Marginalized Communities

My interest in social work was motivated by the need to help families in minority groups. Having been brought up in a neighborhood dominated by people of color, I understood poverty as a challenge among minority communities. At a tender age, I experienced challenges related to access to social amenities such as education and healthcare. There are different personal experiences that confirmed my interest in this profession. first, the struggles to enroll in a health insurance program in my childhood made me want to make a positive influence future generation. So, children in my neighborhood had inconsistencies in attending school leading to exposure to violent crimes and drug abuse. The negative experienced attributed to a developed passion for participating in social work to make a difference.

There are different factors that indicated that I needed professional education. Firstly, observations into the changes that were happening among the youth in a minority culture created the need to attain professional education. I watched young adults drop out of school due to social disincentives and poverty. In most cases, the young adults that are not able to complete their education are lured into drug peddling and usage. I realized that the only way I could change the situation was by getting to influence. Clearly, professional education was my best choice for solving the community problem in my neighborhood and at a larger scope. The other factor indicating the need for professional education included the need to portray a positive example that a person that has grown up in a troubled community could still make positive changes in society. Now, I resolved that I would work towards a professional education. My understanding of social work is derived from the need to make a positive change in a troubled community. So, social work is an integrated activity that involves contributing to activities which improve the general welfare of disadvantaged groups, persons in need as well as other areas without expecting payment in return. Among the factors that have contributed to my desire to understand and work with disadvantaged groups include; the need to rectify their lives and the understanding

of their challenges. Having lived amongst marginalized communities, I understand the challenges they face, the areas the system has failed them, and I have the insights on different courses of action that can be taken to solve their challenges. So, I developed an interest to work with the disadvantaged groups.

There are different groups and issues that I find challenging. The first issue is creating incentives that would break the vicious cycle of poverty among families in marginalized communities. The daily activities they face are systemic and versed with differences and challenges that can only be solved by breaking the vicious cycle of poverty. The groups that are most difficult dealing with include the youth that is already addicted to drugs or the ones that participate in organized criminal activities. The challenges in reaching out to these two groups are characterized by the fact that they have formed firm negatively motivated societies. In other cases, the social constructs have low reception to positive changes which make it difficult to infiltrate their social cocoons and impact on them.

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