https://padlet.com/jadecurtis2004/fu205ivh1j7mykgr en-us 2023-03-08 00:13:48 UTC 2023-06-04 11:45:41 UTC hello@padlet.com jadecurtis2004 https://padlet.com/jadecurtis2004/fu205ivh1j7mykgr/wish/2516808779 The first week of this unit (and university) filled me nervousness but also with excitement. I am enthusiastic and eager to learn new concepts and gain more knowledge. 
Unfortunately I was unwell during the first week, but it was fortunate that there was only a lecture and that I could view it on Canvas.
I found the orientation lecture to this unit interesting as it was personally focused in the way Jen encouraged us to delve into our own values and beliefs and why we want to study this course. From my previous experience of completing my Diploma in Community Services at Tafe last year I have spent a lot of time reflecting on these questions already. Throughout my life I have always been a people focused person, and I genuinely enjoy talking to people and learning about their perspectives and stories. This sector suits my strengths as a person and it brings out the best in me. I have worked at Narbethong Special School for just over a year, when I'm working I feel like I'm fully myself in a way I don't always feel in my day to day life. 
I really enjoyed just being able to reflect this week and I'm excited to get further into the course.]]> 2023-03-14 22:40:50 UTC https://padlet.com/jadecurtis2004/fu205ivh1j7mykgr/wish/2516808779 jadecurtis2004 https://padlet.com/jadecurtis2004/fu205ivh1j7mykgr/wish/2520606844 This week we started to get more into the unit more heavily, with the addition of adding the first tutorial to the week besides the lecture. I got to meet some more people who are doing this unit in my tutorial which was nice. And I also got to discuss with them about how they are coping with uni and finding the course which was interesting. It feels good to start building some connections within this unit's tutorial group. I also enjoyed the discussion we had in class and how we got to discuss different topics in detail so when we collaborated it together it was a lot of really useful information. ]]> 2023-03-17 08:52:20 UTC https://padlet.com/jadecurtis2004/fu205ivh1j7mykgr/wish/2520606844 jadecurtis2004 https://padlet.com/jadecurtis2004/fu205ivh1j7mykgr/wish/2520625548 During this week I enjoyed getting into heavier topics content wise. I founds class discussions interesting and engaging and it made me think deeper about topics like Hegemony. For example I made the connection that an example of Hegemony is how girls are more encouraged to wear stereotypical 'male' clothing pieces like pants than boys are to wear stereotypical 'female' clothes. In this society it is culturally unacceptable for a boy/man to wear a dress because it's like they are taking their stance down negatively to a female level. While there is no problem for girls to wear pants because they are stepping up to the male level. We also went over our assignment criteria which was helpful.]]> 2023-03-17 09:12:24 UTC https://padlet.com/jadecurtis2004/fu205ivh1j7mykgr/wish/2520625548 jadecurtis2004 https://padlet.com/jadecurtis2004/fu205ivh1j7mykgr/wish/2550109475 During this week I discovered that I was truly unaware of how long the roots of the social work industry have existed. ]]> 2023-04-11 12:49:39 UTC https://padlet.com/jadecurtis2004/fu205ivh1j7mykgr/wish/2550109475 jadecurtis2004 https://padlet.com/jadecurtis2004/fu205ivh1j7mykgr/wish/2612025837 I went into this week already feeling as if I had a good understanding of the topic ethics and ethical practice, and ethics is normally more of a dry topic anyway so I wasn't expecting to be blown away. Obviously you can't break the law or be unkind or unfair etc. Although surprisingly for me I found this topic more interesting than I anticipated, it opened my mind to things I hadn't really thought about in depth before. That social work is a values based profession -  this shows why I am drawn to this type of career as I am a person who is known for my strong moral compass. Something I had never really considered is that social work the profession has their own standards of ethics that should be followed - most people who choose to be a social worker have ethics that align with the profession. And that people who don't may struggle in this line of work, for example, social justice is at the heart of the motivation for most social workers. If you don't really care or have any interest in social justice this work may not be appealing to you and you will find it difficult to see perspectives of some service users. So you probably won't be as strong of a worker.
The way you choose to project yourself as a worker is an ethical decision. You should be aware as a social worker of your own world, moral, cultural, historical and political views. But also remembering to take the context of the situation in  hand, people from different walks of life have different experiences to me so they possibly different views and that's okay - they are the experts in their own lives. I need to mesh my own ethics with the policies and procedure of the place I am working for.]]> 2023-06-01 16:49:31 UTC https://padlet.com/jadecurtis2004/fu205ivh1j7mykgr/wish/2612025837 jadecurtis2004 https://padlet.com/jadecurtis2004/fu205ivh1j7mykgr/wish/2613813959 Concluding this unit, this week's focus was on self care. I really appreciated the focus this unit gives this topic by dedicating it a week of content as I agree that it's really important as self care is something I am trying to implement more of in my life. Since this work sector is all about helping others I think people forget or they don't feel as if they have the time to think about how they are going until it's too late. 
Discussing topics of vicarious trauma, exhaustion and burnout and how to limit experiencing the effects by making sure self care is an important part of your routine as a social worker. Practicing activities such as journaling, meditation and keeping up socially with friends and family positively contributes to mental health and is a form of self care.
Although it is important to look at self-care from a critical social work point of view, that poor self-care is not the neoliberal view of the person being at fault, it transcends the individualistic perspective and acknowledges the necessity of structural change to support well-being.  I had never thought of self care this way from a critical point of view, that the reason people are getting fatigued is not always from the people we serve but the fact with have to keep battling against a broken system. 
I found this week's topic helpful for myself personally with tips for great self care - but also made me feel good that I am going into a work field where mental health and self care is something that is valued and supported.



]]> 2023-06-04 07:56:49 UTC https://padlet.com/jadecurtis2004/fu205ivh1j7mykgr/wish/2613813959