Introduction - Juliene Duran Paez



Community Partnership Assessment and Intervention Proposal: BrazilUniversity of ArubaFaculty of Arts and ScienceDepartment of Social Work and DevelopmentCommunity Empowerment and Popular Methodologies Course code: ASWD-CC23-11Year 3, Semester 1Mid Semester Draft Assessment Lecturer: M. MarínAngerica Quandt, 112543 Julienne Duran, 150886 Keyla Reeder, 148539Marylain Veldman, 150223Shennelyn Croes, 147788 January 8, 2019Table of ContentIntroduction………………………………………………………………………………………. 4Community Assessment of Target Group………………………………………………………... 6Population Data…………………………………………………………………………... 6Language and Culture……………………………………………………………………. 7 Education………………………………………………………………………………… 7Income and Employment………………………………………………………………… 8 Housing…………………………………………………………………………………... 8Health…………………………………………………………………………………….. 9 Involvement with Social Service Agencies…………………………………………….. 11Needs Assessment……………………………………………………………………………… 12Focus Group…………………………………………………………………………….. 13Focus Group Questions…………………………………………………………………. 13Project Planning………………………………………………………………………………… 15Logic Model…………………………………………………………………………………….. 17Brasil Community Loyalty Program……………………………………………………. 17Project Objective 1……………………………………………………………………… 18Project Objective 2……………………………………………………………………… 19Project Objective 3……………………………………………………………………… 20Project Objective 4……………………………………………………………………… 21Community Work Model……………………………………………………………………….. 22Evaluation of Group Process…………………………………………………………………… 24Strengths………………………………………………………………………………... 24Weaknesses……………………………………………………………………………... 25Learning Outcomes……………………………………………………………………... 25Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………… 27 References……………………………………………………………………………………… 29IntroductionThe “One Happy Island” of Aruba is divided into a wide range of diverse districts inhabited by a diverse population. As Social Workers it is essential to not only have the knowledge, skills and attitude to engage, assess, intervene, plan, implement and review on micro level such as with individual participants, but also on mezzo and macro level such as communities, agencies and government institutions. In order to understand and identify the needs of a community or neighborhood, a needs assessment is necessary to be conducted using leadership skills, advocacy skills, tactics, Social Work skills and knowledge and critical thinking skills to analyze and choose the best model of assessment. The community needs assessment was conducted by a group of third-year students of the University of Aruba, Social Work and Development: Keyla Reeder, Julienne Duran, Shennelyn Croes, Marylain Veldman and Angerica Quandt. The district that stood out the most when analyzing and evaluating the different districts and neighborhoods of Aruba was the neighborhood of Brasil or as it is called in the Aruban community, Bario di Brasil. Its major richness in culture, folklore and sports has contributed to Brasil’s own development throughout centuries of history. Additionally, during the 19th Century, Brasil was considered to be part of the district of Savaneta together with various other neighborhoods. After the arrival of the Spaniards in Aruba, Brasil finally emerged as a new populated neighborhood characterized by its significant amount of logwood trees called, “Haematoxylum brasiletto” (Maduro, Aruba di Anta?o, 1981). This tree not only embodied the name of the Bario di Brasil but it also gave a different meaning and perspective towards the star of the Aruban National Flag by providing the stained red color for its star (Historia di Parokia di Brazil, 2010). In the last 15 years Bario di Brasil developed new inclusive methods to enhance the population’s well-being and activeness in the community. Such methods were, for example, religious, educational and social institutions that lead this neighborhood to engage and participate as a unified community. The enhancement of Bario di Brasil until now and its inclusive activeness in the Aruban community influenced this community assessment and intervention paper to the fullest. Engaging in Bario di Brasil and working together with a part of the neighborhood made the group aware of this community’s contribution to its own population and the Aruban community. Moreover, this assessment of Bario di Brasil was also inspiring and interesting in terms of getting to know a whole diverse population of Aruba by exploring their own culture and folklore.Through literature research and focus groups with the community members as well as the volunteer of Centro di Bario di Brasil, we were able to identify the main needs of the community through a community needs assessment. This paper details the needs of this community and proposes possible opportunities for interventions as well as recommendations on micro, mezzo and macro level. Community Assessment of Target GroupThe neighborhood and united community of Brasil is located in what is known as San Nicolas North according to the Central Bureau of Statistics Aruba. San Nicolas North includes Rooi Congo, Watapana Gezaag, Rooi Hundo, Kustbatterij, Juana Morto, San Nicolas North and other and Brasil, which is our target group. We were able to collect data on the housing units, total population, age, race, education level, income, employment and housing through the 2010 Population and Housing Census which was also the last published census. However due to the short time span and the size of the neighborhood of Brasil we were unable to collect updated demographic information by surveying each resident of Brasil. Population Data As cited from the Population and Housing Census, 2010, San Nicolas North has a total population of 10,433 people which is an increase of 2230 residents since 1991 (p.20). Additionally, we were able to assess the neighborhood