Proper planning before carrying out a change in a community is crucial because it determines its success. Community organizing is a critical process when it comes to bringing a change in society. Community organizing enables people to identify common problems, mobilize resources, develop, and help in the implementation of strategies to achieve set goals and objectives. Social planning or policy change is one of the most effective community organization methods because it enables the entire community to come together and develop social problems that they face as a community.
The Community and the Problem
The youth in America are currently facing one of the formidable challenges of substance abuse than never before. The American children engage in drinking patterns that have increased their alcohol blood concentration above 0.08 percent more than the acceptable level for adults. Substance abuse and dependence on it have adverse effects on the life of an individual. Substances of abuse among the youth will lead to risky and potentially harmful behaviors, and it is essential to note that 60% to 70% of the children who abuse the drugs are prone to mental health disorders (Windle, 2016). Organizing the community to address this problem is critical towards saving the future of America. Parents, social worker agents, and psychologists should come together and help bring about change that will ensure American youths avoid the use and abuse of substances that significantly affect their lives.
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Summary of Problem Analysis
The problem of drug abuse among American youths is increasing at an alarming rate. Different studies indicate that the number of youths who engage in substance abuse has increased over the years. Teenagers engage in drug abuse because of peer pressure, make them feel good, and make others feel better. Some of the youths abuse the drugs because others are using them, and they fear being rejected from the social circle where all the peers are abusing drugs (Winters, Botzet, & Stinchfield, 2018). Another reason for abusing drugs is to make the youths feel good because they interact with the brain’s neurochemistry, resulting in a feeling of pleasure.
Some teenagers abuse drugs to make them feel better, especially those who suffer from mental disorders such as depression, anxiety, and physical pain. Using drugs could be an attempt to reduce the feeling of distress or pain among teenagers in America. In most cases, stress is usually the primary reason why young Americans start and continue using drugs, and others also return to substance use (Reisner, Greytak, & Parsons, 2015). Understanding the life experiences and problems that American youth face in everyday life is vital to addressing substance abuse.
In America, teenagers abuse a variety of drugs, both legal and illegal. Alcohol, prescribed medication, inhalants, and over-the-counter medications are some of the legal drugs that teenagers abuse in the United States. The average age of the teenagers who start abusing alcohol is 12 years, but in some cases, it can even begin as early as ten years (Henry et al., 2011). In some instances, teenagers in America use the medication of the family member or that of their friends to get high. The abuse of substances and problematic patterns associated with drugs can aggravate physical and mental health issues, failure in school, poor peer relationships, motor vehicle accidents, and place more stress on the family.
Abusing drugs can also lead to lifelong problems such as substance dependence, chronic health complications, and social and financial consequences. Parents and society at large play a critical role in preventing teenagers from abusing drugs. Having open communication concerning the drugs’ adverse effects, becoming good role models, ensuring responsible behavior, and playing an active role in recognizing the problem the moment it develops is important in addressing the problem. Monitoring and securing the prescription of pain killers such as opioids are essential towards ensuring that the youths are free from addiction and substance use (Denisco et al., 2011). Disposing medicines appropriately that are no longer used is also critical when fighting against drug abuse by teenagers.
When addressing the problem of substance use among the youth, it is crucial to incorporate the Positive Youth Development Theory that plays a critical role in providing the necessary supports that young people require to be successful. The theory also essential because it enables the youths to learn and develop positive relationships amongst themselves and establish good connections with the adults and the entire community (Bonell, Hinds, & Dickson, 2015). The potential barriers to problem resolution include a lack of cooperation between the parent and the community to ensure that no teenager engages in any drug abuse activity. If the parents, guards, and society fail to support social workers in addressing the problem, it will be difficult to control and regulate their behavior. The intervention hypothesis states that if the community raises awareness among the youths concerning the adverse effects of drug abuse, then the rate of substance abuse among the youth in America will reduce.
The System in which the Problem is Occurring
The problem of drug abuse among teenagers occurs in a system where youth have full freedom to decide what they want. Parents and guardians have also become busy. They no longer interact with their children to help identify destructive behaviors that may subject the teenagers to drug abuse and other criminal activities. The community has also failed to guide children appropriately and teach them good morals and ethics, allowing teenagers to engage in whatever activity comes to their minds (Brown & Hawkins, 2014). The community, parents, and guardians are responsible for setting role models and good morals that young children in society can emulate and enhance their acceptable behavior.
