Intercultural Competence, Self-Assessment, and Work Plan

Intercultural Competence, Self-Assessment, and Work Plan

PART 1: REFLECTION ON PROFESSIONAL GOALS AND INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE

1. Briefly discuss your professional interests and your anticipated area of specialization within the USC School of Social Work. (5 Points)

As a Black girl born into a predominantly African American culture and schooled in largely White schools, I have often dreamed of venturing into public and social advocacy to educate and enlighten my fellow African Americans, especially women and other racial groups that constantly have to deal with aggression, discrimination, and prejudice from the dominant Whites. Therefore, I intend to specialize in Social Work and Public Policy within the USC School of Social Work by enrolling in the college’s doctoral program. The knowledge I will acquire in this course will help me address the 21^st-century challenges faced by disadvantaged groups (Volckmar-Eeg, & Enoksen, 2020). I will also be able to perform advocacy and policy analysis and venture into research, especially to explore the influence of the intersectional factors (race, gender, religion, and sexual orientation) on the health and wellbeing of people of color or other minority or disadvantaged communities.

2. Briefly discuss the type of position you hope to obtain and the organizational setting in which you hope to practice immediately after graduation. (5 Points)

After graduation, I hope to obtain a clinical social work license (specifically an LCWS license) to be able to engage in social work in the field. Specifically, I would wish to work in an organization that advocates for public and social policy, for example, the “Black Lives Matter” group, if even such an organization truly structurally exists with offices and decentralized functions. I would like to serve as the chief executive or head of such an institution. As an African American, I have seen my male brothers wrongfully arrested, accused, and even brutally shot and killed by racist police officers just because of their skin color. Least expected, judges have also subverted the rule of law by wrongfully convicting African Americans even when the evidence presented in the court of law evidently exonerates them (Boyd, 2016). I have also time and again been disadvantaged due to implicit bias and institutional discrimination in schools, healthcare settings (such as the issuance of insurance bonuses), work environments (low pay, lack of promotion, and no retirement benefits), and all sectors of the economy. I feel my newly attained position and level of education will give me adequate knowledge and more power to influence social and public policy at the national level.

3. Thinking about your professional interests and goals, briefly discuss your assessment of your current level of intercultural competence for the specialty area and organizational setting in which you hope to practice, that is, your ability to effectively apply an intersectional lens across All phases of professional social work practice, including (a) engagement, (b) assessment, (c) intervention, and (d) evaluation. In your assessment, consider different dimensions of your competence in terms of values, knowledge, and skills. Discuss both your existing strengths and potential for growth within this class in terms of these dimensions of competence in each phase of practice.
4. Engagement (5 Points).

Having grown from a predominantly disadvantaged African American community, I have been taught at a very tender age the importance of collaboration and good communication. Over the years, I have also developed a go-getter spirit. I am a fearless woman who understands what it takes to get things done in the most ethical and professional manner or, simply put, without intimidation or corruption. I am a team player who also knows how to engage, collaborate, and work with others. I know how to get everybody on board or to express themselves fully without fear. However, I still acknowledge the fact that I also occasionally fall victim to implicit bias and might tend to make decisions or feel sorry for people of my ethnic group, even when they might be in the wrong. This class will equip me with cultural competence skills that will help me overcome my implicit bias and perform fairly well as the head of a social and public policy advocacy organization or movement (Watts & Hodgson, 2019).

1. Assessment (5 Points)

Having been born into a middle-class woman, I have had the opportunity of looking at the topic of racism and discrimination from both ends, meaning that I have developed the cultural competence to make non-biased assessments and judgments. I have lived and made friends with unbiased Whites (both males and females) and have total respect for all racial groups, including minorities such as Native Americans, Hispanics, and African Americans. I have also interacted with Whites that are completely biased and trivialize ethnic minorities, often viewing them as incapacitated academically and in the workplace. Equally, I have interacted with people from ethnic minorities that are either biased or unbiased towards other racial groups. In spite of this ability to make culturally competent assessments, I still struggle with fully embracing Whites as non-biased people.

1. Intervention (5 Points)

I also think that I have, over the years, developed a unique intercultural competence and ability to implement non-biased interventions, solutions, and strategies. As I have mentioned before, I have been, on numerous occasions, looked down upon because of my gender, race, and skin color, sexual orientation (bisexual), and religious connection (Baptist). Therefore, I have learned the specific words, tones, and language (or slang) that can be offensive or insulting when addressed to people from a different cultural group. For example, I understand that the terms “Negro” and “White boy” are hateful and are often used to demean the African American male or white male, respectively. Therefore, as a leader of a social and policy advocacy organization, I believe these kinds of stereotyping words would not be part of the language code in the organization.

1. Evaluation (5 Points)

Just as I indicated above, I have been a victim of several racially-motivated micro-aggressions, and I have developed the cultural sensitivity and competence to evaluate biased beliefs, behaviors, perceptions, ideas, policies, attitudes, values, and people. As a future public and social policy advocacy group leader, I am better positioned to recognize bias in every socio-economic setting. I was born into a predominantly Black community, and I have also schooled and worked with Whites and other minority groups like Hispanics. However, I am sometimes inclined to make decisions that favor minority groups because of my belief that a majority, not all, whites trivialize and oppress African Americans and other disadvantaged groups.