demographics including the housing units which accounted for 3,476 housing units in the year 2010 in San Nicolas North. In regards to gender, Brasil has a total population of 2522 since the 2010 Census which is a relative point of 2.5. From the 2522 of the total population, 1900 of the residents are Aruban-born and 620 are foreign-born. As per gender, 1176 of the population accounts for males and 1347 accounts for females in the neighborhood. It is important and significant to highlight that since the last conducted Census which was over eight years ago, this number might have increased over 3000 resident members.In the following table based on the 2010 census the total population was broken down in terms of sex and age in order to have a clear overview of the population. The biggest population group consists of 1697 residents between the (ages of 15 - 64) followed by 570 (ages 0-14); and 252 residents over the age of 65. Age 0 - 14 Age 15 - 64Age 65+Males290783101Females280915152Total57016972522522*the numbers displayed are based on the 2010 Population and Housing Census, CBS (2010)Language and CultureMost community members in San Nicolas North speaks Papiamento. According to the 2010 Population and Housing Census (CBS, 2010), 6201 respondents indicated that the most spoken language at home was Papiamento followed by 2243 speaking English. The 2010 Population and Housing Census also revealed that, in the neighborhood of Brasil, a total of 1996 people indicated that the most spoken language at home is Papiamento; 158 Spanish; 50 Dutch and 215 English as spoken language at home.EducationIn San Nicolas North a total of 2789 people are attending school with a degree of participation of 26.7. The education system in Aruba is divided in the following level of programs: Daycare, play school or kindergarten, Primary education, Special education, Lower vocational education, General education, Higher education In San Nicolas and Brasil area the following schools are located: Hilario Angela, Fontein Kleuterschool, St. Michael School, Cristo Rey School, Colegio Hilario Angela, Colegio San Nicolas, IPA, Augustinus School, Filomena College, Sint Paulus School, Pieter Boer School, Ibero American High School and the Watty Vos Police Academy. Furthermore, there are a number of daycares and preschools for children located in the heart of San Nicolas. San Nicolas North accounts for 8,074 of the population being literate and 278 of the population being illiterate. In comparison to the other regions in Aruba the literacy rate is relatively low. At the moment, there is a school being built in Brasil named S.P.O (Scol Practico pa Ofishi), which used to be part of E.P.B. The participants of the focus group have all agreed that they are happy with the new school being made and ready to open its doors in 2019 because it would provide more opportunities for the young students who want to learn a profession and it would reduce the transportation costs and hassle for the students of S.P.O who live in Brasil and San Nicolas area but attend S.P.O. in Oranjestad. Income and EmploymentRegarding employment and income, a total of 1,049 of the population of Brasil is economically active and a total of 150 is unemployed. Moreover 244 are students, 306 are pensioners, 107 are housewives, and 57 are not employed because of health reasons according to the census. HousingBrasil has 844 households according to the 2010 census meaning that today in 2018 that could be more considering the growth of the Aruban population. From the 844 households, 736 are houses, 91 are apartments, 2 are rooms, 8 are trailers or containers, 5 are cuartos (small room outside of the housing unit), and 2 are not represented in the mentioned list. The census was not able to identify any homelessness in the neighborhood of Brasil nor condominiums as living unit. Generally, the types of housings in Brasil are middle-class or average style family homes. The census was also able to assess the number of housing units that were made 1950 and after 2005 to date. Through this finding we were able to observe how between 1990 and 1999 the number of housing units grew with 367 units. During the focus group interview, the local residents and participants shared that they consider the living conditions in Brasil to be ‘regular’ and middle-class home units. Furthermore, they indicated that the condition of the homes is good and not considered deplorable or in bad condition.HealthThe community of Brasil falls under the district of San Nicolas North, which is considered a low-density population area. This creates a demographic imbalance of available healthcare practitioners and health care institutions for the community. In figure 1, one can see the different general health care professionals and services available for the corresponding districts (CBS, 2015). For emergencies the closest available medical center is IMSAN and all other specialized professional practitioners are centered in the district of Noord at the other end of the island.Figure 14572001Corresponding with the general population of Aruba, the increase of aging is also visible in the district of Brasil. Other common health issues in the community reflect the same pattern as the general population of Aruba, mainly; cardiovascular diseases, overweight and obesity and the rise of mental illness due to aging. In addition, according to the Census conducted in 2010, there is 57 persons with a disability living in the area of Brasil (CBS, 2010). See table 1.Table 1.Furthermore, the overall health of the population of Brasil is not readily available due to a lack of data. However, based on the general interpretation of the residences of Brasil, we can deduct that the overall health status in Brasil is perceived as positive and overall healthy.Involvement