The context of intervention first focuses on educating the community, parents, and guardians about their responsibility and role in shaping the behavior and the activities of the youths. The intervention also focuses on raising awareness among the children concerning the adverse effects related to drug abuse. Combining the responsibility of parents, guardians, community and educating the victims of substance abuse, in this case, youth is paramount in addressing the problem of drug abuse among American teenagers (Netting et al., 2017). The primary role of the social work change agent is to ensure that the parents, guardians, and the entire community understands their roles in regulating the behavior among the teenagers and help address the problem of drug abuse. Another responsibility of the social change agent is to raise awareness among all the American youths concerning the short and long-term adverse effects of the abuse of drugs.
The System Readiness for Change
The system is ready to support the changes that will see the teenagers refrain from indulging in substance abuse, considering the adverse effects of drug abuse among the youth. The parents and children are open to supporting the change because they have been affected by drug abuse in one way or another. With the social work macro practice approach, parents are expected to respond positively and work together with the social change agents to ensure that a lasting solution to the substance abuse problem among the youth is established (Hemovich, Lac, & Crano, 2011). On the other hand, teenagers are also expected to support the move because drug abuse has caused them lives, education, and other essential opportunities.
One of the critical resources when carrying out this social change is information that enables the parents, community, and the youths to understand the effects of abusing various drugs. The parents, community, and children’s ability to take the responsibility to change is another critical resource that will ensure the success of implementing the intervention. The availability of devoted social change agents is another essential human resource necessary to implement the change and transform the youths' behavior (Bourn, 2016). The anticipated external opposition might come from enterprises selling drugs to teenagers because advising them to avoid purchasing the drug is a setback to the business.
Approach for Change
The social change approach involves educating and raising awareness among the community members, parents, and youth concerning the effects of substance abuse among teenagers. The program comprises three training sessions taking place on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday. The sensitization takes place both in schools, at workplaces, and at the community level. The aim is to train and raise awareness among the parents on handling teenagers and identifying changes in their behavior (Griffin & Botvin, 2010). The program also educates teenagers on the effects of abusing drugs on their physical health, academics, and relationships with other people in the community in the process of transforming their behavior and making them responsible individuals in society.
The social work macro practice approach is appropriate in initiating social change in the community because of the high chances to receive political will from politicians and the entire society. The program also utilizes the available resources to implement the change and ensure that it secures the future of American teenagers. The program is likely to succeed in addressing the problem of substance abuse among teenagers in America because it begins with the source of the problem, which is educating parents and the community to monitor closely the behavior of the children in the process preventing them from engaging in issues such as drug abuse (Botzet, Fahnhorst, & Winters, 2011). The program also targets youths enabling them to understand the side effects of using drugs and, in the end, discourages them.
Goals and Objectives
The goals and objectives that can be used to evaluate the intervention include educating the parents, guardians, and the community about the role they play in controlling the behavior of teenagers and raising awareness among the youths about the adverse effects of substance abuse. The ultimate goal of the intervention is to significantly reduce the number of children who engage in substance abuse and change their behavior to make them responsible citizens in the future. The goal with two outcome objectives is that raise awareness among the parents, community, and the youths about the negative implication of abusing drugs.
One of the outcome objectives is to reduce the number of youth in the community who indulge in substance abuse (Tripodi et al., 2010). The process objective about the goal is by the end of 6 months; social change agents will conduct a study on the youths who were victims of substance abuse to determine if they have changed. Another process objective is that by the end of the program, the youths will be contacted to assess their impact and how it influences their behavior. The last process objective is by the end of the program. The enterprises that sell alcohol and other medical prescriptions such as opioids will be contacted to determine the number of youths who visit their premises to purchase some of these drugs. The activity will involve assessing the situation at the end of the program to see changes in the number of youths who abuse drugs.
Conclusion
Community organizing is a necessary process that enables people in the community to identify common problems and mobilize resources to help implement the strategies to solve the issues that they are facing. In America, one of the main challenges in the community is the increasing number of teenagers who abuse drugs. Organizing the community to address this problem is critical towards saving the lives of the American youths. Substance abuse by teenagers occurs due to failure in the system responsible for ensuring good and acceptable behavior among the children. Parents and the community are responsible for shaping the behavior of the children preventing them from engaging in things such as using drugs and criminal activities. Educating both the community and youth about the effects of substance use is crucial in addressing the problem.
References
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