Ecological approach in social work helps identify challenges and opportunities within a community and helps create a balance between the community and prevailing factors. There are three social work levels, namely micro, mezzo, and macro level issues. All three categories aim to better individuals’ living standards, but the implementation strategies are different. Similarly, the interventions undertaken at all three social work levels depend on various factors such as geographical location, the community affected, available finances, and policies, among others.
As the name suggests, micro level issues are the lowest of the three levels. The issues dealt with at this level require one-on-one interaction with the individuals or families affected. According to Boeto, 2016, micro level issues aim to connect individuals and families experiencing similar issues. For instance, a family or individuals affected by political violence would require counseling and support, requiring the social workers to interact with them one-on-one. Second, mezzo level issues are aimed at improving the livelihood of communities but do not involve one-on-one interaction with the individuals. Actions taken in this may influence organization policies that affect a larger community of people(Sloan & Shipherd, 2019). The influence of mezzo is felt by a larger community rather than specific.
The third and last level of social issues is the macro level. The macro-level entails any issues that can be undertaken to improve communities at a state or global level. Macro-level issues may include campaigns targeting public and private institutions, advocating for social justice, and promoting economic development( Austin et al., 2016). The different levels of social care are also dependent on each other that, is one level may encourage the achievement of another level’s aims. Documentary Canada’s Open House reveals the different levels of social issues that require interventions just according to the level issues identified, as illustrated in the table below.
| Presenting issues |
Intervention strategies |
Micro-level issues
- Joblessness. This makes it hard for the refugees to be able to meet their financial needs. For instance, Mohamed is stressed about the bills he has yet to start paying at the end of the year, yet he has not gotten himself any job.
- Lack of skills that could help them fend for themselves.
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- Helping marginalized individuals in the search for jobs. The organization sponsoring the stay of Mohamad’s family in Chipman, New Brunswick
- Empowerment of the individuals. Offering skills that can promote self-employment among individuals can reduce unemployment. Raghda has joined a group of other ladies where she is learning how to hand-knit. After acquiring such skills, she might knit things and sell them within the city. Similarly, since they live close to a lake, the husband can get empowerment and support on how to do large-scale fishing as a means of self-employing himself.
- https://settlement.org/
- https://www.culturelink.ca/
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- Language barriers. Language barriers make it very difficult for Mohamed to get a job in the town since he does not speak fluent English.
- Education for the children.
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- Offering language tuitions. The individuals should get lessons that will enable them to know the language used in the area. Knowing the local language will allow them to interact with their neighbors and may make them be considered when they go to seek jobs in the city. The documentary shows that the sponsors also pay for English lessons for Mohamed and His wife, Raghad.
- I recommend the individuals to Immigration, Refugees Citizenship Canada(IRCC) department for any language training needs. You can access the department via https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship.html or http://www.tdsb.on.ca/newcomerservices
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- Meeting the financial bills for the refugees as they adapt and get ready to start living independently. This can be done for some period say a year or so.
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- Financial support from the government as well as other social workers. The government can support the refugees by giving them relief funds or supporting the non-governmental organizations involved in social work activities. The groups may fail to provide financial support as they may run out of funds due to a large number of individuals or programs they fund. For instance, one of the sponsors says she is disappointed that she cannot meet all the financial needs of the family.
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- Loneliness. The family of Mohamed feels lonely as they cannot interact with the neighbors.
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- Organizing events and inviting the refugees. These events can be family ceremonies. This will build some sense of togetherness with the families.
- Additionally, I would spend my time with family to give them company whenever I am free.
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- Isolated settlement. Mohamed’s family explains how it is hard to mingle with the neighbors. They feel isolated and living in a strange village as the only people they can interact with are his children.
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- There is a need for community connections. Community creations would help newcomers or refugees in Canada bond with their neighbors and connect them to the larger community, public institutions, and other community organizations.
- The refugees can get access to community creation programs from agencies like:
- https://www.culturelink.ca/
- http://www.tesoc.org/
- By joining public institutions like schools, the children are positioned to be part of the school community by making friends with their peers. Newcomers organization offers learning opportunities for children. Visit their website below; http://www.tdsb.on.ca/newcomerservices
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- Family therapy. Raghda, Mohamed’s wife, is not okay with her husband staying at home all the time. She quotes that in Arab culture, men should be staying home all through. She suggests that her husband find a job and live in a different city. Her husband being at home all the time has made them have issues such as failing to talk to each other.
