MSW 521: Watts Community Issues Final

This assignment aligned with the 2022 EPAS, Competency 3: Engage In Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion (ADEI) Practice, Competency 6: Engage with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities, and Competency 8: Intervene with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities. 

    I demonstrate the ability to engage with individuals and their communities through diverse and culturally responsive interventions. In my MSW Generalist Social Work Practice II course, there was a strong emphasis on practice with communities through a multicultural lens for oppressed groups. In this signature assignment, I leaned toward the association of the Watts community and how it is affected by present gang crime. The project notably opened a door of engagement with community members, city council members, schools, and other affected individuals. This assignment showcases how I understand addressing an ongoing issue and effectively approaching it through collaborating with active community participants. Completing this project gave me the skills to critically assess social problems in a given community and effectively apply competencies to implement interventions. 

I understand that the difference in life experiences of poverty, oppression, and other factors among children, youth, and families affects their well-being (Competency 3). I actively applied Competency 3 by understanding the social issue of gang crime through factors of poverty and oppression in the community of Watts, CA. Employing a collaborative approach influenced by CRT/I, I validated the lived experiences of community members regarding gang crime in a low-income community rather than relying solely on my perceptions or biases. This experience underscored the importance of acknowledging and valuing the perspectives of children, youth, and families in communities of color, a practice often overlooked.

Understanding theoretical perspectives, such as CRT/I and Person-in-Environment, allowed me to facilitate engagement with community members (Competency 6). I involved myself in outreach work within the community of Watts. I joined community meetings with the Watts Gang Task Force to discuss what is being done in the community with the utilization of CRT/I to ensure safety from gang crime and also how law enforcement is practicing nonviolent practice when interacting with gang members. I inherited community members' lived experiences and centered their voices in community meetings with a professional dedicated to gang crime and delinquency, Jorja Leap (UCLA Professor). In my years of experience, I have been comfortable with micro-skills (direct practice) rather than going out into the community and doing my part in engaging individuals to participate in social change. I built collaborative relationships with youth and their families by actively communicating with them about how the issue of gang crime has affected their living circumstances and well-being in their community.

Demonstrating acknowledgment towards utilizing evidence-informed interventions is crucial when wanting to achieve the goals of, in this case, the Watts community (Competency 8). Through community members' and organizations' interviews, with CRT/I application, I identified low socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, and social location as the factors contributing to the increase of gang crime in Watts, CA. I grew my community involvement skills, which, in professional terms, are known as mezzo skills. I validated community members' lived experiences in Watts, CA, and listened to what they wanted to change and implement to create a safer environment. Through such interactions, my team and I identified an evidence-based intervention needed in the Watts community to strengthen community safety and resources. My team and I strived to implement an intervention through a CRT/I approach to ensure easy application and accessibility for community members. Our proposed intervention was to create an anonymous hotline hosted by the Watts Gang Task Force and attended to by law enforcement to decrease gang crime. The intervention would create a safe way for community members to reach out for help or report a crime without fear of retaliation from gang members. For example, our controlling group was law enforcement, the neighborhood city council, and the host/action group, the Watts gang task force. Ultimately, our efforts in our proposed intervention aimed to foster a safer and sustainable environment within the Watts community. 

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