Systems Essay
Before entering the human service major, I had not given much thought about what systems I was part of or how they worked. I have always had a sense of the interconnectedness of everything, however, it wasn’t until an in-depth study of systems that I began to grasp the complexity of our world. The study of systems, which are interrelated parts that function as a whole, is the study of relationships (Powerpoint, HSP 402, 2011). The human service program really focuses on the impacts of systems--personal, interpersonal, organizational, community and global systems, which together, brought me to a completely different level of understanding the structures that affect everyone who belongs in these systems. The last two years of human services has given me an in-depth insight of understanding who I am, what systems I belong to and how the systems in our society and world impact civilization.
I could study and analyze various systems all day, however it would not be productive if I didn’t first realize my personal systems and how I play a role in them. In order to be advocates for others and generate constructive change in this world, I must understand where I came from and who I am. In HSP 301, the first quarter of core, we discussed the major events in our lives and how they impacted us, giving me a better sense of who I am and how they directed me towards becoming a human service professional (exploration of self). This new awareness was the beginning of my personal development that I cultivated through the human service major (CSHSE Standard 20: Self Development).
My next significant discovery was found by analyzing the relationships I have in my life and what causes them to be positive or negative. The class Human Service Professionals and Interpersonal Systems (HSP 303) taught me how crucial it is to be honest about our feelings and communicate them to people in our lives. I realized interpersonal systems in my life that needed improvement were the ones that lacked communication. Instead of assuming that someone close to me knows how I feel, I must voice my thoughts to them to eliminate the guessing game of emotions. It is necessary to have efficient communication from all parties involved, whether it be in my career relatioshipss, client-professional, or in my personal relationships, parent-child or friend to friend (interpersonal systems). After that quarter I consciously worked on bettering the relationships in my life by being honest and actively listening to what others have to say.
This new knowledge was put to the test when we were assigned a group project. The project taught me the dynamics of group systems and the interchangeable roles of group members. When different tasks needed to get done, group members emerged leadership roles and took turns being in charge. Some weeks I took the role of the leader, assigning work to others and offered to be in charge of turning in assignments. Other weeks I watched others take leadership and worked along their terms. Our group had little conflict because the atmosphere was laid back and respectful, creating a safe place for everyone to voice their opinions and communicate with one another in an efficient way. This experience taught me how to be an effective group member for my current and future group systems; my family and friends, my school and my future jobs in my career (CSHSE Standard 12: Human Systems). Through readings, assignments and class discussions in junior year, I learned how all-interpersonal and group systems are interdependent on one another. This concept taught me that every action I take or don’t take, everything I say or don’t say has an impact on others and myself. Understanding the role I play and the impact I have on others will help me reach my full potential as a human service professional (group paper) .
Along with learning about the smaller systems, I learned about how bigger structures, such as, community and global systems, work in the complex web of systems. Everyone is part of various communities. I am apart of the human services, WWU, Bellingham and Washington communities. These systems vary from small to larger scale but are organized in ways that affect one another (final core paper). HSP 404 goes in-depth about the process of initiating and sustaining change within communities. An ideal community is one that is successful, and healthy by meeting the needs of their members. Communities take action for change when member’s needs are not being met. The imbalance of a community is more likely to stir up radical action from its members. This concept has been seen throughout history on small and large scales; the civil rights movement, occupy wall street, to local politics and neighborhood associations. Holman says “fostering healthy communities is the fundamental purpose of community change” (Homan, 2011 p. 33). We are able to create and maintain change when people come together to fight for a cause (final core paper).
Learning how community systems work was a great introduction to global systems. The world is connected through global systems, especially in the last couple decades we have created a world market that can trade and exchange goods across the globe. The rise of globalization, whether you believe is negative or positive, has created an interconnected the world. I believe that globalization could be a positive thing that promotes learning of different cultures and people, connecting us and making the world think as one; however the current situation is creating promoting societies to become homogenized with a particular emphasis on western life. Instead of creating bonds with people across the globe, globalization is taking away diversity that is essential to creating strong communities and global systems. Through course work I learned the importance of spreading awareness that diversity is a strength rather then a weakness in order to stop the damaging effects of globalization; in order to become global we must start thinking locally (final core paper).
