2024 Participants
Study Abroad Experience
Faculty advisor/course instructor: Jocelyn Clare Hermoso
Entry #13
As an undergraduate student and as a Latinx student face multiple challenges in a diverse society. However, there are valuable resources that help the Latinx community in academic development. When studying abroad expands the opportunities for education with high levels of knowledge in different cultures, perspectives, and social issues at the international level. Indeed, only a few students from minority groups participate in study abroad programs due to significant factors. For example, one of the core problems students encounter includes financial constraints.
To find the right financial support, it is imperative to have an important guide during the application process. The International Department from SFSU provides advisory services to guide students and help them find those important resources. As a student who went to study abroad for a semester, I would like to share the incredible experience of a semester abroad (Germany) and provide information about financial support, the host university, and its programs in the Social Work Department.
Hidden Voices of the Tenderloin
Faculty advisor/course instructor: Jocelyn Clare Hermoso
Entry #18
Homelessness is a multifaceted social issue that requires collaborative efforts and joint social action to effectively address its root causes and provide solutions. This study focuses on the homeless population in the Tenderloin District — a specific region in San Francisco. Historically, the city government of San Francisco has tried various efforts to end homelessness, none of which have worked.
One approach, Housing First (HF), has been considered effective at addressing homelessness based on literature and studies. HF guarantees permanent housing as a human right without any conditions. There have been many attempts to implement HF in San Francisco; however, it has been opposed by conservative forces because of the ideological underpinnings about the root causes of poverty. In this study, we provide an in-depth qualitative study through interviews that assess the needs of individuals and families who identify as homeless, both in shelters and in the streets of the Tenderloin district. Our interviews, focus on assessing the unhoused population's beliefs on HF to address homelessness. Homelessness is not limited to a specific demographic or community, thus understanding and respecting diversity within the homeless population is an essential part of finding new solutions.
Poverty and mental health
Faculty advisor/course instructor: Jocelyn Clare Hermoso
Entry #22
Mental illness includes a wide range of conditions that affect a person's emotions, thinking and behavior. There is often a complex relationship between mental illness and poverty. People living in poverty often face many stressors, such as inadequate access to health care, employment opportunities, education, and trauma or violence on top because of the stigmas people have of them. These stressors can increase the risk of developing mental disorders such as anxiety or depression. Often, financially disadvantaged people have more difficult access to psychological support, which can worsen their mental health problems (cf. National Library of Medicine). On the other hand, mental illness can contribute to poverty (cf. Crisis Assistance Ministry 2023). Those affected may have problems finding or even keeping a job, which in turn leads to financial instability. In addition, depending on the diagnosis, high healthcare costs can occur, which can also place a financial charge on them. This research seeks to address the following research question: What are barriers to access mental health care for refugees living in poverty in Fulda, and how can these barriers be overcome?
Past Participants
2023
Ethical Challenges in Social Work Practice in Pandemic Conditions: A Photovoice Project
Faculty advisor/course instructor: Jocelyn Hermoso
Entry #17
The COVID-19 virus pandemic has brought up a multitude of issues and challenges. It intensified already existing inequities which disproportionately affected the marginalized. Social workers played significant roles in responding to the pandemic, including working on the front lines, providing direct social services to clients, and organizing mutual aid groups to support precarious communities. At the same time, the shift in practice modalities to curb infection rates also brought new ethical challenges to social work practice. Building on the works of Banks et al, 2021 and IFSW, 2021, this Photovoice project sought to address the research question: What are the ethical challenges in social work practice in pandemic conditions? Conducted as a class research project, this Photovoice project involved having twenty-seven (27) students each take a photograph that symbolized an ethical challenge to social work practice brought about by the pandemic. Using Wang and Burris’ (1997) SHOWeD framework, the students conducted a focused group analyzing the photographs and formulated themes addressing the research question about the ethical challenges to social work practice. Implications for social work practice, policy, research, and education of this Photovoice project will be explored.