Humanities and Social Sciences Strand

Praxis Paper3 in Culminating

Activity Second Semester, A.Y. 2020-2021

The Social Injustices We Face

Praxis Framework: Goals of Social Work

Christine Mae Gimenez
Social work is a profession that promotes social change, development, cohesion and empowers

people and communities. Social work is a practice-based profession designed to help people and to

address their problems and help them find the resources that they need to live a healthy and productive

life. Social Work has 3 goals which is the goal of caring, the goal of curing, and the goal of changing. The

goal of caring refers to the empathetic trait of a social worker and being able to care for and understand

the clientele. The goal of curing refers to the aspect of treating people with the problems they have in

social functioning. The goal on changing refers to the active participation of a social worker in social

reforms. The concept of social work came into being during the Middle Ages. When churched based

ministries help the poor. Which led to the social justice movements in the 19th century. During the

1900s worrying about the welfare and the betterment of a person became an occupation. In the 1930s

social work became a profession. Social work started in Europe during Middle Ages than in America in

the 19th century to ensure that immigrants and other vulnerable people had the proper resources and

skills to escape economic and social poverty. Jane Addams founded Chicago’s Hull House which this

house provides community service and a social research program. Charles Booth conducted a study, the

first attempt at gathering data and mapping poverty, which influenced social research. Through this,

during the 20th Century, social work became more professional and scientific in its methodology. The
concept of Social work is broad for me and reading and understanding the Goals of Social work gave me

this understanding of why social work is important and I want to spread that.

Mga munting tinig is a 2002 Philippine drama Directed by Gil M. Portes.Written by Gil Portes , Senedy

Que, Adolfo Alix Jr. The film was produced by Gil Portes , Rey Cuerdo, Jose Almojuela, Cresencio Bendijo,

and Marissa Dames. A Filipino film to be released by Warner Bros. Pictures. Audience Favorite Award

Winner at the recent Palm Springs International Film Festival. The first Filipino film closes such a

distribution deal with a big Hollywood studio. The movie tells the story of Melinda a teacher in Malawig

Elementary School in a poor remote place. She encountered challenges as a teacher such as scarcity of

school resources and corrupt personnel, unprepared teachers, student’s constantly pulled out of class

by their parents for fieldwork.

According to the article that I read Portes expresses how it offers a rare insight into a culture we rarely

see depicted on film. It applauds the fight of educators in an environment that is oftentimes in direct

opposition to the basic tenets of learning. Struggles with a viewpoint that is refreshingly unaffected by

Western influences. Mga Munting Tinig depicts the reality of Filipino society. The movie expresses also

the struggles that our country faces like social injustices, poverty, corruption, terrorism, and also how

even the littles of care and help could change someone’s life. The goal caring refers to the empathetic

trait of a social worker and being able to care for and understand the clientele. The goal on curing refers

to the aspect of treating people with the problems they have in social functioning. The goal on changing

refers to the active participation of social workers in social reforms. These goals of social work reminded

me of Melinda in the movie. She cared for her student she helped her students. Lastly, she encouraged

them to push through with their dreams, she showed perseverance and dedication so that they can join

the singing contest and in that way, she proved her point not only to the students but also to the other
teachers in that school. It is important to be able to put this goal into heart social worker or not because

as responsible citizens of our country can we stand the social injustices, poverty, and children losing

hope in achieving their dreams because they are poor. It is heartbreaking to hear that if we can do

something to help then we can help in our little ways it will make a difference.

Poverty is present globally and that’s obvious and discussed often. Poverty is the state where you lack

the resources, material possession, and income to provide for basic needs. The people who experience

this are mostly hungry, have less access to education, no electricity, poor health, and more. That is why

the UN came up with SDG1 that aims to eradicate all forms of poverty like the lack of food, clean water,

and sanitation. This connects to my selected concept the Goals of social work. Due to the reason that it’s

been always the role of the social worker to help who are indeed and who lacks the resources. Social

work is a profession that promotes social change, development, cohesion, and empower people and

communities. Remember In the case of poverty it’s the task of the social worker to help their clientele to

match them with the resources they need and to help them find solutions to help them that could be

long-term or short-term solutions to solve their problems. That could be able to help them find a job so

they can start over and many more depending on the situation. We know that poverty exists which has

been there since the early records of human civilization. To prove my point during Ancient Egypt social

classes existed. Being Pharaohs as the highest social class and being a farmer, slaves, and peasants. Have

you ever wondered how it all started, how poverty started we sometimes tend to ignore or simply just

not care about it, because we are well off, not suffering from being poor. That’s the thing about it, in my

opinion, poverty started because of the selfishness of people because of the lack of remorse, care, and

understanding of others. Being a social worker is more of dedication rather than work because if you’re

only at it for money being a social worker will make you unhappy. In the movie Melinda symbolizes a
social worker, helping the poor students, giving them hope, teaching them, and caring for them. You can

see poverty, how it breaks people, how pathetic and hopeless it makes them feel. How others do not

care and how selfish we all can get. It makes you see the realities in the world we live in. To care, to

cure, and to change is what Melinda did to her students just like a social worker.