with Social Service AgenciesIn the community of Brasil, Centro di Bario Brasil is the pillar or the backbone of the community. CBB is known in the community as a neighborhood center where most community activities are held. It is through this center that most Social Service Agencies carry out their activities. It is the gathering point of the community and has been the most successful center of all neighborhood centers in Aruba. All around Aruba, people come to Mens Erger Je Niet games, bingo’s, cultural activities, soccer, baseball, Zumba and other activities. One social service group that has been working in the community is Flor di Oriente, an elderly social group which organizes different activities for the aging community around Aruba. Another agency that works closely with CBB and the community is MOBIS. MOBIS organizes different community focused activities such as healthy cooking classes, technology seminars and several other activities to unite and develop the community. Other notable organizations in the community are the Catholic Church of Brasil and the two elementary schools, Colegio Cristo Rey and St. Michael School.Needs AssessmentMost communities around the world have their ups and their downs; to work on the down parts it is crucial to know from the community itself what they think has room for improvement. Even though Centro di Bario Brasil does its best to unify the community of Brasil through events, games and educational seminars, the community of Brasil is still not completely unified. To identify the needs of the community of Brasil, we created a focus group service with ten key questions. There are different needs of the community of Brasil that stood out throughout the two group sessions. One of the needs is the social inclusion of the community members of Mabon in the community activities with the rest of the neighborhood of Brasil, since Mabon is considered a separate neighborhood even though it is a part of Brasil. According to the participants Mabon is the disadvantaged residential area of Brasil, because it is usually troubled by a fair amount of crime rate and has a reputation for being less safe than the other neighborhoods. As a result, the community members of Mabon do not attend or participate in social and cultural activities of the Bario di Brasil because they do not feel included or part of the neighborhood. The second need next to the inclusion of Mabon, is to attempt to reduce the crime rate by enforcing the law and maintaining criminal justice. Another need would be enhancing the bond between the youth and the adults in the community. This became a need since the teenagers expressed the lack of support they get from their parents and other adults at for example baseball games; In contrast, the adults in the community also expressed the lack of support they get from the teenagers in different occasions for example keeping the cultural tradition and/or teen programs. Furthermore, the need to maintain the Centro di Bario Brasil; the soccer and baseball field, the building etc. Next to this, the maintenance of the infrastructure also stood out in the focus group sessions, Lastly, the involvement of Brasil’s own citizens would also be highly appreciated since a lot of people visit Brasil and their activities but the community itself do not show their support and interest.Focus GroupA focus group was designed and conducted at Centro di Bario Brasil; which is the key meeting point for many community members in the Bario of Brasil. A total of 15 community members were approached and selected ranging from diverse ethnicity, age, and number of years residency in the Bario of Brasil. Mr. Willems who is also a key person and leader of the Centro di Bario di Brasil has helped us select and identify the participants for the focus group meeting. In order to facilitate the availability of the participants two focus group sessions were assigned; one in the morning and one in the evening at Centro di Bario Brasil. The setting for the focus group was chosen at Centro di Bario Brasil because it is more accessible and also a familiar meeting point for the participants which made them feel more at home and comfortable. The questions that were asked in the focus group included: participants general knowledge about the neighborhood, most valuable aspect of the neighborhood, personal opinions regarding inclusion and exclusion, health, public safety, crime rate, economic status, housing and living situations, availability of resources and participation.Focus Group QuestionsBrazil (edad, sexo, ethnic group): e barioKico ta valioso/importante pa abo encuanto e bario Brazil?Bo ta sinti cu Brazil ta inclui of exclui di e comunidad di Aruba?Con den bo opinion e estado di salud ta encuanto e habitante nan di Brazil?Con den bo opinion e estado di vivienda ta encuanto e habitante nan di Brazil?Con den bo opinion e estado economico/financiero encuanto e habitante nan di Brazil?Tin algun fundacion of organisacion social activo den e Bario?