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Agency Overview
I had the fantastic pleasure of chatting with Alesia Ortiz, LMSW, the case manager of the
After8ToEducate agency, for the agency interview and tour. With a primary focus on high school
students, After8ToEducate is a charitable organization that provides services to homeless young
adults between the ages of 14 and 21. The organization provides residential and drop-in services.
These services include providing food, clothing, baths, and laundry facilities. In emergency or
transitional situations, they can house up to thirty-five people. Tutoring, job training, counseling,
and resources for family reunions are some of the organization's intellectual, emotional, and
social support services. In addition to the essential materials, the organization also offers these
services. Referrals and walk-ins are both acceptable forms of support for the organization. With
the Dallas Independent School District, After8ToEducate provides services to the Dallas/Fort
Worth community in Texas. To offer complete services, the organization has worked with other
charitable organizations. The Grant Haliburton Foundation and the Dallas Police Department are
two of their most essential partners in this endeavor. After8toEducate is looking for
organizations open to collaborating with them in the mental health field because this is where the
adolescents they serve have the most capacity for improvement.
In August, Alesia graduated with a Master of Social Work from the University of Texas
at Arlington. Shortly after that, she obtained her license to practice social work. Alesia worked at
After8toEducate on a part-time basis while she was pursuing her Master of Social Work degree.
After she received her licensure, she began working there full-time. As a caseworker, Alesia is
responsible for conducting touchpoints with the children who visit for their appointments. She
first determines their objectives and then devises a service plan that will allow the young people
to work toward achieving those objectives. Among these options are enrolling in tutoring,
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conducting job searches, receiving support in filling out job applications, applying to colleges,
receiving assistance with resumes, practicing interview skills, and so on. Many one-on-one
meetings with the young people and group gatherings are held. Because education is essential,
the staff emphasizes its significance to the young people who come to the facility.
In her statement, Alesia noted that due to her training in social work, she strongly
emphasizes boundaries and always thinks about ethics and professionalism. According to what
she said, "Open to a certain extent." Remember to be careful with the information you disclose
(A. Ortiz, personal communication, November 14, 2023).
Following the conclusion of our conversation, Alesia provided me with a few valuable
morsels that will undoubtedly serve as a source of inspiration for me as I progress further in my
social work career: You should always keep an open mind, but you should not let everything that
you encounter, interact with, or experience to alter who you are personally. Our work tends to do
that to some degree, but you should try not to let it change who you are. Try to include those
practices for self-care and limits in your routine.
Social Worker Roles
It is easy to understand why many people are interested in becoming social workers after
studying the profession in class and seeing examples at the agency. Still, unfortunately, not all of
them end up staying. Vital as it is, it may be a significant source of stress if you do not take the
time to care for yourself. Professionals in child welfare and community social work focus on
assisting families and communities in utilizing their assets to create nurturing environments for
children. However, there are times when social workers must step in and shield kids from
danger. Most of the youths served by After8toeducate either need more stable housing or feel
uncomfortable at home with their family, which puts them in the terrible position of having to
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sleep on the streets or use friends' couches. Fortunately, there are tools like After8. Collaborating
with the community to offer assistance and resources sounds fulfilling and crucial. It is an
important job that can improve people's daily lives. Although I am excited about taking on all
these tasks, I need help to think about how challenging it must be to cater to the varying
requirements of individuals with complex issues.
One of the reasons social workers should get formal education and training is to deal with
clients properly. While I recognize the potential benefits of this type of work with individuals, I
also acknowledge that providing practical assistance requires more than good intentions. The
task of a social worker is already tricky, and there are many ambiguities when dealing with
difficult circumstances. To become the most effective social worker I can be, I must be patient,
diligent, honest, empathic, compassionate, and open-minded. Core competencies for social
workers include being well-informed and adhering to professional standards of conduct,
participating in policy practice, advancing human rights and social, economic, and environmental
justice through practice-informed research and research-informed practice, including diverse
perspectives and differences in practice, and working with people, families, communities, and
organizations to assess, intervene, and evaluate their performance. Social workers have
developed a sense of belonging to their jobs due to their core abilities. Examples are the social
worker's critical thinking abilities, communication skills, and work ethic. As community
organizers, social workers assist with various social concerns and help bring disparate social
issues together. As a social worker, you must be able to identify your values and tell them apart
from your professional values. Personal experiences should not influence professional
judgments. Human rights, social fairness, economic equity, and environmental protection must
all be advanced in this context. No matter how terrible things become, every young person
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deserves fundamental human rights, including freedom, safety, privacy, a decent income, and
access to healthcare.