First we can start making positive impacts in our communities by changing systems and structures that are failing, buying locally and making connection with other community members. If each community began to start focusing on the needs of their members and making changes that benefits the greater good, we would see the world beginning to become a better place.
Understanding the big picture highlights how interconnected community and global systems are; in order to have gained this understanding, you must know how the work in context of large systems. All two years of core classes gave an in-depth understanding of CSHSE Standard 12- teaching knowledge and theory of human systems including individual, interpersonal, group, family, organizational, community and societal and their interactions. In order to grasp how systems work, it is essential to understand the important of diversity or ethnicity, culture, gender, sexual orientation, ability, learning styles and economic status which is a reoccurring theme in all human service classes (CSHSE Standard 12: Human Systems). Since diversity is essential for a progressive world, it is important to understand and respect these differences.
When I started internship at Head Start, I was able to apply what I had been learning to real life. Head Start provides early education for families from lower socicoencomic classes. The families were very diverse and many of the families were on some type of government assistance. It is a popular perspective in this country that those on welfare are lazy or drug addicts, however human service teachings provide us a clearer picture of the truth. All these families have a background, events led them to where and who they are today, just like myself. I also understand that current systems are set up to keep people down, not help bring them up. You can try to your full potential, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that you will become rich or get what you want, because of the way the systems work. Working with diverse families with different backgrounds and perspectives added to my understanding of what I learned in class about how systems are a barrier to social justice and diversity (diversity points).
If we want to make changes in our world we must learn how to effectively communicate with one another, be open to different viewpoints and diversity which will give us the tools to create and sustain change in our communities. In order to be a good human service professional as well as human being, you must be able to put yourself in others shoes in order to accomplish positive impacts in the world. The only way to truly achieve is by understanding how systems work and how interconnected we all are.
Council for Standards in Human Service Education (CSHSE) (2010). National Standards for Baccalaureate Degree in Human Services.
Available at:http://www.cshse.org/documents/Standards-Bachelor_2010Revised.pdf
Homan, M.S. (2008). Promoting community change: Making it happen in the real world (4th ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.
I could study and analyze various systems all day, however it would not be productive if I didn’t first realize my personal systems and how I play a role in them. In order to be advocates for others and generate constructive change in this world, I must understand where I came from and who I am. In HSP 301, the first quarter of core, we discussed the major events in our lives and how they impacted us, giving me a better sense of who I am and how they directed me towards becoming a human service professional (exploration of self). This new awareness was the beginning of my personal development that I cultivated through the human service major (CSHSE Standard 20: Self Development).
My next significant discovery was found by analyzing the relationships I have in my life and what causes them to be positive or negative. The class Human Service Professionals and Interpersonal Systems (HSP 303) taught me how crucial it is to be honest about our feelings and communicate them to people in our lives. I realized interpersonal systems in my life that needed improvement were the ones that lacked communication. Instead of assuming that someone close to me knows how I feel, I must voice my thoughts to them to eliminate the guessing game of emotions. It is necessary to have efficient communication from all parties involved, whether it be in my career relatioshipss, client-professional, or in my personal relationships, parent-child or friend to friend (interpersonal systems). After that quarter I consciously worked on bettering the relationships in my life by being honest and actively listening to what others have to say.
This new knowledge was put to the test when we were assigned a group project. The project taught me the dynamics of group systems and the interchangeable roles of group members. When different tasks needed to get done, group members emerged leadership roles and took turns being in charge. Some weeks I took the role of the leader, assigning work to others and offered to be in charge of turning in assignments. Other weeks I watched others take leadership and worked along their terms. Our group had little conflict because the atmosphere was laid back and respectful, creating a safe place for everyone to voice their opinions and communicate with one another in an efficient way. This experience taught me how to be an effective group member for my current and future group systems; my family and friends, my school and my future jobs in my career (CSHSE Standard 12: Human Systems). Through readings, assignments and class discussions in junior year, I learned how all-interpersonal and group systems are interdependent on one another. This concept taught me that every action I take or don’t take, everything I say or don’t say has an impact on others and myself. Understanding the role I play and the impact I have on others will help me reach my full potential as a human service professional (group paper) .
