Over the last few decades, American culture has become one of the most socially and culturally diverse as compared to other cultures internationally. However, what appears to be perfect as a whole is starting to show some cracks. Particularly, the biggest social problem I have encountered was the ethnic conflict in my community. The younger generations (millennials and generation X) are among the most ethnically, culturally, and socially diverse population in American history (Kurz et al., 2019; Reiser et al., 2019). Furthermore, they have grown in a community that identifies diversity and is attempting to not only improve the acceptance rates of diversity but also celebrate it (Dimock, 2019). My community, however, is still struggling to overcome the consequences of the country’s history with slavery and immigration.
Currently, the three different groups with conflicting cultures in my community are white and black Americans and immigrants from other countries who settled in the are long enough for our cultures to interact. With cultural interaction, ethnic problems have been increasingly noticeable. These problems have been present in different parts of the community, from the schools to churches and workplaces, among others. For instance, there have been recent violent protests that are leaving irreparable scars in the community.
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Why I Need to Solve the Social Problem
I would like to solve the ethnic conflict problems in my community. I believe that though I am not directly responsible for creating them, I do not want to let them continue to damage us. Our predecessors faced the same problems, and though there might have been efforts to solve them, they were not effective. It might also be that things are regressing because we are starting to be lax. Furthermore, I do not want the next generation to inherit the same problems because it would mean I failed.
The Action Plan to Effect Social Change in my Community
The choice of which strategies to choose from requires an understanding the purpose and objectives the plan should achieve. My plan of action aims to unite the diverse members of my community in celebration of their diversity. Achieving the objectives, therefore, require a two-step plan. The first step will be to solve the ethnic conflict that occurred recently. The second step will be to put in measures to reduce the likelihood of ethnic and cultural differences from separating the community further.
The first step will require cooperation with community members. As a social worker, I know a few individuals who would be happy to lend a hand. What we need is a common problem whose solution requires our collective effort Due to the pandemic, most of the older adults, compared to other age groups, have been affected because the risk of acquiring the infection is higher, accompanied by a higher mortality rate (Monahan et al., 2020; Shahid et al., 2020). Therefore, I would organize for members of the community to come together and give them a hand. For instance, my friends and I visit some of our older neighbors three times a week to not only check up on them but also bring them basic necessities. I plan to scale up and have youths all over the community looking out for the older adults living close regardless of their ethnic or cultural differences. Success with the plan will bring us together in a common cause, creating the foundation for future interactions and progress.
The second step will target the children, especially those returning to school. The focus will be on the school administration to teach the children about cultural diversity, acceptance, and how to celebrate it. The emphasis, however, is not spreading cultural awareness but making sure the children understand why we need to accept each other. Succeeding in the second step of the plan will ensure that the children are more likely to internalize the lessons into personal beliefs, practice, and spread them in the future. As a result, I will have halted the generational transfer of social problems. There are bound to be challenges, however. For instance, the lessons on accepting diversity taught in school will be hard to practice if the other community members, especially parents, complain about the curriculum. Furthermore, cultural beliefs passed down through families will be competing with the curriculum.
How my Efforts Address the Social Problem
In the first step of the plan, I aim to bring the community together with a common cause. As a result, they are less likely to complain that the schools are focusing on different things, thus affecting the future of the children. Once the resistance from the adults is reduced, the children will get the opportunity to choose what to believe without their parents and loved ones pressuring them. Furthermore, once the plan is successful, it will have a long-term impact. Additionally, there is little to be done in the future to maintain the changes because once the children turn into functioning members of the community, they are more likely to pass their beliefs to the children than rejecting them. In other words, the plan is effective because it stops the intergenerational transfer of social beliefs and problems.
References
Dimock, M. (2019). Defining generations: Where Millennials end and Generation Z begins. Pew Research Center , 17 , 1-7.
Kurz, C. J., Li, G., & Vine, D. J. (2019). Are millennials different?. In Handbook of US Consumer Economics (pp. 193-232). Academic Press.
Monahan, C., Macdonald, J., Lytle, A., Apriceno, M., & Levy, S. R. (2020). COVID-19 and ageism: How positive and negative responses impact older adults and society. American Psychologist .
Reiser, C., Van Vreede, V., & Petty, E. M. (2019). Genetic counselor workforce generational diversity: Millennials to Baby Boomers. Journal of Genetic Counseling , 28 (4), 730-737.
Shahid, Z., Kalayanamitra, R., McClafferty, B., Kepko, D., Ramgobin, D., Patel, R., ... & Jones, K. (2020). COVID‐19 and older adults: what we know. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society , 68 (5), 926-929.