Personal Interest
Throughout the interview, I better understood the services offered to kids who are
homeless or in danger, which aligns with my interest in working with young people. During the
interview, I was given the chance to learn about the many different programs and resources
accessible to homeless and at-risk young people. My love of working with young people has
been further enhanced due to this experience, and it has also provided me with a more
exceptional knowledge of the issues they confront. I have better understood how I may assist and
empower these folks to help them triumph over their challenges and accomplish their objectives.
As a social worker, I aim to help individuals and families improve their social functioning and
overall well-being by providing support, resources, and interventions that address their unique
needs and challenges. It is to enhance the quality of life of individuals by assisting them with the
most basic and complex needs, focusing on the most marginalized and oppressed elements of
society. In Psalm 37:5-6, it is said to "dedicate all your actions to the Lord. If you believe in him,
he will take care of you.” Translation from New Living Translation (1996/2015): He will allow
your innocence to shine brightly like the dawn, and he will let the justice of your cause shine
brightly like the brightness of midday. You will be able to serve more people than you could ever
imagine if you make it your mission to assist those who are oppressed, follow God's will, and act
in a way that brings glory to God.
Faith
Since I had experienced traumatic events in the past, I was utterly opposed to working as
a social worker, working in child welfare, working in foster and adoption services, and other
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similar positions. The Lord, however, had other plans for me. I am now engaged in a task
extremely near to what I did not want to perform, and I am enjoying it! The passage from the
Bible that may be found in Proverbs 3:5-6 is exemplified well by my own life. "Having faith in
the Lord with all of your heart, and not relying on your understanding," the Bible says.
According to the King James Bible, published in 1769/2017, "In all thy ways acknowledge him,
and he shall direct thy paths." Regarding social workers' function, religion may often affect how
they view themselves. My religion would have involved my job if I had worked in this specific
practice context. For example, while doing any social work activity, it is essential to have faith in
oneself to be successful in helping other people. In addition, my religion would have been a
source of solace while I was under the stress of my profession. A person's religion may be the
only thing they have left when confronted with exceptionally challenging circumstances. As a
result, faith may function as a source of support that will assist the individual in overcoming
difficulties. Faith might affect your job depending on the discipline of social work that you work
in. Aside from providing our customers with spiritual assistance, we can also give them the
freedom to make decisions and investigate their beliefs. Faith is essential to how we incorporate
it into social work since we are required to understand religion and cultivate a spiritual and
holistic perspective of our clients and the environment in which they live.
Appreciation
Poverty, education, family conflict, and peace promotion are just a few of the current
societal concerns that social workers help alleviate. This class has helped me appreciate social
work's critical role in the modern world. I am excited to put my newfound knowledge to use by
improving the lives of underprivileged children and their families. The conversation taught me
much about people's mental, emotional, and social obstacles during tough times and how social
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workers deal with them. Working on these projects has broadened my understanding of social
work and given me a more profound respect for the many subspecialties within the field. My
newfound knowledge of the role of social workers in alleviating human suffering and advancing
social justice is deep. Workers' positive impacts on people's lives and communities have been
another thing I have picked up from this job. When discussions about helping the poor and
disadvantaged, especially children, come up, many people picture social workers. We social
workers serve people all the time, but this project taught me to realize that individuals have
different perspectives on social work, and it has only strengthened my resolve to study as much
as I can about the field. After the interview, I am confident in my abilities and enthusiasm for
this subject. I now better understand the many facets of social work, including the many roles,
experiences, difficulties, and beneficial effects social workers have on our society. I learned
much helpful knowledge that will be useful as I continue my education in social work.
Specifically, it gave me the chance to hear the perspective of someone actively involved in the
field of social work and who has first-hand knowledge of the challenges and rewards of the job.
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References
King James Bible. (2017). King James Bible Online. https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/
(Original work published 1769)
New Living Translation. (2015). New Living Translation. https://www.tyndale.com/nlt/
(Original work published 1996)
Richmond, G. D. S. (2015).HWhy I am a social worker: 25 Christians tell their life stories—
North American Association of Christians in Social Work.