Lack of education and poor quality education are issues that are present nationally and locally. A high

number of drop-outs, repeaters, low passing grades, students who lack practical language skills,

overcrowded classrooms, poor teacher performance, and teachers overworking their selves. One factor

also the lack of education would be the parents. Some parents would prefer to make their children quit

school and rather help them earn money now. Which deprived a child of the right to be educated and

good life. Another reason why children drop-outs, and repeats school is because of poverty and health

problems. There is also shortages of school building, textbook, and equipment. Graduates who become

part of the nation's educated unemployed. All of his results to poor quality of education. I can relate this

to the movie because of some of the problems that we see in the movie that I mentioned in here. Like

poor teacher performance and teachers overworking their selves. A high number of drop-outs,

repeaters, some parents would prefer to make their children quit school and rather help them earn

money now. Shortages of school building, textbooks, and equipment. Graduates who become part of

the nation's educated unemployed. This problem is present in my province Aloguinsan Municipality in

Cebu. Aloguinsan, officially the Municipality of Aloguinsan, is a 4th class municipality in the province of

Cebu, Philippines. I have seen people struggle with this and saw how they lack school resources. How

parents would prefer their children to help them with fieldwork and many more issues that I have

mentioned.I can relate this to the concept that I picked because Social work is a practice-based

profession designed to help people and to address their problems and help them find the resources that

they need to live healthy and productive lives. Through the goal of caring social workers has the ability

to care and understand the clientele. The goal on curing treating people with the problems they have in
social functioning. The goal on changing refers to the active participation of a social worker in social

reforms.

I’ve always known that being a social worker is more of a calling and dedication rather than a job. If we

treat being a social worker as a job and we're in it for money. This will truly make us unhappy and later

on quit at it. Just based off on the goals of a social worker which are the goal of caring, the goal of

curing, and the goal of changing. They are a crucial part of being a social worker they are the goals that

they have to achieve with their clientele. Honestly gave me a deeper respect for these people. That

there is still good in the world we live in. The movie was very brilliant, it gave us a sense of what is really

happening in the Philippines. For me it made me realize how fortunate I am. Made me thank my parents

for working hard and giving us a better life than they did. Yes, my parents were in the same situation as

the children in that movie. How they are pulled out of school to help in fieldwork or any labor that could

help them eat a meal even once a day. How they lack the resources they need to go to school and

actually learn. Yet with perseverance and dedication, people can realistically reach their dreams. I

remembered also how there was some scene in that movie where it was prevalent that being poor you

will stay poor and not reach anywhere. That what you want to pursue as your career will not be possible

if you’re not rich mentality. It’s heartbreaking that others can’t get that out of their head, poverty will

remain a hindrance in life if we allow it to be a hindrance and if we allow it to pull us down. As much It

hurts me to say this but not trying or being scared will bring you nowhere, yes it won’t be easy and it will

be one of the hardest things to do, but the results are rewarding. My parents are one of the proofs that I

can give that if you really want it then you can do it. I am here today presenting in a private school and

being able to eat a meal 3 times a day and many more because of the efforts of my mom and dad to

pursue their dreams and not give them up. I have also learned that we will remain a victim if we let it

be. We get so comfortable in where we are despite knowing we are not happy that we know we could

be doing something about it, but we won’t because we are scared to fall and fail. Yet that is life won’t
learn if we won’t fall and fail. We have to wake up if you don’t do anything about your situation then we

don’t have the right complain.

Honestly, I can help spread this advocacy in a little way that I could. Let’s be realistic I am a student I am

far from being someone known to really be able to tell a huge number of people and have their

attention in one go because if I was then obviously I would be doing that. Yet I am just a student

surrounded by the people I love and care about. Like family and friends, see I am an ordinary person. Yet

I won’t take that as an excuse to be able to not do anything. I have learned a lot making this paper just

not to share about this. I would be sharing this with my friends, family, and the people, I would meet. I

would talk about what I have learned in this paper when I am given a chance to share and when it’s

appropriate. I would remember this and treat this as one of the valuable things I have learned in my

lifetime. This is not only a lesson that I have learned this a sense of identity of who Filipinos are. How

strong we are despite the social injustices we face. We will remain a victim if we allow it to be. I would

like to end this with a quote “Great rewards come from great effort “.

Bui, H. H. (2013, May 31). prezi. Retrieved from prezi.com: https://prezi.com/5kosn7ltukkg/the-lack-of-

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%20education%20in%20the%20Philippines.

Stuart, P. H. (2013, June 11). Oxford Research Encyclopedia. Retrieved from oxfordre.com:

https://oxfordre.com/socialwork/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199975839.001.0001/acrefore-

9780199975839-e-623
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Retrieved 04:48, March 21, 2021, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?

title=Small_Voices&oldid=998422989

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Encyclopedia. Retrieved 05:00, March 21, 2021, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?

title=History_of_social_work&oldid=988824374

Wikipedia contributors. (2021, February 6). Aloguinsan. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.

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https://www.imbalife.com/7-key-issues-and-problems-of-philippine-education