Week 2: Grand Challenges for Social Work: Eliminating Racism
If you watch the news or scroll through social media on any given day, you may become overwhelmed by stories of suffering. These stories involve violence, food insecurity, racism, poverty, substance use, oppression, and so on. How does a social worker—supported by the values of service and social justice—know where to start?
The Grand Challenges, initiated by the American Academy of Social Work & Social Welfare, represent a call to action in focused areas—in other words, a place to start. The Grand Challenges also reflect aspirational goals for the social work profession collectively, in combatting social problems.
In this Assignment, you examine one Grand Challenge and how you might fit into current efforts to address it.
To prepare:
- Review the Learning Resources on the Grand Challenges for Social Work.
- Reflect on the future work you envisioned in your Week 1 Introduction video. In what ways does that work align with the Grand Challenges? Is there one Grand Challenge that resonates with you or attracts you?
- Select one Grand Challenge to explore further. Access the main Grand Challenges website, located in the Learning Resources, and then click on the specific Grand Challenge you have chosen. Read more about the Challenge, focusing on what social workers are doing to address it and how you might become involved.
Submit a 2-page page paper in which you:
- Identify and describe the Grand Challenge that you are most drawn to.
- Briefly explain what social workers are currently doing to address this challenge.
- Describe one way in which you might become involved in the effort.
Apply concepts and material from this week’s Learning Resources to inform your paper. A standard academic paper is written in 12-point font and double-spaced.
Tutorial for Grand Challenges for Social Work: Eliminating Racism
