Milestone 2
Milestone 2
Instructions
The second milestone for the final project includes three tasks:
- The Future of CP
Explain your vision for the future of CP. Include specific examples to illustrate key points. - Key Concepts
Identify and analyze at least five key concepts in CP. Reference course resources, articles, and professional experience as appropriate. - Stakeholder Perceptions
Answer the following questions:- Are the concepts identified readily agreed upon or contentious?
- How are the concepts understood by different stakeholder groups (police, educators, business owners, taxpayers, and so on) in the community? Provide specific examples to support your position.
A youth advocate acts in the best interest of the youths he or she is working with. The advocate must retrieve, identify, and use the information and expand resources that are available for youths to encourage promote access and explore ideas (MacRae, C. (2002). The main goal is to ensure that youth human rights are maintained. While also helping in skills development in many aspects of life, such as health, education, relationship, employment, and housing. I will aim at preventing youths from experiencing low self-esteem when interacting with people who are authoritative in their life’s such as teachers, lawyers, and judges. I must support youths in legal and social processes, mostly foster and homeless youths who lack family support. Also, I will help youths to maintain their feelings and perspective concerning systems or services. When youths go through systems or services such as juvenile justice, mental health, homeless or foster can mostly feel dehumanized. They can feel ignored, or they become traumatized. As youth advocates, I have to transform their lives when facing such situations and lead them into success and a stable path.
While as a counselor, I will work to meet the emotional and physical needs of youngsters. Acting as a role model, building trust, and providing a supportive relationship with the youths makes one persuasive. Aim to help youngsters to solve problems and create a healthy choice. To counsel them and guide them in a positive direction for their future. During a crisis, intervention is essential to prepare for rehabilitation after substance abuse issues or criminal issues. The creation of a relationship that builds trust helps in the development of a structured environment for youths
Community psychology is a branch of physiology that aims at understanding complex individual-environments interactions to bring social change, mostly to those who have limited opportunities and resources. Community psychological aspects have emerged in different countries. For instance, in the United States, it started in the 1960s at a time of social change when the country was involved in the war in Vietnam and civil rights movements. Many psychologies desired to be involved in these kinds of social issues. They extended their services to under-represented people and aim at prevention instead of treating psychological problems at the same time include members of the community in the change process. For the past few decades, community physiology has managed to create themes of social justice, prevention, and an ecological understanding of individuals within their environments. Community psychology, a distinct feature of being a value-driven science, aims at balancing objectivity. It is guided by a principle such as encouraging collaboration, respecting diversity, empowering communities, creating community sense, and advocating for policy change.
The community psychology field aims at preventing instead of just treating psychological and social issues (Jason,2019). The first and second-order change can bring change. First-order change helps in eliminating problems and deficits from an individualistic perspective, concentrating on people. In comparison, second-order change stresses understanding the cause of the problem and system change. Also, community phycology focuses on social justice because it is acknowledged that most social issues are brought by the unequal allocation of resources in society. Economic and social inequalities lead to mental illness, crime, unemployment, underemployment crime, and mental illness (Jason,2019). Social injustice is endorsed by community psychology through addressing or challenging unjust practices. For instance, there is a need for social justice orientation when working in urban schools dealing with overcrowded classes, lack of resources, gang activity in the community, or violence. Strategies in second-order change can be used in addressing the structures and systems causing the problem.
The criminal justice system can be perceived by social justice. Thus, imprisoning people with mental illnesses and substance disorders. Solution crime can be drug treatment provision and mental health care. To add, community psychology also consists of an ecological perspective. Different analyses can be used simultaneously in explaining human feelings, behaviors, and thoughts. These include social level (family upbringing), personal level (personality traits), a community like cultural norms, and societal level like public policies. Community psychologists need to realize that communities, society, and individuals are interconnected when using ecological perspectives. This aspect should consider when understanding and solving problems. Interdependence in the ecological principle indicates that there is mutual dependence among things, and everything is connected. For instance, if a person with substance disorder comes into an environment that consists of illegal activities and use of substances, there is a high chance of relapse, and they may return to prison. However, if they are provided with a safe place with employed people, this setting can bring positive impacts influencing an individual to look for a job and refrain from drug use. According to Stokols (2018), our understanding of social problems broadens the ecological model used in people- environment connections.
