Serving communities is the primary mandate of practitioners in the social work profession. Every day, social workers commit their time and effort to ensure that the needs of their clients are met. However, to excel in their jobs, the social workers need to possess certain competencies and insights. Cultural competence is one of the skills that play a critical role in the life of social workers. Through cultural competence, the social workers are able to account for cultural dynamics in their interactions with client populations. In particular, cultural competence allows the social workers to understand the cultural backgrounds of clients and ensure that the services that they offer are in line with the cultural identities of clients. Thanks to my internship at the International Rescue Committee (IRC), I have recognized the critical role that cultural competence plays in allowing social workers to engage vulnerable populations from different cultural backgrounds.
Description of Agency
I serve as an intern at the New York division of the IRC. While the mandate of the IRC is broad, its primary mission is to deliver relief to such vulnerable populations as asylum seekers and immigrants. Thanks to the services that the agency offers, these populations have been able to transition smoothly to the new life in the United States. To these populations, the IRC offers a number of important services. Education coaching is one of these services. The IRC understands that students and their families encounter difficulties as they attempt to integrate into American society. To facilitate the integration process, it works with interns who help students with such subjects as mathematics and English. Thanks to the coaching services that the agency offers, most students and their families report significant improvements in their performance in class. What sets the IRC apart from other organizations with similar missions is that this agency offers its coaching services at no cost. Apart from coaching services, the IRC also offers limited financial support to asylum seekers and immigrants. This financial support plays a vital role in enabling these populations to achieve financial security and independence. Employment support is yet another service that the IRC delivers. The agency recognizes that its client population encounters hardships in the search for jobs. For example, some of the immigrants lack English language skills while others do not possess the qualifications that certain jobs require. To help them secure employment, the agency provides training and matches them to opportunities for which they are suited. While I work at the New York location of the IRC, this agency has a presence in other parts of the world. For example, Greece and the United Kingdom are among the nations that host the IRC. Born out of the ideas of such visionaries as Albert Einstein, the IRC continues to have profound impacts on vulnerable communities.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Client Population
In order to be effective, social workers need to focus their efforts on select client populations. As already mentioned, asylum seekers and immigrants constitute the client population that the IRC serves. As regards such issues as age, nationality, and presenting problems, this population is diverse. Primarily, I attend to students in elementary and high school. I also work with parents as part of the agency’s efforts to improve the academic performance of the students. While they are drawn from many different countries, most of the clients that we serve are from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal and various African countries. For most of these clients, the desire for a better life and the threat of conflict in their home countries is the primary motivation for moving to the United States. The clients present with a wide range of problems. While some of them need help securing employment, there are those who are worried that their children are not adjusting properly to the life in the US and blame this for the poor performance of the children. Another problem that some of the clients present with is difficulty integrating into American society. Most of these clients lack language skills and are therefore unable to fully participate in the American experience. Through its various units, the IRC endeavors to deliver help to all these clients. Whereas it is true that there are numerous features that set the clients apart from one another, there are some characteristics that unify them. Poverty and trauma are some of these characteristics. Nearly all of the clients are from poor backgrounds and in desperate need of financial support. Most of them have witnessed and suffered hardships and traumas that have left them with deep wounds. For example, some of the clients have fled war and civil strife in their countries. Through such services as financial support and employment training, the IRC seeks to deliver healing and hope.
Understanding of Roles
In a bid to ensure that its mission is fulfilled, the IRC has developed positions through which roles are assigned. As already stated, I serve as an intern. My primary role is to offer academic coaching. Essentially, this role involves helping students who are struggling with their studies. Mathematics and English are the main subjects on which my coaching focuses. I am proud that thanks to my involvement in the lives of the students and their families, tremendous improvement in academic performance has occurred. In addition to offering academic coaching, I am also required to reach out to students and families and inform them about the services that IRC offers. Most of those that I contact find the services to be important as seek further information regarding how they can receive these services. While it is true that my mandate is rather small compared to the larger mission of the IRC, I think that my role is important. It is thanks to the dedication and support of interns like me that the IRC has been able to pursue its mission.
