Why I am studying social work?
Social workers are instrumental in making a difference in the world and in advocating for those who can’t always advocate for themselves. This career path is perfect for someone who wishes to empower people who are most in need of assistance and be a force for change. At the very beginning, I had no idea why I was studying social work at all. Like many other students, I began this degree without understanding what I could accomplish with it or its significance. When I first began my degree program, social work was not a popular subject in Sri Lanka. It is a profession that is growing in Sri Lanka. However, social work is a very popular profession in many countries now, including our neighboring country, India.
My first social work talks vlog
Let’s explore what social work is and what social workers do.
Social work is a practice-based profession that promotes social change, development, cohesion, and the empowerment of people and communities. Social work practice involves the understanding of human development, behavior, and social, economic, and cultural institutions and interactions.
Social workers are professionals who aim to enhance overall well-being and help meet 8the basic and complex needs of communities and people. And they work with a wide variety of demographics and sorts of individuals, concentrating in particular on those who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty.
Let’s see the 3 levels of social work now, which each and every social work student must learn.
Micro, Mezzo, and macro social work are the three main levels of social work practice. Social workers support target populations in different ways at each level.
Micro Social Work: At the micro level, social workers provide one-on-one, family, and small-group services to individuals addressing a wide range of social issues.
Mezzo Social Work: Social workers who work at the mezzo level work with groups of people, such as in a school, prison, hospital, or neighborhood.
During my second field placement period a few months ago, I engaged in micro-social work. I worked on three cases and did some group work. I plan on making a video for you in the future with additional information about them. I am not talking about them now.
Macro Social Work: Policy-making, research and community-based initiatives are all included in macro-level social work. I am on my way to practicing macro social work in the very near future.
What can we get from working on these three levels?
You will learn how to make a positive impact. Social Workers listen to people's needs, from young children to people struggling with addictions, and help them to cope and improve their quality of life.
You can develop valuable skills - Skills such as how to communicate with a client, problem-solving, empathy, teamwork, and time management can be transferred to many different roles within the social work sector and other careers.
It will teach you things you never knew about yourself - The greatest lesson I got from social work is accepted. Who I am, What are my strengths and weaknesses?
You will meet like-minded people - social work allows me to meet people who want to make a difference and stand up for people’s rights. I have met a diverse range of people from all over the country who have all come together to make a change and who want to make a real impact on someone’s life. Not every profession can offer that.
Great opportunities - especially volunteer opportunities.
It teaches you the true value of things-social work showed me some of the most upsetting sides of humanity, and there will be times when it can seem hard to remove yourself from it. But I have begun to notice the good in people that I previously took for granted. I became extremely grateful for all that I have and realized that true wealth does not come from material things.
So, that's it for now. In the future, we'll talk more about social work. I understand that this is a new profession for us, Sri Lankans. However, social workers can play a significant part in the country's growth by empowering people.
Bye for now.
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