Along with learning about the smaller systems, I learned about how bigger structures, such as, community and global systems, work in the complex web of systems. Everyone is part of various communities. I am apart of the human services, WWU, Bellingham and Washington communities. These systems vary from small to larger scale but are organized in ways that affect one another (final core paper). HSP 404 goes in-depth about the process of initiating and sustaining change within communities. An ideal community is one that is successful, and healthy by meeting the needs of their members. Communities take action for change when member’s needs are not being met. The imbalance of a community is more likely to stir up radical action from its members. This concept has been seen throughout history on small and large scales; the civil rights movement, occupy wall street, to local politics and neighborhood associations. Holman says “fostering healthy communities is the fundamental purpose of community change” (Homan, 2011 p. 33). We are able to create and maintain change when people come together to fight for a cause (final core paper).
Learning how community systems work was a great introduction to global systems. The world is connected through global systems, especially in the last couple decades we have created a world market that can trade and exchange goods across the globe. The rise of globalization, whether you believe is negative or positive, has created an interconnected the world. I believe that globalization could be a positive thing that promotes learning of different cultures and people, connecting us and making the world think as one; however the current situation is creating promoting societies to become homogenized with a particular emphasis on western life. Instead of creating bonds with people across the globe, globalization is taking away diversity that is essential to creating strong communities and global systems. Through course work I learned the importance of spreading awareness that diversity is a strength rather then a weakness in order to stop the damaging effects of globalization; in order to become global we must start thinking locally (final core paper).
First we can start making positive impacts in our communities by changing systems and structures that are failing, buying locally and making connection with other community members. If each community began to start focusing on the needs of their members and making changes that benefits the greater good, we would see the world beginning to become a better place.
Understanding the big picture highlights how interconnected community and global systems are; in order to have gained this understanding, you must know how the work in context of large systems. All two years of core classes gave an in-depth understanding of CSHSE Standard 12- teaching knowledge and theory of human systems including individual, interpersonal, group, family, organizational, community and societal and their interactions. In order to grasp how systems work, it is essential to understand the important of diversity or ethnicity, culture, gender, sexual orientation, ability, learning styles and economic status which is a reoccurring theme in all human service classes (CSHSE Standard 12: Human Systems). Since diversity is essential for a progressive world, it is important to understand and respect these differences.
When I started internship at Head Start, I was able to apply what I had been learning to real life. Head Start provides early education for families from lower socicoencomic classes. The families were very diverse and many of the families were on some type of government assistance. It is a popular perspective in this country that those on welfare are lazy or drug addicts, however human service teachings provide us a clearer picture of the truth. All these families have a background, events led them to where and who they are today, just like myself. I also understand that current systems are set up to keep people down, not help bring them up. You can try to your full potential, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that you will become rich or get what you want, because of the way the systems work. Working with diverse families with different backgrounds and perspectives added to my understanding of what I learned in class about how systems are a barrier to social justice and diversity (diversity points).
If we want to make changes in our world we must learn how to effectively communicate with one another, be open to different viewpoints and diversity which will give us the tools to create and sustain change in our communities. In order to be a good human service professional as well as human being, you must be able to put yourself in others shoes in order to accomplish positive impacts in the world. The only way to truly achieve is by understanding how systems work and how interconnected we all are.
Council for Standards in Human Service Education (CSHSE) (2010). National Standards for Baccalaureate Degree in Human Services.
Available at:http://www.cshse.org/documents/Standards-Bachelor_2010Revised.pdf
Homan, M.S. (2008). Promoting community change: Making it happen in the real world (4th ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.