(if no) tin algun instancia ta yuda e Bario?Con sigur (safe) bo ta sinti cu bo bario ta?Kico ta un of mas aspecto positivo y of negativo di e bario di Brazil?Project PlanningPlanning new emerging community projects are not easy to do or manage however, not impossible to achieve. By assessing the community of Brasil, various needs came forward during the organized focus group. These needs served as a major impact on taking an initiative in purposely planning a community project that could enhance Bario di Brasil. In accordance to what was shared during the focus group, Bario di Brasil is in need of an inclusive and supportive community. This is because the youth within this community does not feel supported by the community itself when participating in sport tournaments at the Centro di Bario Brasil. In order to create a more inclusive and supportive community of Bario di Brasil, it was important to start planning a project that could benefit the community as a whole. In this case, Centro di Bario Brasil was the starting point of a social inclusive community. Meaning that this new emerging project represents the implementation of Centro di Bario Brasil membership cards or the Brasil Community Loyalty Membership. To further elaborate, each person who would like to obtain such membership, must commit to participate and support the sport centrum’s tournaments and other events. For each participation, members would obtain a token or stamp, and by the end of the month Centro di Bario Brasil would benefit each member with the most tokens with an incentive for example, a gift card, a box of Balashi/Chill, or free tickets to the movies. However, it all depends on the income of the sport centrum itself to financially cover every incentive and extra materials for the Centro di Bario Brasil. Furthermore, to implement the Brasil Community Loyalty Membership, it was important to visualize and specifically settle four main objectives and an action plan to fully achieve this. These objectives were, to give support to the youth; motivate the community to be more active; to create a sustainable income to support the sport centrum; and involving the community of Brasil in creating successful partnerships. In addition, in order to commit to and accomplish such objectives, the resources needed included the sport materials and equipment, the renovation of benches with shades, the promotion and marketing aspects, food and beverages to sell at the bar and also the participation of volunteers or community leaders. After gathering these needed resources (or inputs), it is important to contact companies that could possibly contribute with donations, especially for the food (snacks) and beverages to start off by creating a sustainable income method. By doing all the above-mentioned, the possibility of achieving at least 150 members may contribute to the expansion of the community of Brasil. Especially to the development of collaboration, motivation, support, inclusivity and participation of all members in Bario di Brasil. This community project may take place within a time frame of 4 to 6 months (February - July 2019) of preparation to fully complete each and every task already mentioned. The essence of having a specific time frame encourages the planification and execution of the Brasil Community Loyalty Membership towards a successful outcome. Meaning that by the end of July 2019, the community members of Brasil need to feel and have a sense of inclusiveness, the younger generation as well as the older. Also, having a sustainable community with cost effective programs and weekly activities to further enhance Brasil. And lastly, Centro di Bario Brasil needs to be financially sustainable in terms of their monthly incomes to support such activities. By committing to this community project, Bario di Brasil could expand and create many other projects that could further enhance and benefit the community of Brasil as a whole. Logic ModelA logic model is a visual representation of how the project will be executed starting with the project objectives, resources or outputs needed, assessment activities, the outputs of the assessment, outcomes on short and long term, as well as the impact this would have. It is an essential tool for planning and executing a project on a large scale. According to Kaplan and Garret (2005) as cited from Midlands and Landcashire (2016) “A logic model is a graphic display or map of the relationship between a program’s resources, activities and intended results, which also identifies the program’s underlying theory and assumptions”. For this assessment and execution if the logic model a main theme and topic was highlighted as part of the need’s assessment. Brasil Community Loyalty ProgramAfter evaluating on the possibilities for assessing one specific need of the community of Brasil, it was decided to implement a loyalty program in efforts to increase the participation and inclusion of the different neighborhoods in Brasil. The following objectives were established in order to implement the logic model for the community assessment:To provide support for the youth of the community of BrasilTo motivate the community to be more active in the neighborhood of BrasilTo create and develop a sustainable financial income to support the sport centrumTo comply with SDG 3; ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages , SDG 11; make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable and SDG 17; strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development, by supporting the youth, involving the community and creating partnershipsThe idea behind the Loyalty Program is to engage and motivate community members of Brasil to participate and attend social as well as sports events of the youth and as an incentive make this into a point-reward system. After accumulating a number of points or stamps, members are able to win prizes as well as feel more engaged and connected with other members because of their continuous motivation to participate. Each objective was designed with the goal of engaging community members from all neighborhoods of Brasil as well as creating a sustainable project that can be done all year round.Project Objective 1The first objective of the logic model was ‘to provide support for the youth of the community of Brasil’. This project is to be realized and achieved through sports materials, equipment and benches as well as shades on the sports field. The youth who participated in the focus group identified that they have a lack of materials and adequate sports field which as a result make them use the facilities less often