Instructions for Immersion Page I am focusing on over Emotions Anonymous (EA) 12-Step Program of recovery in Bowling Green KY and discuss all competencies in social work practice Each student is required to choose a community unfamiliar to them (cultural, racial, religious, or otherwise-if you are unsure double check with your professor prior to completing this assignment) and do a mini cultural-immersion experience. The mini immersion must be IN PERSON within the duration of this class. An experience outside of the duration of this class does not qualify and results in a zero. Do not write about an experience that occurred before this class. Examples of an immersion experience include houses of worship (mosque, temple, minority church, etc.), LGBTQ gatherings, culturally specific weddings, volunteer experience with mentally and physically challenged, attend specific types of meetings such as AA or NA, etc. This must be a group with which you are NOT familiar. If you do not personally immerse yourself, you receive a failing grade for the paper. As a part of professionalism, it is imperative that you reach out (in advance if possible) and identify yourself as a visitor, a social work student, and that you are completing a course project. This falls under ethical interactions and relationships, a social worker (student) should never present themselves without transparency and integrity. The following must be included in your paper: 1. Introduction: what community did you select? Why? Define the community, terminology, any pertinent information to contextualize the remainder of the assignment. Competency 2.1 2. Background Research: provide overview of literature reviewed in preparation for this experience (at least one peer reviewed article and one reputable internet source, i.e. Human Rights Campaign, CSWE, UN, PBS, etc.). Demonstrate critical thought in consumption of literation (Are there questions you have based on the literature? Is the literature consistent? What gaps did you notice? What are you left wondering or wanting to understand further?). Competencies 4.1 and 4.2 3. Immersion: When and how did you immerse yourself? What was the occasion? How were you able to identify yourself? Did you have someone to guide you or introduce you? Discuss the logistics of your immersion and how you made this possible. Competency 1.3 4. Describe the new culture in which you found yourself, especially in relation to what your understood about the culture through your previous research. Competency 9.4 5. Did you find value differences? If so, would you be able to manage personal values and maintain professionalism in practice with this culture? If you have strong value differences, what training/supervision do you envision requiring to bring you to a place Page 2 of 2 where you can professionally assist this population as a social worker? Competencies 1.2 and 2.3 6. Describe the social context for this culture (social context is defined as: power and privilege, social class, minority/majority, prejudice, coping, etc.). Competency 3.1 7. Talk about the people you met during this experience and share some of those conversations. Did you form any relationships? Discuss. Competency 6.2 8. Does the group of your choice have unique human rights, social and economic justice issues? How/why/what are the issues? Are there systemic solutions being worked on (ex. new policies, laws)? Competency 3.1 9. Consider what type of skills you should develop in order to become competent and capable of a dialogue within this culture. Remember the premise of this course – a culturally aware/prepared/learned/superior practitioner has relational and dialogical competencies. Competency 7.1 10. What do you imagine you could do to serve this culture? Research and discuss previously identified needs for the community in which you immersed yourself in. Does this align with your own perceptions of their needs or ways in which you could serve the community? Competency 9.3 11. How was the immersion? What did you feel that was unexpected? Describe your newfound cultural awareness and describe your changed self (self-awareness). 12. How/what do you feel about cultural competence that is different compared to the beginning of this course? Competency 1.2 13. Demonstration of terminology and skills both in student writing and in application to the immersion experience. This means that as you write about this experience you are able to use acquired terminology and vocabulary indicative of professional knowledge gained throughout the reading and processing of the text. As you discuss your experience, use of accurate professional terminology demonstrates you understand the skills and experiences within the context of a developing professional.
