Advocacy

Hometown Hero: Praising Service, Forgetting the Veteran

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I nominated my younger brother for the local news’ Hometown Hero weekly segment.  In my letter to the TV station I briefly touched on his military service.  The bulk of my nomination was in trying to get him some recognition for all of the voluntary community service he has been doing for the last two years.  The news station had a different angle that they wanted to follow as far as military service.  My brother is involved in a lot of social service programs that assist community members and veterans.

It turned out to be another example of praising a soldier and forgetting a veteran.  I dare say my brother has done more for his country serving the local community than his ten months in Afghanistan.  Some people want all the credit, usually the ones that do very little.  Others want none of the credit.  I come from a family that tries to stay away from recognition.  We do not speak aloud or often about our community services but we all do serve in the community.

Can we attempt to recognize and reward service after military careers have ended?  If veterans only get medals and recognition from yesteryear how are we as a nation supposed to keep them alive?  If every day you were thanked and recognized for something you did ten years ago?

I guess this is my social work advocate coming out.  Looking once again at the limits, at the dead ends.  Everyone needs to feel needed and supported but at the present moment for present actions.  And how can you ignore how much effort someone puts in for the betterment of others over themselves?  My brothers and I come from parents who have taught us to speak up and speak out for everyone, not just ourselves or our own needs and desires.

APPLETON, WI (WFRV) This week’s Hometown Hero was inspired to join the U.S. Marine Corps following the 9-11 attacks. .

Source: Hometown Hero: Alex Feest – Story | WeAreGreenBay

Getting Back to the Roots of Social Work

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The La Crosse Area Family Collaborative officially launched back in September.

Source: “http://www.wxow.com/story/30736637/2015/12/13/la-crosse-area-family-collaborative-adds-social-workers-to-neighborhoods”

La Crosse, WI is putting social workers into community neighborhoods as community resources. In my work with minorities and people who need assistance locating beneficial services in the community, this a a great thing to see. It is so challenging sometimes to see how many people do not know that resources in the community exist and specifically for their specific needs.

Most of the people I went to school with are now in private agencies that do not necessarily fulfill the roots of social work and address community needs. I find it very rewarding to be able to volunteer my time to community groups that address economic support, and hunger, and mental health services. I am glad that people are bringing social work back in to areas of the profession that have all but vanished. Such is the case with medical patient advocates. I wanted to be a patient advocate at a children’s hospital because I was a long-term patient in a hospital and there were not enough advocates for the needs of children and their families. When I graduated with my MSW, patient advocate jobs were virtually eliminated. Now you see patient advocates as phone operators in insurance company customer service centers.

You empower people when you allow them to tell their story. Then you provide them the tools to change. It is their choice in how they respond to being given the info and the tools they need but when they know where to go and how to acquire it, you have empowered them to improve their situation.

Do Things Happen for a Reason?

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I am guilty of using the phrase, “Things Happen for a Reason” liberally. However, it is part of having an external locust of control (psychology talk). Since taking over more control of my life, I have used it less and less. I have had people look up to some of my successes in life, so people have asked me about my motivations and perspectives. It wasn’t until someone really challenged my idea of “reason” in a brutally honest way that I began to contemplate how I could keep using such a phrase. A friend and coworker of mine asked me in response of my line, “things happen for a reason” whether their was some higher purpose for the suicide of their cousin. In the moment I floundered and stuck to my belief in a preordained fate.

It wasn’t until I saw an article link on Facebook that really demanded my attention to address the counter arguments. I couldn’t get it out of my mind, for days. The link is below.

http://www.timjlawrence.com/blog/2015/10/19/everything-doesnt-happen-for-a-reason

One thing that has also changed my locust of control recently was taking control of my body and my health. After graduate school, I spent one year losing twenty pounds slowly and in a healthy manner. Then I began weight lifting to build my physique and gain even more confidence. In taking control of my body and being so determined to follow a plan, I opened up new opportunities for myself. I am much more conscious that I help control my current circumstances.

When I try and sell myself in a job interview, I tell them that I listen to understand rather than to respond. This is true, because I have learned that people do not need advice when they are grieving, they need your presence.

People don’t often understand what trauma does to you. For me, anger is in everything that I write. I have used anger as fuel and to propel my passion to advocate for others. My poetry is very angry and dark and raw. I believe in writing dangerously and being able to connect to the emotions of others in similar situations

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