MSW – Environmental Social Work

Personal Stance(s) on Social Welfare and the Intersection of Economic and Political Philosophies

By: Gabrielle Francis Conrad-Amlicke, MSW December 19, 2019February 12, 2020

social workdeep ecology, ecofeminism, ecological economics, Environmental, environmental justice, environmental policy, environmental racism, environmental social work, Green Social Work, INFJ Blogger, MSW, social work, social worker, systems of oppressionLeave a Comment

To provide further insight about my own social and cultural experiences -what serves as the driving force for my passions as a social worker is fueled by the discrepancies individuals face in regards to access- specifically that of which comes from the physical world; or Natural Environment. Having grown up in an upper middle class town in CT, my experience of the Natural world was therapeutic and rejuvenating, I unknowingly reaped the benefits of lacking things such as noise pollution and environmental toxins all of which leads to mental and physical health benefits. Through these experiences and my undergraduate courses in Ecopsychology, I believe that at the base of social welfare is the welfare of the environment. None of the authors focused on the connection between the Natural world and Social Welfare. I seek to advocate for environmental justice. Both as an ancient society and modern, humans have founds means to essentially rape the natural world of its resources and through this process; limit access. When access is limited social welfare is negatively affected producing rippling effects upon every member of the society. To me social welfare is defined as- the collective ability which each individual human has to access resources which allow them not only live but thrive, collectively this serves as a reflection of the overall health of the human cohort. I believe social welfare can be examined through a defined population, this is why the social welfare of high class citizens “haves” (higher socioeconomic level) is often better than the social welfare of the lower class citizens “have nots” (lower socioeconomic level) (Segal, 2007).

Wagner (2005) summarizes how labels not only categorize and create a means for distinguishing generalizable information about a person, but also contributes to how information (labels) can be actually be misinformation- consequently leading to stereotypes and negative self-perception. Due to the fact that children cannot choose things like, who they are born to, where they are born, what socioeconomic status they have, exc. I feel it is up to the government to impede upon and into the framework of our society; as much as needed- in order to make sure access to resources is fairly distributed…

The Relevance of Innovation | Ceditability of Problem Solving for Social Workers at Mezzo & Macro Levels

By: Gabrielle Francis Conrad-Amlicke, MSW December 1, 2019December 5, 2019

Uncategorizedcreditability, environmental social work, Green Social Work, innovation, macro and mezzo social work, MSW, problem solving, social work, Social Work BlogLeave a Comment

Social Workers solve problems as do many other professions. Collaboration between professionals in this day and age is necessary to address environmental changes occurring at this moment. To collaborate, Social Workers must go beyond our historic and formalized path. Rationally speaking, this seems obvious.

Yet, I am met with so many dificulties as I approach next steps in reguards to my career paths.

I wonder if other MSW’s or Social Workers not on a clinical path are experiencing the same as I engage with content from various sources, I see the connection between the Social Work methodology. Yet, Language is often symbolic of credibility the person holds, usually a degree.

“When you start to understand global inequality at the local level, it changes how you think about interventions.
If the goal is for low-income countries to close the gap with high-income countries, then the average is all that matters. Many governments and development organizations have concentrated on reaching those who are easiest to reach. As a result, life typically gets better for the best-off first, and then, gradually, for everyone else. Eventually, over the course of decades or centuries, the poorest mostly catch up”
FROM: We Need a More Targeted Approach to Combatting Global Inequality

This quote struck me because of the integration of the word “intervention” – interventions are distinctive of social workers working with individuals, but when we cross over to a mezzo/macro use- this is the same as program analysis and development. The development of interventions to solve a solution for a given population. Does my degree hold the same power as I apply for positions which outline these needs? Or is the content of my resume questioned merely because at face value people stereotype “Masters of Social Work” as a variable of someone’s intellectual knowledge which has credibility through clinical work?

Social Work and Environmental Justice

By: Gabrielle Francis Conrad-Amlicke, MSW October 2, 2019October 2, 2019

Uncategorizedenvironmentalpolicy, gradstudent, MSW, policy, socialjustice, socialsystems, socialwelfare, socialwork, socialworkblog, socialworkersforenvironmentaljusticeLeave a Comment

SOCIAL JUSTICE SPOTLIGHT

October 2019

Environmental Racism and Systems of Oppression

Gabrielle Conrad-Amlicke | Policy 2020

Frederick Olmsted, an American Landscape designer best known for Central Park (New York, NY) and The Emerald Necklace (Boston, MA), also designed Keney Park (Hartford, CT). Keney Park runs vertically up and down the west half of Hartford’s Northeast neighborhood. The northern areas of this city are where the highest rates of crime and vacancy are reported among a predominately Black population. The decaying aspects of the physical environment contextualize an aspect of loss, both for the community members and potentially for the general public. Despite powerful community-led efforts to reduce violence in the area, ongoing oppression and political marginalization undermine these activities. Fear pushes even those who live in the Northeast neighborhood to seek out other community parks. Thirty-years of activities aimed at improving park conditions have been disrupted by the larger political failures to protect and nourish this neighborhood.

Famous natural spaces have the potential to stimulate individual and economic growth. Why then is Keney Park, which sits almost directly between NYC’s “Central Park” to the south and Boston’s “Emerald Necklace Conservancy” park system to the north, less renowned than its Olmsted siblings?

The answer: environmental racism. Anytime environmental decisions are shaped by the intersectional identities of those benefiting from, or occupying, a particular environment—racism is at work. Social workers must identify and amplify these instances. We must advocate for investment in these environments or else the historic systems of oppression that harm our clients and our profession will never be dismantled.