"ONE IS NOT BORN INTO THE WORLD TO DO EVERYTHING, BUT TO DO SOMETHING." - HENRY DAVID THOREAU
Authenticity
The concept of authenticity, and what it means to each individual can look very different. Every person has their own personal idea of what it is to be genuine and veritable, and every person has their own level of action that they use authenticity in their life. In the Human Services profession, authenticity is a key aspect to working with people and working for the better good for those people. In order to be a truly authentic person, it is important to understand another person’s view through empathy. It is essential to be aware of your personal bias and language you use working with people. It takes more than empathy, but knowledge and awareness to authentically work with people of a different race, class, gender, and cultural perspective.
My way of defining authenticity is putting others before myself. By that I do not just mean to not be selfish, but to fully embrace the other person’s struggles and take them on myself. Not to just develop a genuine relationship but fully acknowledge their cultural, racial, and gender background that influences any systems that work against them. In the Human Services profession, it is important to be authentic to truly make a difference in what you are doing. Genuine interactions with people could make a large difference in your client’s life, such as the decisions they make and path they decide to follow. As people go through experiences, make decisions, and encounter new people, each interaction brings a new perspective to that person’s life. That is why through authenticity, I want to be there for the people I am working with. It is important to develop trust within relationships, whether professional or personal and help my client have a more positive influence with the larger system.
With my work at the Food Connection and work with St. Leo, I know there was some form of authenticity and recognition that was lacking. At the end of the day, I knew there was a large gap that separated our lives. Although I strived for an authentic relationship with people at work during the day, I knew that I had a bed to go to at the end of the day. I had food on my table in a nice, warm house. Most importantly, I did not have the psychological affect of being around violence and abuse, not feeling safe at night, and knowing what it’s like to go to bed hungry. I could escape that once I went to my home that was only five minutes away. Lots of the children that I worked with in the meals program were not getting proper nutrition, were exposed to drugs and violence, struggled in school, and were at risk for health issues. Being exposed to this cycle from a young age only makes it harder to come out of as someone grows. This is why we need to focus on children. They hold the future of our country, and if they are suffering physiologically or psychologically, it is going to be hard to find their role within the larger system as they grow older. It is our job to help educate the young and do what we can to get them out of tough situations. They cannot do it on their own and it is up to this generation to guide them. Personally, I would like to do social work with children. I want to help them see their potential at a young age and help them get past their physiological needs so they can focus on their overall well-being.
After some exposure to social work, I have forms of authenticity that need practice. As a naturally introverted person, I tend to spend more time reflecting than taking action. It is important to have a balance of both, however I would like to live more in the moment and use more assertiveness for whatever tasks are at hand. Ever since I have lived on my own, I have noticed more confidence in myself and the ability to do what is right, rather than taking the easy way out and let somebody else handle it. I am more comfortable taking on certain leadership roles, although only when nobody else steps into the position. In the Human Services profession, I would like to learn to be more of a leader so I can incorporate the creative ideas I have and put them to action. I believe the ability to be a leader will help me be willing to stand up in uncomfortable situations. However, it is still a struggle and I realize I need to make this more of a lifestyle change, to where it is natural to me to do the more challenging thing. Over time, it might become easier to become assertive and I will have other factors that I consider challenging. If I truly want to practice authenticity, I will step out of my comfort zone and make small changes to become the professional I want to be.
Intersectionality
The study of intersectionality as a large system of how domination and oppression intersect to form a society has a lot of focus on segregation. Although the systems all intersect, each hold vastly different positions in society. I am a white, middle class, able-bodied, heterosexual, healthy, young woman. I have a privilege of being white, middle class, and able-bodied along with the social and political degradation of being a female. How I interact with my family, friends, work, and school is strongly correlated with my gender, race, and class status. This also has determined who I interact with, where I interact with them, and how I am treated by a third party in our environment.
There is a change of dominance as I interact with different people in different situations. In some situations, I feel powerful through my social status, however there are times I do not feel dominant. For example, being in a male dominated territory, I subconsciously become more of an outcast. The concept of intersectionality addresses the concept of being an outcast within your surroundings where you are not part of the majority. Every person experiences some sort of discrimination, whether from a political, social, religious, or historical aspect. Our society is comprised of a wide variety of people with different backgrounds that form the intersectionality of our communities.