#output5

[hanvifrost]

Output # 5

Being a Social Worker Helping The Unknowns

First thing first it was awkward but in the end relieving why?  Being a social worker means helping other people but since a single or even a group of people can't change the whole world's perspective about other humans a social worker can only change the problematic person's perspective instead but only if the social worker is sincere in helping other people,  caring to other people, but if a social worker just treat their job as a chore that needed to be done immediately then it isn't good enough. When I tried to be a social worker through the use of social media with the intention of helping other people intentionally but also anonymously it was awkward.

Awkward because I was a stranger to them that suddenly commented to their account, and they were also stranger to me that I suddenly talked with and there were times that I was misunderstood a final action that forced me to make another facebook account with the sole purpose of doing that activity, being a social worker through the use of media.

When I first used my official facebook account I was scared and started to think of many what if's like what if they posted what I said to them (which were honestly cheesy words that even thinking about it makes me blush because I talked to them like I was their friends for seven years even though we were really just strangers) or what if I was the one who misunderstood what they posted about (and because I am very lucky it had happened, I comforted someone that wasn't really the purpose why he posted that post and yet my effort was still appreciated so it was still a win-win situation) or what if my purpose was misunderstood (which once again actually happened my reply to a man's post was interpreted as a "flirting" to him and one of the reason I made a new accounts so that people who misunderstood my intention can't have a access of communication to me.

But in the end the feeling of helping strangers even through facebook made me happy, just knowing that they know how even in their darkest time of their life there are still someone, even though that someone is a stranger,  that cares for them and how all they need to do is for them to ask for comfort or just say what they feel like.

My first memorable conversation was with Natasha R-Hernandez which I actually continues to talk with because her problem was about love life which I totally don't know about because I don't have an experience in love life but for Natasha to share her experience with love life added my knowledge and even experiences about having a significant other.  Her problem was about her boyfriend that suddenly became cold to her that lead to a break up between the two of them, I am happy that she continues to progress in forgetting and forgiving her ex-boyfriend with my help.

Second will be with a girl having a problem with her parents that aren't satisfied with her grades, it was memorable to me because I also experience the same thing so not only did I comforted her but I also shared what I did when my parents did the same thing. I was sad that a person younger than me, a junior highschool student, experienced the pain of feeling like being never enough to the eyes of their parents because aren't they supposed to be the one who guide us?  love us? Grades aren't all about life, yes it is important but life doesn't rotate around grades, for me life revolve around being happy. So just knowing that I, even by little, changed her perspective about grades,life and parents made me happy.

For me if we shared out problems to other people it can lessen, making us worry about our problem will only worsen it and makes the problem even bigger than before.

So if we feel like being in stress, depress or etc.  Talk to your family, friends or even strangers the problem might not go away but by sharing or talking about it changes your perspective about the struggles you are currently facing.

[hanvifrost]

Output no. 5

Day no. 2 (Saturday)

Worms and Carbonara

 Second Day of work immersion and once again in morning shift luckily I am now in the correct group, which is group 2 since the shift of yesterday was done different than I was supposed to be in because of my college exam inquiry.

Now I am with Yumi and the others but I have noticed that the boys which are Theo and Joshua are outside the house while the girls are inside being cool with the electric fan. Getting bored inside the house while playing with the kids I got out to sit with Joshua and Theo when after a few minutes of just being awkward I saw the youngest girl of Ate Roselle’s children empting her stomach but something white instead was going out her butt.

It was a white worm that had gone out of the girl’s butt, since Joshua is a gentleman he look away while Theo and I just sat and watch the show.

I know that people can have a worm inside their stomach but it is my first time seeing it go out of the body of a human without surgery (via facebook) and so I was culture shock by it that I can’t look away and even though time passed buy I can’t forget how to white worms wiggle and dance.

While attempting to make the image go away that is when I noticed how dirty the place is and how the kids would play with the canal’s items that they can get. Jus like the image above, It is a girl that just got her new toy from the canal just near our family community are.

[eddielynntoledo-blog]

Output #5: Day 2 (Saturday)

Hello, trainees        

Today’s agenda: identifying SWOT (Strength, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats) of particular community in Barangay Maliksi I.

But before that, we tried to see the Barangay officials to discuss about our 2nd day presence. Then we met up again our adopted family, Cisneros Family / “The family of Mama Jemma” orienting them that we would observe and adapt to their community first. We walked from the Barangay Hall up to mama Jemma’s house back and forth.

