Communities constitute important institutions in the life of people, and collective efforts can benefit people living in the same area. Currently, many strategies exist that aim at improving the social environment in communities, and one of the frameworks is the strengths-based model. The case of Jasmine from Sandstorm City and a volunteer network shows an example of effective empowerment through the use of the strengths-focused approach to community development.
At the beginning of Jasmin’s case, there were several blocks to empowerment that must be identified and analyzed thoroughly. The primary external or indirect block observed in the case study which the residents of Sandstorm City faced concerned an excessive dependence on the government welfare (Lee, 2001). While the main internal block to empowerment is a common belief expressed by Jasmine that social programs cannot change the neighborhood for the better. Essentially, the residents of Sandstorm City lost the ability to act independently due to their over-reliance on government help.
The strengths-focused approach constitutes a framework that involves identifying certain skills and abilities possessed by clients and helping them to implement them. In the current case, the strengths-based approach is reflected in the social worker’s efforts to organize the community members and enable them to engage in various activities such as volunteering together. Such an approach produced significant results since all participants were able to demonstrate their skills through teamwork. Community development can positively affect social service agencies by acting as a force to bring together different people and grant an opportunity to work together on projects.
Jasmine’s case is a manifestation of the success of the strengths-based approach, which helps unleash the skills of people. Despite the fact that the Sandstorm residents, such as Jasmine, faced external and internal blocks to empowerment, the social worker encouraged them to join their efforts together. As a result, the community was able to create a local support network that helped its members actualize their skills.
Reference
Lee, J.A.B. (2001). The empowerment approach to social work practice. Columbia University Press.