PART 2: SELF-ASSESSMENT OF COMFORT AND SAFETY (25 POINTS)

1. List and briefly describe the kinds of people, values, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors that make you feel uncomfortable (5 Points)

I personally feel uncomfortable with racists and biased individuals. As an African American girl, I have often encountered people who trivialized, belittled, and doubted my ability to excel in school and perform well in the workplace. Naturally, because of my race, they are those (especially from the White ethnic group) who tend to believe that I am less capable of handling leadership positions or executing technical tasks. Similarly, as a woman, I have had to deal with male chauvinists who have looked down upon me, trivializing and questioning even my own religious affiliation (Baptist member). For those reasons, I have developed natural hatred, hostility, and repulsion for people who disrespect others or, simply put, those who are biased towards others because of their sexual orientation, religious affiliation, political stand, gender, age, race, or disability.

2. What are some of the experiences and reasons that might explain why you feel this way (5 Points)?

Yes, as I have on numerous occasions mentioned, I have been a victim of sexual harassment several times because of being bisexual and also denied employment opportunities due to my gender and ethnicity. I have also been regularly called upon to pray because of my connection to the Baptist church, even when I am unwilling to do so. People have often questioned my academic ability and potential to succeed in demanding work environments dominated by Whites. For those reasons, I have naturally disliked stereotypes directed at me because of my color, gender, sexual orientation, or religion.

3. List and briefly describe the kinds of people, values, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors that make you feel unsafe (5 Points).

Personally, words and conversations with a stereotype attached always make me scared as hell. For example, whenever the word Negro or African American is attached to a conversation, I always have a feeling that the conversation is about to get nasty or go wrong. I rarely feel safe working in such environments or interacting with people that use such racially-inclined words, especially if they are from a different ethnic community, particularly if they are Whites.

4. What are some of the experiences and reasons that might explain why you feel this way (5 Points)?

I was born into a middle-class family, meaning that my parents had the financial might to take me to predominantly White schools. In my primary school, just less than 1 percent of the student population was Black, and just below 2 percent of the teachers were also from the African American community. All my teachers from grades 1 to 5 were Whites. One specific incident that made me feel unsafe about racial stereotypes was in grade three. This White little girl used to call me all sorts of abusive names, like Black chocolate, poor girl, stupid girl, and so on. One day I confronted her, and she reported me to the class teacher (a White lady probably in her 50s). Rather than listening to both sides of the story, she turned against me with even worse insults and threatened to report me to the school principal. She did all these while parading me in front of the class.

5. In what ways might these experiences and feelings of discomfort and lack of safety influence your ability to carry out your professional responsibilities and to achieve the professional goals you reflected on this part 1 (5 Points)?

Even though I was scared and felt worthless at the moment, I developed a thick skin towards racial slurs. I vowed one day to champion a social course that would aim to bring equality in the country and completely neutralize discrimination, particularly the notion that “we-are-better-than-them” or “this-community-is-incapable-of doing-this-or-that.” Specifically, I want to join a public and social advocacy organization after graduating to give a voice to kids or youngsters from disadvantaged communities, encouraging them that they can as well succeed in academics, get better-paying jobs, and live in safer neighborhoods. I want to create an America where every child would feel safe at school, play, or live in any setting (school, neighborhood, and so on) without fearing for their safety or lives. I will only achieve this by holding a powerful position that can give me the authority to lobby and craft non-discriminatory policies.

PART 3: INDIVIDUALIZED LEARNING PLAN

Competency Components to Address	Professional Development Goals (20 POINTS)	Proposed Strategies and Activities (please individualize) (20 POINTS)	Target Date to Complete Strategies and Activities (1 POINT)	Indicators of Change and Achievement (4 POINTS)
1)      Values	1.       Service 2.       Social justice 3.       Dignity and worth of people 4.       Integrity	-Cultural events or activities -Community or neighborhood immersions -professional development training	2021-2025	-Equality in the community in terms of resources and opportunity distribution -Social justice observed
2)      Knowledge	1.       Improve cultural competence 2.       Understand comparative social science theories 3.       21-century issues 4.       Policy analysis and social justice advocacy	-professional development training -professional readings -cultural activities or events -visits to professional organizations	2021-2022	-Development of the ability to make non-prejudiced judgments -Can apply comparative social science theories
3)      Skills	1.       communication skills 2.       Problem-solving skills 3.       Engagement, assessment, intervention, and evaluation skill 4.       Advanced research statistics and methods	-Informal discussions -Information discussions -Interviews -Professional readings Non-professional readings -Cultural activities or events	2021-2022	Development of the ability to communicate effectively using a neutral, non-biased language
4)Cognitive and Affective Reactions	1.       Non-judgmental, non-partisan, non-violent, tolerant, broad-minded, unbiased, and permissive	-Professional readings -Movies, documentaries, plays, or artistic events -Professional development readings	2021-2022	Develops the ability to look at issues from a broad mind, without reacting violently or judging people based on their race, religion, sexual orientation, gender, or disability

References

Boyd, C. L. (2016). Representation on the courts? The effects of trial judges’ sex and race. Political Research Quarterly, 69(4), 788-799.

Volckmar-Eeg, M. G., & Enoksen, E. (2020). Navigating the multifaceted landscape of culture and social work: A qualitative evidence synthesis of cultural competence and cultural sensitivity in practice. Journal of Comparative Social Work, 15(2).

Watts, L., & Hodgson, D. (2019). Social justice theory and practice for social work. Springer.

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Intercultural Competence, Self-Assessment, and Work Plan

SOWK 630 Assignment 2