Moreover, I had my first volleyball ‘trainees’ after I borrowed a ball from a random kid in the covered court (see the picture above) then I offered some tutorials after 5-6 children.

Then, we played ‘tamang tao’, a game composed of 2 opposing teams, the first group is stationed from two ends, then pitching the ball back and forth; and the opposing teams must avoid the ball being passed to prolong their turn. [Segue] The last time played ‘tamang tao’ when I was in 7th grade in Junior High School with my classmates. It brought back good memories.

As I have mentioned, here are the most SWOT identified:

1.    Strengths- near the coastline = fishery is dominant way of living.

2.    Weakness – narrow pathway through the poor community = low efficiency of transportation of services (e.g. construction working)

3.    Opportunities – for children, the community is surrounded by school and ‘talipapa’. For adult, anybody can start fishing without an academic degree.

4.    Threats – Tsunami prone area since it is close to shoreline.

[lalalalalance]

[DAY 2 SATURDAY] SWOT DAY

Last February 2, 2018, I asked our leader, Eddie, to change my shift to morning since it’s my brother’s birthday and we would be celebrating in the afternoon. When she released the schedule and the task we have to do for the next day, I found out that she agreed in placing me for morning schedule and we will be identifying SWOT of the community.

The next day, we arrived at the community at 7:03 in the morning without Bea with us. We decided to wait for her in the community’s covered court before proceeding to Mama Jemma’s house. While we were waiting for her, we met Beo. He’s a cat which we assumed as someone’s pet because he is clean and very clingy. Cats that aren’t feisty are house pets based from my experience as a cat owner. Beo, which we named after Bea since she’s not around that time, entertained us for quite some time until Bea arrives by quarter to 8. As soon as she arrives, we proceeded to Mama Jemma’s house.

When we arrived at our adopted family’s house, we discovered that they just woke up and is cooking rice for breakfast. When we asked the kids what their viand would be, they answered that they still don’t know so we decided to buy 2 orders of Afritada for them. We also helped Mama Jemma to fetch water and we found out that one container of tap water in their place is 3 pesos. While they were eating, we, Set A, had a mini meeting outside their house. We started sharing thoughts for our SWOT and giving opinions for our new project plan.

After that, we proceeded again to the community’s covered court because Mama Jemma and her kids attended a bible study session. Eddie, Sarah, Eveth and Bea played volleyball with the kids while Em took some pictures and played with Jerome, Mama Jemma’s kid and me staying with our belongings and taking some pictures, too.

We left the community by 12 in the afternoon and that’s how our second day in the community finished.

[jens-sipping-pink-luc0zade-blog]

BEING A SOCIAL WORKER: MOTIVATOR, INFLUENCER!

I used to appreciate the word “advising” during half of my Junior High School days. It’s fun and all but when I turned Grade 10 and Senior High, the amount of appreciation for motivating others were gone for I, Myself is also experiencing them. However, I got a little opportunity to be that again because of our subject DIASS. At first, I don’t know how and what to respond because I can’t sum up my words that I got to the point that I need to talk to English person but because I thought I could express myself more in my own language. Most of the problem I tackled with different people is they were not use to tell their problems to others, some are just losing their motivation in life and those who are struggling in their love life are less. Even so, my favourite was the unexpected one where that person didn’t thought he needed an advice from an old friend. He didn’t know that his brother was bullied. They made  documentary for a certain subject about him. I shared the photo because I could remember myself from him. HE messaged me and I wanted him to not feel pity on his brother yet I told him to confront him by step. I felt happy that time because I know that person will listen to me as much as I used to listen to him on past. I wanted to be contented that time and I don’t want to use people for the activity but it was actually fun that I had time to have conversation with a strange, old friend and recent friend. My next favourite is when the person told me she noticed on of bad side of her friend. She wanted her friend to notice it by her/himself. But in order to retain a good friendship, it is really good to say to them their good and bad attitude for it will help them to adjust and change for themselves. I told her that because I was the most quiet person in my old friends during JHS but now that I got matured, I and my friends tell each other that and it really changes us and our strong friendship I told her that I will respect her decision after telling that but I assure her it will help a lot. As much as it is hard to approach someone because of the activity, it’s still an opportunity to share wisdom to people. It gave benefit to both of an acting social worker and the client because for me, I didn’t just motivate him/her, but it also helped me and that’s how social work works.

[eddielynntoledo-blog]

Output #5: Being a social worker

Caring around the World

            I’ve been quietly caring for other people since then, but showing care is more effective. I used to sneak in other people’s stressed lives to secretly lessens or lighten their problem without them knowing. Because I just love working anonymously, caring anonymously, helping anonymously – because I only want to see for other people is not to become inspired because of me, but because of good doings itself.

