decided to apply the skills I learned at my social class to gain the children’s trust. bad
The children began to be friendly after a while and some of them stared asking me questions. One of the kids was a bit frank and left me in shock after telling me his story. The boy was sexually abused by one of his uncle when his mother left him at his place. The same story of boys been sexually abused by their relatives in the area is at an alarming rate. Some of them are even physically abused by their parents or relatives.
The center was basically designed to offer sporting activities and majorly soccer. Mr. Smith asked me if I could coach a team so that we can create a small tournament. Although I am not very good in soccer, I decided to take the challenge. We created a tournament and divided the kids into two groups. I couched my team for about one hour and we played against Mr. Smith’s team. Sadly we lost the game, the kids were very happy and this surprised me a lot. Later I learned that they are thought to cheer up even if they lost a match.
Social workers can help this class of children in many ways. Counseling is the first step; the kids in the center need a lot of counseling to help them forgive and forget the actions of the abusers. They should keep in mind that the kids might be seen the abusers every day. This will help them not to become aggressive or angry adults when they grow up (Bruce 2009).
In referring to Bruce (2009), the parents and the community at large should be educated on the rights of children. The parents should not be ashamed to sue their relatives. The relatives should also show the kids good morals and not misuse their trust. Children do not forget bad things easily hence parents should make sure the abusers are locked up. This will help prevent any further sexual abuse.
Majority of the equipments used by the kids are worn out. Social workers in the area should look for funds to help replace them. They can organize charitable events or even donate the little they have. However, this cannot be possible if they do not involve the community (Bruce 2009).
The social workers can also organize with the neighboring schools to host tournaments with the center. This will improve the moral of the children at Kick for Kids center. The kids will feel that they belong to the society and may help them forget their dilemmas as argued by Bruce (2009).
Love is one of the greatest gifts a person may give to a child. Social workers in the area should create time and visit the center often. The kids will feel the love and may forget all the bad things that happened to them.
My personal experience of helping these kids was great. After gaining their trust I saw the good heart they have. The team experience was also wonderful, the children were willing to learn and listened to every instructions I gave them. This act showed me that the kids are respectful and willing to learn new ideas. A wise man once said “if you are not a part of the solution you are a part of the problem”, my act cannot be quantified in monetary terms but I know the impact I left is great. Mr. Smith also welcomed my idea when I proposed to host a cultural event to help raise funds for the project.
When the children were not friendly to me, I was a bit discouraged. The lessons we learn in class helped me a lot to gain their trust and the energy to help them. We achieved many goals on the short time I spent at the center. The smiles I saw on their faces that day are still vividly in my mind. The children also thought me same new songs and dance moves. The greatest lessons I learnt is that money is not the only way to help a person. All that is needed is your time and willingness to help someone.
Reference
Bruce, T. (2009). The Handbook of Social Work Research Methods. New York: Sage Publications.