and the parents and community members attend less sports events. The activities that were identified to achieve this object was to approach and contact community leaders of CBB, contact sponsors for snacks and drinks and benches. Furthermore, in order to keep track of the point system and make it a visible motivator for community members, membership loyalty cards are to be printed and handed to all community members for an equal chance of participating. The program output is set to reach 150 people and is a collaboration with local stakeholders as well as community volunteers from CBB. The intermediate output is to support the community by bringing community members together, and contribute to youth development through participation and inclusion of all age groups and diverse backgrounds. By having community members motivated and given an incentive to attend more social and sports events, especially of the youth of Brasil, the youth would feel more supported and more included in the community cohesiveness. The long-outcome for this objective is to create a sustainable community that includes and partners youth with the older generation in Brasil. As a result, the impact of this idea would be to motivate the community members in which they would get a sense of inclusiveness.Project Objective 2 The second objective of the logic model was ‘to motivate the community to be more active in the neighborhood of Brasil’. This is to be achieved through marketing, promotions, and advocacy tactics. In the focus group it was identified that community members are not active and engaged in the activities and sports events. In the focus group discussion, it was mentioned by some participants that community members are not aware of the activities or events and therefore might explain why they do not attend. One possible activity outcome was to create and maintain an active social media page with information about activities of CBB, sports events, cultural programs and any other event in the neighborhood of Brasil. Furthermore, flyers about upcoming events and activities are to be distributed to the community members, in order to keep members who are not on Facebook or familiar with social media pages also informed of activities and events. As a result, the short-term outcome is to motivate and engage community members on micro, mezzo and macro level using advocacy and marketing techniques. The project outcome on a long-term base would be to initiate more cost-effective programs and serve as an example for other neighborhoods and create a sense of community involvement through marketing and branding of the activities that Brasil has to offer. As a result, the impact of this objective and goal would be to have more participation and inclusivity within the community of Brasil. Project Objective 3Thirdly, the logic model objective was ‘to create and develop a sustainable financial income to support the sport centrum’. Having community members volunteer their time and efforts in making this a reality, they also accumulate points through the loyalty program. The resources needed would be the food and beverage necessary to sell as fundraisers. Interested community members are able to donate or sell snacks and beverages at a low cost as well as keep the retired members active by being involved in the sports centrum income fundraisers. Contacting businesses and organizations such as Don Pastechi, Tropical Bottling and other local snack businesses to negotiate on a low price to sell snacks and drinks as a form of income for the sports centrum. Furthermore, retired and interested community members are approached at CBB where they can choose and share if they would like to donate any snacks, food, and beverages to raise funds for the sports centrum. This not only creates a form of income for the fundraiser but also create a sustainable and developmental way for elders of the community to remain active and integrated in the community, even after retirement. The output would be 100 snacks and 100 soft drinks per month (sold during activities and sports events at the CBB). The outcome on a short-term level is to create a partnership and network connection amongst the community members as well as to create and maintain a sustainable community. On a long-term aspect, this aims to financially create a developed community in which Brasil could sustain their own activities weekly for further enhancement of the community and to provide financial sustainability to enhance the activity center at Centro di Bario Brasil (CBB).Project Objective 4The final logic model objective was ‘to comply with SDG 3, 11 and 17 by supporting the youth, involving the community and creating partnerships with the resources from volunteers, community leaders and outside organizations. One way to achieve this is by education community members on what are the sustainable development goals and how the community of Brasil could become the first neighborhood to be an SDG friendly community. The long-term output is to enhance the engagement of volunteers and community leaders that could create and sustain community activities to integrate each and every one in Brasil. Furthermore, the impact of this would bring awareness and advocate for the health and well-being; partnerships with social service agencies. Having members take part in a global and national-wide initiative will increase feelings of motivation, pride and engagement within community members of the Bario di Brasil. Ideally all of the objectives as well as the project plan, includes the SDG guidelines in order to keep and promote a sustainable environment for generations to come as well as contribute to the overall sustainable development of Aruba. Community Work Models Walking into a neighborhood and assuming the citizens have a problem and