Initial Impression
For many, new opportunities inspire excitement. This has been true for me. However, my reaction to the discovery that I would be working with asylum seekers and immigrants was characterized by anxiety and crippling fear. I was concerned that I was not adequately prepared to attend to the needs of this population. Specifically, I felt that my lack of training in education rendered me unqualified to serve as an academic coach. Another issue that defined my reaction was exhilaration. While I was anxious, I understood that my work at the IRC would offer new and exciting challenges. I was particularly excited about working with families that had fled war and conflict. I was looking forward to gaining an understanding of how their experiences have affected their lives. I am grateful for the opportunity to work at IRC as it has allowed me to see the world beyond my immediate environment.
My initial impression of my work at IRC had significant impacts on my engagement with the population that we served. Since I was initially anxious and lacked confidence, I was unable to interact with the populations with openness and trust. For example, I remember an encounter with a 12-year old student who had immigrated from Somali. He opened up about how terrorist attacks, poverty and insecurity forced his family to flee. Instead of opening up about my own struggles, I chose to remain cold and avoided intimate involvement. Looking back, I think that I should have used my own experiences to help our clients deal with their traumas and demons. While it had a negative impact on my interactions with the clients, I think that overall, my initial impression allowed me to develop realistic expectations.
Supervisory Structure
The success of any organization that offers humanitarian aid hinges on accountability. In an effort to enhance transparency and accountability, IRC has developed a supervisory structure that all employees are required to respect. I have been assigned a supervisor with whom I have meetings once every week. During the meetings, I deliver reports regarding my clients. The report details such issues as the problems that the clients face and the impact that IRC’s services have had on their lives. The meetings usually last one hour and I believe that this is an adequate amount of time to discuss my work with my supervisor. In addition to having to issue reports, the supervisory structure also has a learning element. My supervisor usually challenges me to read books on a wide range of subjects so as to expand my mind and improve my work. For example, recently, he advised me to read The Spirit Catches you and you fall down. Written by Annie Fadiman, this book addresses the role of cultural competence and multiculturism in social work. It challenges social workers to endeavor to understand and be sensitive to the cultural identities and backgrounds of their client populations.
Readings
Continuous and sustained learning is one of the basic pillars of social work. In order to understand the emerging trends and issues in the field, social workers need to engage in learning. IRC understands the value of learning. As noted above, part of the supervisory structure that the organization has adopted involves learning. I have already identified Fadiman’s text as one of the readings that have allowed me to gain deeper insights into social work. In addition to shedding light on the importance of cultural competence, this text also highlights the role of empathy. If they are to be effective in executing their mandate, social workers need to relate to the struggles, hopes and dreams of their clients. Through Fadiman’s book, I have also acquired a deeper understanding of the function that the IRC serves. This organization leverages cultural competence to offer vital services to vulnerable people who would otherwise be languishing in ignorance, isolation and poverty. Apart from Fadiman’s book, I have also read Direct Social Work Practice. This book addresses a wide range of issues. However, the subject that I found to be most intriguing is the role of the social worker. According to this book, social workers need to empower their clients by allowing them to make their own decisions. The social worker should refrain from making decisions for the clients. If they must, they should only guide the clients as they make choices. The book also challenges social workers to provide clients with the resources that they need to address their issues. Thanks to this book, I have understood that IRC is an important resource that addresses a real humanitarian issue. The book has also made it possible for me to recognize that clients have the power to work with social workers to improve their lives.
In conclusion, the IRC is one of the organizations in New York whose impact is evident. For years, this organization has endeavored to rescue and help vulnerable populations. Immigrants and asylum seekers remain the primary focus of the agency. Academic coaching, employment and financial support are some of the key services that the agency offers. In my time working for the agency, I have found fulfilment and a sense of purpose. The agency has allowed me to use my skills and experience to help others. I would strongly encourage others to work with organizations like the IRC which help defenseless communities.
