Public Discourse - End of Semester One

As I finish my Public Discourse class as a part of the DSW program at USC, I cannot believe the first semester is complete and I have only five more to go. The enthusiasm that I am sharing within my community is stirring up some interest among social workers.  Why?  Because although the MSW and LCSW were considered the terminal degree and licensure, the DSW adds an entirely new layer of canvas from which social workers can make a difference.

I have learned so much from this course, beginning on day one.  I walked into the virtual classroom nervous about speaking in front of others, and always trying to find the right time to stand up for myself and others but I leave now feeling more confident, more experienced and more comfortable with causing a ruckus.  

One of the tools that I learned from Public Discourse is that without discourse, nothing will change.  I am not okay with status quo because life is constantly evolving and there will always be a better way to live this journey.  I learned that it is okay to speak my mind, even if it comes out awkwardly, I need to speak up.  I have always known that I should try to be as respectful as possible when addressing things and now I trust myself to cause discourse because I am always conducting myself as respectfully as possible, and when I'm passionate, I am even more so respectful of those who are in need.  I need to let go of the worry and once in a while cause a BIG commotion.  

During this semester, I was able to stand up for legal and ethical issues going on at work and make a huge difference in the way personnel are guided and mentored.  I didn't get into trouble for speaking my mind because I was courteous yet absolutely effective!  In other words, you don't have to flip tables over, shout out profanities, and become enraged to be heard.  IN fact, I feel it is just the opposite in some circumstances.  I was taken seriously by higher command because I came from a position of concern and for the mission of our clinic.  I was heard.

The second tool that I learned from Public Discourse is how to utilize social media, such as this blog, to spread awareness.  It is amazing to see how many people are interested in fighting for the same causes.  And not to mention all the resources that each individual brings to the cause.

The third tool that I learned was the importance of diversity and cultural competence.  Not only taking into account the audience, but also the stakeholders and participants.  It is vital the success of a program to consider EVERYONE involved because every race, age, culture, sex, has something very unique to add and a fresh perspective is always a good idea.  The experience that every individual or group has can be utilized in forming and implementing new ideas and programs.

I plan to continue taking the approach of respectful advocacy at work as I try to build my career into a leadership role.  I want to be a leader who is transformational, open-minded, and one that will take everyone's perspective into account when decisions need to be made.

I will utilize all of the above-referenced tools to connect with the civilian and military communities to gain collaboration for designing and implementing prevention and treatment programs to address the effects of childhood psychological abuse.

The field of social work is about fighting for justice and although every plan starts with a need and then a plan, I intend to add a healthy dose of discourse into every development because through discourse, I will discover needs I may have never recognized otherwise.