need assistance could lead to resistance. According to Goodman, “Resistance stems from fear and discomfort”, he also explains that people are unable to seriously engage in the material, would refuse to consider alternative perspectives and resist information or experiences that may cause them to question their worldview if they are resistant (Goodman 2011). This means that the citizens that are used to one specific lifestyle routine that might be for example from home to work and vice versa, would feel threatened if their rhythm would need to change to include going to sport games. Another example could be someone who does not believe that there is a lack of support in the Bario of Brasil, he or she would be resistant to the idea of trying to better a relationship that was not bad in the first place. Next to this, the use of language as a tool of empowerment can play a big role when assessing a community. Teater explains that the social worker and the community jointly should identify the community problems and come to an agreement on how to intervene. An example could be the group session that was held with the members of the Bario of Brasil. He also explains that the attributes motivation, problem-solving skills (consciousness raising and cognitive restructuring), maintenance of psychological comfort, self-esteem and self-direction should advise the community intervention and it should be connected to the community’s end goal. It is crucial to include Centro di Bario Brasil into the project planning, since they are the main connection to get what is needed for the event. They have the location where the game could be taking place, they have contact with all the players, they have contact with the parents of the players and they have contact with the rest of the community that also should attend to show their support to the team. Centro di Bario Brasil also has planned events in the past, which means they have a good amount of knowledge to provide and advises to give. They also have a broader view of what the Bario of Brasil is more interested in and what could be used in order to attract different age groups to the event, for example a certain music band they might like more than others or a specific team to play against to make the game more interesting for the public. The event will be taking part of building a better relationship between not only players and their parents, but also between citizens of the Bario of Brasil. This way, it will help them maintain a positive and supportive relationship for not only sport games but different events so all group ages can support each other in their events of interests. Holding on to this supportive attitude will help maintain a healthier bario of Brasil.Evaluation of Group Process Working as a group to develop the community is a great way to learn, be social and achieve goals quickly. However, sometimes it can be difficult and communication can be lost and some may have to work harder than others. All these are part of group dynamics and we certainly weren’t immune to this. By evaluating our working process together as a group we were able to find some strengths and also weaknesses that we had to overcome in order to finalize this project.StrengthsAs a group one of our strengths was independence, to be able to work individually on our own after the tasks has been deliberated. For example, after making the group, each of us choose a part to work on and set the due date. There was no need to meet at different locations or at a certain time to work on the paper. For any questions a group-chat was created and one could receive support when needed. Trust was also a strength of this group dynamic. We trusted each other that the tasks assigned would be completed by the agreed due date. And that we would meet at Centro di Bario Brasil in time to participate in the focus group sessions. In addition, trust is two folded, because it was crucial to trust each other’s capacity that they could perform the task at hand at best of their abilities. A third strength that was visible from the start was group support. Support was given to each member in different ways as was necessary. For example, when one member needed a ride to CBB, or when one member had to work and could not participate in the surveys. Each time, one of the members could rely on the other for help when needed. Likewise, when one member was stuck with their part of the task or when writing this paper, she could call, or ask for support in the group chat. WeaknessesThe weaknesses were more difficult to identify because we did have a great time creating this project. However, after careful evaluation, we did find some that were a group as well as an individual learning moment. One weakness of the group was pace. Although we did trust each other and had great support from each other, the pace at which each individual worked was not taken into account. This means that not all group members would be able to work on the same pace as the others and in other cases, the load of a task would be more difficult than expected or was able to handle. Another area for improvement was the lack of coordination. As a group that was able to work independent from each other, there was a lack of coordination, some of the group members had different lifestyles or some had to work. This made it difficult to sit together and be face to face to work on the project and make it cohesive. To tight this group dynamic all together was the communication process. In our group we used different forms of communication, via technology and also verbal, but sometimes there was a lack of clear communication and other instances the communication was great. Thus, we would say that the communication was a strength and at times also a weakness in our group.Learning OutcomesWorking