Box City was an event that helps raise awareness about homelessness in our communities. Together with Family Promise, students from the Masters in Social Work Program at California State University, Fullerton helped raised in-kind and monetary donations to help support individuals who are experiencing homelessness. Participating in this event provided me with the opportunity to grow as a social worker. It helped strengthen my professional skills in advocacy, leadership development, fundraising, service-coordination, networking, knowledge of community and social systems, and how to empower those who are powerless in our communities. At the same time, it helped me better understand some of the challenges faced by homeless individuals and …show more content…
As social workers, we organize within our communities in hopes to generate power to the powerless. While I thought being a social worker only meant helping clients on an individual level, it is also essential to understand clients by the challenges faced daily within their environment. By participating in Box City, I learned how to successfully organize and work towards empowering individuals by helping them mobilize, obtain resources and develop strategies that promote their wellness. My goal was to influence the community to mobilize in efforts to combat homelessness and to help increase the voice of those who are unheard. One element of this event that impacted my personal and professional growth was seeing first hand the impact that our event had on homeless individuals and families, as well as, other members of the community, such as those that donated to our cause or stopped by to ask questions about Box City. For me, it was a moment to reflect on the impact that I can have on others. In this situation, my strategy was to advocate for my clients by educating and raising awareness about homelessness to at least one person. My objective was to get that one person to hopefully share the information with friends and family, which will help spread the word and encourage them to help those in need. At the same time, I reached out to local agencies to encourage them to bring their clients and attend Disbursement Day in order for them to obtain the gathered resources, such as the in-kind and monetary donations. Hopefully, these strategies and resources will benefit the client’s wellbeing and empower the individual and families, which will give them a chance to a better