Mini Case Studies and Critical Analysis
This paper is an opportunity to apply some of the ideas and equitable engagement practices weve discussed in class to (simplified) scenarios you might encounter in your professional life. Please cite 6-8 different assigned course materials throughout the paper to demonstrate your learning and substantiate your comments.
Your paper should be submitted as a Word document and should be 5-6 pages long, double spaced, in 12-pt type with 1-inch margins. Please format your paper and your reference list according to APA, 7th edition (Purdue OWL offers great resources to help you with APA).
You are a social worker employed full-time at a local public library in Portland, Oregon. You hold regular office hours to meet with library guests, you facilitate monthly coffee hours featuring local organizations who present on the services they provide, and you coordinate family engagement events at the library.
Imagining yourself in this position (mostly for the part 2 case studies), write a paper comprised of the following parts:
1. Family and Community Support Philosophy (1 1.5 pages): What are the principles and values for family and community support and engagement that shape your approach to this work? What does equitable, culturally responsive engagement mean to you? Please consider the role of your own social identities (race, gender, sexual orientation, (dis)ability, language, etc.) in providing culturally responsive practice and outline how you will collaborate with families and communities across difference. Please draw on specific texts/materials weve discussed in class.
2. Mini Case Studies Analysis (3 3.5 pages total): Imagine that youve met the following three people through your work at the library. Each of them has dropped in occasionally or attended the monthly coffee hours you host at the library. For each of the following library guests, draw on the prompts to consider how you would engage them in alignment with the family and community support principles you outlined in part one of this paper:
a.) You met Maria Sanchez at a coffee hour you hosted a few months ago on early care and learning. You learned that Maria is 38-years-old, has been married to her husband Hector for almost 15 years, and is the mother of Junior (age 10), Emilia (age 8), and Gloria (age 3). She emigrated from Mexico to the U.S. ten years ago, arriving shortly after Hector. Maria is undocumented, but all three of children were born in the U.S. and are U.S. citizens. Devoted to her family, Maria has never worked outside the home, and does not drive. She delights in cooking for her children and taking care of the home.
Recently, youve noticed that in addition to attending occasional coffee hours, Maria has begun coming to the library every week to take English language classes offered for adults by a local nonprofit organization. Youve had multiple informal conversations with Maria, and you decide to follow up with her to see if shed like to meet with you for a one-on-one conversation about her goals. Maria agrees. Consider the following prompts regarding your work with Maria:
Maria already holds a variety of strengths, forms of capital, and funds of knowledge. What are these? How would you engage Maria to learn more? What kinds of questions might you ask?
Maria shares with you that shed like to begin applying for jobs, but shes worried about finding childcare for Gloria (age 3) and being able to afford it. What resources would you share with Maria?
Maria also shares that she is having a hard time connecting with the teachers at Junior and Emilias schools. She wants to engage, but she is worried that because she is an English language learner and undocume
nted, that the schools arent a safe place for her to go. How might you navigate this conversation with Maria? What steps or resources might you suggest?
b.) John Hattemayer, a 69-year-old white man, attended this months coffee hour on food and nutrition. John stuck around after the event to explore some flyers on display at the library, and you approach John to say hello. John is quiet, but also seems eager to talk to someone, and both of you head outside for a longer conversation at the picnic table.
John tells you this is his first time coming to the library in ten years. Before he was incarcerated, he used to bring his grandson here for some of the youth-centered activities (which he loved!). Sensing Johns mild discomfort at being back, how do you welcome John back to the library, and what do you tell him about the kinds of services and activities the library provides? (You can get creative here! This is your library :))
John discloses that he has a lot going on. He has suffered from opioid addiction, which landed him in prison for a few years. He has high cholesterol and is generally concerned about his physical and mental health. Hes also had a hard time securing a space in public housing because of his criminal record, so has been hopping around to different extended-stay hotels in the metro area. Hes distrustful of the government and wary of public aid. How do you respond to Johns concerns? What resources or referrals do you plan to gather and share with John?
What else do you want to know about John? What strengths and assets does he already hold? How do you plan to follow up with John and build a trusting, lasting relationship?
c.) Eleanor Smith is a 17-year-old Black woman who has lived in Portland all her life. She attends the high school down the street from the library and comes to the library regularly to have a quieter place to work on her homework. Eleanor has long been friendly with library staff, and she schedules a meeting with you to discuss her post-graduation plans. In addition to completing her senior year, Eleanor currently works part-time at a local restaurant. She wants to go to college in the local area and study early childhood education. However, shes concerned about being able to afford the cost of college. She also has a long-term boyfriend and they are eager to have a child together in the next five years, so shes pondering the cost of raising a child, too, and wondering if its all possible.
What else do you want to know about Eleanor? What strengths and assets does she already hold that are important to know about as you engage with her?
What resources or suggested next steps might you provide to Eleanor as she navigates her college application journey?
Are there resources in the Portland area you might recommend to Eleanor as she and her partner engage in early conversations around growing their family?
3. Critical Analysis and Concluding Remarks (1 page):
a. What are some of the broader social, structural, or political forces and/or policies that may be shaping each of the library patrons experiences?
b. Why is it important to remember the broader social context when working with families and communities?
c. When we work with an individual, family, or community, we never know their whole story. Even the fictional case studies above are especially brief glimpses of these characters lives. How would you feel working with each of the above library patrons? Are the services and resources you provide enough for each of them? Why or why not?
d. Taking off your hypothetical library social worker hat, conclude by sharing one learning from our class (CFS393 U) youd like to carry forward with you into your own professional life.