together on this assignment we learned community work on the macro level. We learned that the community can be seen geographically, location wise or as a shared identity. For example, Brasil is part of the broader part of Savaneta, but they are considered independent and has great pride in that. In theory we learned about encountering the community, narrowing the focus and mobilizing resources. With this assignment we practiced community encounter by organizing the focus group sessions at CBB and ask questions about their identity and their sense of community. We learned about their expectations and we were able to narrow the focus down to youth empowerment and active community. By creating this project proposal, we try to mobilize the resources found within the community of Brasil for a sustainable active neighborhood. In addition, we learned about the history of the community of Brasil, different key leaders in the community and the expectations of CBB. We gained experience working together as a team and we discovered strengths and weaknesses in ourselves and each other. This enabled us to overcome obstacles, prevent future miscommunications and be supportive in various ways. The assignment inspired us to create a sense of community within our own group. Furthermore, upon reflecting on this assignment, we think that we could have done some things differently when approaching the community. Although we did get feedback from a clear diverse group, we did not explore the broader neighborhood beyond the CBB. We believe that further research could be done on the work hours and time management of the community. There could be some connection between the work hours and the reason why the community does not engage more in the activities at CBB.ConclusionThe community of Brasil has all the components needed to contribute towards a better and sustainable community. The community has a big contributor, which is an active Centro di Bario Brasil that promotes homogeneity including the ideologies to achieved goals and needs to foster toward their development. The community of Brasil can achieve a lot through the mobilization of their own community members to raise awareness and support their development with the allocation of resources in their community to create a sustainable environment. In order to create a project proposal to meet the needs of the community of Brasil, it was necessary to first identify the active community members and leaders. With this information we were able to design a plan to mobilize the community to be active in events and to motivate the youth to participate in community cultural activities. In assessing the possibilities for a project proposal, it was necessary to involve the community by collecting their ideas on how to improve their own neighborhood by means of a small survey. In addition, we were able to identify the available resources that the community already has, for example; available funding, materials to renovate the sport center and people with trade skills.Some project ideas included the strength and empowerment approach in order to motivate the community through identification of the skills of the community members and rewarding them for their participation. In conversation with some of the community members of Brasil, we noticed that they are proud of their community and they value culture and history. Brasil being one of the earliest communities of Aruba has been known for their activities and cultural parade for many years now. There is sense of belonging and solidarity within the community and all of this makes Brasil an example for all other neighborhoods of Aruba. The experiences that the group went through in Bario di Brasil exceeded the principle expectations in regards to fully understanding this population from different key points such as age, race, ethnicity, education, income, employment, housing, health, and involvement with Social Service Agencies within the Bario di Brasil. Even though Bario di Brasil has been active within the Aruban community, there are still various aspects that could be analyzed for further improvements within the community. Through the loyalty program, members of all ages and all neighborhoods of Brasil join together, become more active and take pride in their neighborhood while in return continue to give back. Lack of engagement in a community increases feelings of exclusion which may contribute to the increasing crime rate and stereotype that was mentioned by the participants. The community assessment not only addresses needs of a community, but also tackles nation-wide social problems in the form of grassroot initiatives such as the loyalty program. It can be concluded that the members of the community of Brasil have the inner motivation to keep the neighborhood together and continue to take pride in their neighborhood. When members feel included and supported especially the youth of Brasil, fewer social problems might emerge and community cohesiveness continues to increase. References Central Bureau of Statistics Aruba. (2010, September 29). Fifth Population and Housing CensusAruba. Retrieved from , D. (2011) Promoting Diversity and Social Justice: Educating people from privileged groups, 2nd. NY: RoutledgeHealth Monitor Aruba. Ministry of Public Health and Sports. (2013) Retrieved from. M. & Thiel. C. O. (2010). “Historia di Parokia”. Freire. P. (1970). Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Retrieved from. J. (1981). “Bario di Brazil”. Pagina di Anta?o, pp. 9, 18-19. Netting, F. E., Kettner, P. M., McMurtry, S. L. & Thomas, L. (2012). Social Work MacroPractice. ISBN-13: 9780205895779Teater, B. (2010). An Introduction to Applying Social Work Theories and Methods, 2nd. ISBN: 8601404711299 ................
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