Advance Human Rights and Social, Economic, and Environment Justice
Social workers believe that every individual has basic human rights no matter what their status is in society. These basic human rights include freedom, safety, privacy, sufficient living standards, health care, and education. Social workers recognize the human rights violations happening globally and can recognize theories and strategies used to advocate for social and economic justice as well as human rights. Social workers strive to protect the civil, political, environmental, economic, social, and cultural human rights of individuals and seek to eliminate the barriers that stand in the way. Social workers:
- apply their understanding of social, economic, and environmental justice to advocate for human rights at the individual and system levels; and
- engage in practices that advance social, economic, and environmental justice.
Field Evidence:
Throughout my field experience, I had the opportunity to attend a board meeting for my agency. This allowed me to see how a board of directors works to advance the rights of the individuals that they serve. I also was able to attend multiple Senior Health and Aging Committee meetings at the Chattanooga Health Department. This was a committee of multi-disciplinary individuals coming together to address issues currently faced by our senior population here in Chattanooga and developing and discussing ways on how to move forward. During my internship, I was able to fill out an NASW CEU application for our all-day conference. This allowed us to host many different professionals and spread awareness about death and dying and working with these individuals.
Academic Evidence:
While taking Social Welfare Issues and Policies, I was able to be a part of a debate team that debated on the topic of open vs. closed southern United States borders. As a team, we developed an argument and presented it to the class. Here you can find our written debate notes. I was also able to research and learn more about delinquent adolescent behavior and the restorative programs out there designed to assist them. I also presented my findings on-campus research day which allowed me to raise awareness and advocate for these programs.