Community physiology started as a national movement focused at a more cost-effective and efficiency (Jason,2019). Community psychology was created in 1965 by the inaugural conference Swampscott, Massachusetts. However, its development influence by sociopolitical climates in the USA. The context of the field was defined by civil rights, anti-poverty, feminism, peace activist, and environmental awareness. It aimed at focusing on social problems such as racism and poverty that increases the risk of distress and disease rather than treating people when the problems have emerged. However, the conditions that gave rise to community psychology are still there. However, through research and community psychology principles, these issues are being contained.
Community psychology focuses on social justice because it is acknowledged that most social problems are brought by the unequal allocation of resources in society. Economic and social inequalities lead to mental illness, crime, unemployment, substance use, teenager’s pregnancy, crime, and mental illness among the youths. As the youth counselor and advocator, I have to address the issues while focusing on the source of social injustice. The study of community psychology will aid in understanding and addressing these issues through; focusing on the functioning and health of the youths. I will participate in research to establish and implement programs that help the youth. Creation and instituting after school program educating youths on the dangers of substance use and the impacts of mental health and prevention are essential. Also, programs can create to boost social skills in rehabilitation centers and homeless shelters to create job duties. After creating the program, as an advocate and a counselor, it is the role to evaluate the efficiency of the programs and interventions provided to youths.
In addition, Advocators can demand policy change or policy development. The role of youth advocates is to work with government agencies to establish health-promotion programs in the community. Advocates help youths at risk, youths who are socioeconomically disadvantaged, and incarcerated youths’ adults. Youth advocates and councilors should take part in research and analysis to understand the problems facing the youths and come up with the best methods that can be used in addressing the issue. Research and analysis need community physiology because qualitative and quantitative methods are used. Also, mixed research can be used because it helps understand the context and the complexity of social problems. Besides, action-oriented research can be used because it involves a wide range of evaluation methods that can be connected when doing research and taking actions.
Moreover, Community psychology has helped realize that it is important to take action and get the problem under control from the source. The counseling will broaden from an individual level to a community level. Therefore, these problems, such as substance use, teenage pregnancies, and mental illness, will reduce. Identification of the cause of the issues helps in the title of a suitable solution. Furthermore, the knowledge gained from community psychology allows one to create a relationship with organizations and community leaders. We can work collaboratively on addressing issues faced by youths in the community. For example, to address youth homelessness, one has to bring together representatives from law enforcement agencies and local churches to develop a clear plan to address the problem. Advocators must establish the central goal of giving shelter to the homeless youths and organize stakeholders so that the goal can succeed.
In conclusion, community psychology aims at preventing instead of just treating psychological and social issues. The knowledge obtained from community psychology helps youth advocators and counselors to retrieve, identify, and use the information. Thus, expand resources that are available for youths to encourage promote access and explore ideas. Also, it helps in addressing issues faced by youths in the society.
References
Jason, L. A., Glantsman, O., O’Brien, J. F., &Ramian, K. N. (2019). Introduction to the field of Community Psychology. Introduction to Community Psychology. Retrieved from: https://press.rebus.community/introductiontocommunitypsychology/chapter/intro-to community-psychology//
Jason, L. A., Glantsman, O., O’Brien, J. F., &Ramian, K. N. (2019). Introduction to Community Psychology: Becoming an Agent of Change. Retrieved from: https://via.library.depaul.edu/cshtextbooks/1//
MacRae, C. (2002). A quarter-century of VOYA: visible acts of youth advocacy. Voice of Youth Advocates, 25(1), 5 Retrieved from: https://mixituplis.wordpress.com/2011/11/10/what is-youth-advocacy//
Stokols, D. (2018). Social ecology in the digital age: Solving complex problems in a globalized world. Academic Pre Retrieved from: https://www.academia.edu/35386543/Social_Ecology_in_the_Digital_Age_Solving_C mplex_Problems_in_a_Globalized_Worlds./
Leave a Reply
Want to join the discussion?Feel free to contribute!