           Just like I said, showing the care when someone’s need it, is more effective in improving one’s life because it creates a deep connection between the helper and the problematic.

           So reality let me change some mechanics in my game – I used to help other like my friends before – and in that my caring was now showed verbally across the globe — using social media— not just only circling among my family and friends.

           Depression is an underrated and misconception condition that exists in our minds, and if not prevented, it may be contagious or/and needs medical care immediately.

           When I’m browsing my Twitter account I passed by a person on that site, and this person having breakdowns in his life on that moment, and also I think he is a student or worker in an educational institution because he’s done studying and tired of functioning.

           Moreover, I immediately replied to his tweet, saying that he can through it and his suffering would worth it, may be not after he enter his class but I told him that his today’s hardships will make him stronger. He then noticed my concern after few days, saying that he really appreciated my reply.

           On the same day, I tried the new feature of ask.fm called ‘Shoutout’ – it is meant for asking random users apart from your followed people. Non-verbatim, I shoutout, “in case you’re having bad day, remember that you deserve a rest and your problems will fade away, and don’t forget to wear your smile because it fits in you”.

           In addition, random account replied to me saying thank you or even replying heart eyes emoji. Then this person responds with full of concern, (non-verbatim) “get your sh*t done (I know it’s graphic, but I got the idea of work motivation), drink enough water, go for a walk and see out the sun” — and in that moment, I reap what I saw.

           Caring has no exemption for races, religion, nationality, gender and many more. Always remember that people’s heart have always a room for improvement and change, even on their darkest days, caring lighten up your darkest, balances your saturated life.

[skypasta-cl]

BEING A SOCIAL WORKER: HERO IN OUR OWN WAY

Being social worker doesn’t necessarily require a license. Just like being a hero, we can be a social worker if we want to. Through simple chit-chat and words of wisdom, we can be a social worker wherein we helped a person in need not professionally though, but still we can somehow lift their mood up. If we see someone who is in need, don’t hesitate to talk to them. With these, technology that we have today, we can help not only the ones that we know but also the ones that is anonymous to us.

[emsdiassportfolio]

Output #5: Being a Social Worker

Sending Virtual Hugs

           On the summer of 2017, I decided to reactivate my ask.fm account. I received many questions asking for advice on love, studies, self-identity, and more. While I enjoyed advising them, delighting in the idea that I am able to help them in the simplest way, the sudden rush of responsibilities stole my attention away from them. I was unable to answer their queries for almost three months – my ask.fm account faced rebirth as we were given the task to practice social work in the channel we were all familiar with: social media.

           As soon as the activity was announced, I immediately remembered how anonymous users would ask me for advice in ask.fm. It was the first form of social media I used, reactivated, for the activity. Part of me was nervous – I was afraid that nobody will send me a question, thinking I have abandoned the unanswered questions from three months ago. But, I received five questions, most of them asking for motivation (or how to be motivated).

The question that struck me most dealt with something close to my heart, though: Overthinking. The anonymous user used the words “I overthink all the time and I’m getting tired of it.” Although it is not direct, the words implied unlikely possibilities; it was a silent plea for help. I tried my best to give him or her the best advice I can give; it was not easy. For all I know, his or her life may be on the line; my advice may be crucial. Even though I did not know any background information, I was careful with my words. I hope I was able to help him or her; I never received thanks in similar language as how the anonymous talked, so I am not sure about his or her current condition.

Aside from Facebook and Twitter, I also tried my luck in finding areas to practice social work through a social, role-playing game called Party in my Dorm. When I was about to lose hope after sending out a worldwide message offering help or advice on anything, receiving tons of concupiscent messages, player Floriana2 all the way from Italy (as I found out later on) shared her biggest struggle with me and asked for help. She had a disease which causes bully to target her. It was my first time to actually talk to someone who had a disease that gravely affected his or her life. I was afraid that I might offend her, thus I was extra, extra careful with my words. In the end, I succeeded in my role as a social worker. She told me she was elated at the presence of someone willing to accept her for who she is, even though she could not meet me, with only a game to communicate. The feeling was soft heartening, almost rewarding to read her response.

Even if I did not know most of the people I helped, I delighted in the idea of sending them virtual hugs. It may not feel as warm as real, human arms enveloping you and your problems with love and care. But, I have a gut feeling that knowing somebody listened and cared for them warmed their heart as much as it did to mine.

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