- Dealing with stress, depression, or anxiety. For instance, from the documentary, Raghda seems depressed after losing their home. Mohamed is stressed about the bills he has been presented with even before a year ends.
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- Family counseling. Family counseling is necessary to make individuals understand the situations affecting them. For instance, Raghda says they do not get along with the husband because he is usually at home.
- I would recommend refugees contact the Settlement Assistance Family Support organization for any services regarding family issues that would need counseling. The organization’s website is http://www.safss.org/
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Mezzo level issues
- Working to develop sustainable communities. Communities can be created by having strategies that ensure food security and skill building, among others.
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- Creation of workshops to help the individuals gain necessary skills to land them job opportunities. For instance, there is a community skill-building program that Raghda joins so she can learn knitting with other aged women.
- Engage the communities in taking part in jobs offered by the private organization. As in the case of Shelburne, Nova Scotia, where a private sponsorship is teaching the refugees how the basic skills in fishing.
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- Social justice issues such as discrimination at workplaces. Mohamed has not found a job in the city because he cannot speak English.
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- Amendment of organizational policies to prevent any form of discrimination. However, organizations should strive to promote eco-social environments by appreciating the natural differences such as culture, race, language, and etcetera.
- This would be advocated well via media. Through the media, the general public can be taught about the effects of discrimination.
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- Literacy. Literacy is the ability to read and write. In the wake of technological advancements and the ever-changing world, literacy is very important to every individual, including the non-dominant communities.
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- Literacy of the refugees or marginalized communities can be increased through the creation of large-scale education.
- Encourage the communities to enroll in different learning institutions to increase their literacy. The adults can join the adult schools such as the one found in http://www.tdsb.on.ca/newcomerservices while the children can register on the grades corresponding to their studying levels.
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- Empowerment of the many communities. Empowering communities would lead to increased innovations as people tend to be creative. Similarly, it will lead to increased production in different sectors of the economy.
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- Advocate for policy changes such as tax reduction and loans for minority groups. Individuals can identify their different areas of interest, for instance, agriculture, business, or any other economic activity. Through this, individuals will be in a position to venture into businesses and activities to ensure food security and financial security.
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- Development of a community in a specified area to be inhabited by only the marginalized. For instance, a group of refugees in Shelburne is living together. Through this, they bond and are not stressed due to isolation, neither are they depressed. Adopting a single community would also be cost-effective for the private sponsors, contrary to if they had to support each refugee family independently.
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- Need for promotion of economic growth. This is necessary as it aims at improving the living standards of marginalized communities.
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- Help the community members identify the available opportunities that could promote their financial freedom. This requires market research to help arrive at exemplary conclusions. For instance, the sponsors paying Mohamed’s bills in Canada can identify an opportunity and help him invest.
- Teach individuals business management skills through the media and organizing sensitization programs.
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| Macro level issues |
- Socioeconomic disparities that promote ethnic discrimination. In the documentary, there was ethnic discrimination that could not enable Mohamed to get a job.
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- Raising public awareness on the matters of promoting the disparities within the country. Such awareness can be created by using media so as the information to reach the highest number of people possible.
- Conducting research and collecting data can lead to the prosecution of individuals or organizations promoting discrimination of any form in the country.
- Lobby for legislation that would promote social justice in the country. This can be done by using media, organizing movement campaigns, and letter writing to the relevant legislative bodies.
- Sensitizing the communities on the importance of togetherness and equal treatment of everyone. Mohamed stays home all day with his children due to failure to get transport despite living near a road with busy traffic.
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- Lack of financial support programs.
- Distribution of resources in respect of the community needs.
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- Call on the government to come up with programs that could help support the most affected in the community. The affected groups could be unemployed, aged, minor communities, refugees. This can is achievable best through grant and letter writing.
- Hold campaigns that can help in raising funds that can be used to support the refugees within the country since non-profit organizations only depend on money and other aids from well-wishers.
- Push for the adoption and implementation of programs that will sustain the unemployed in the country. Some amount could be set aside just to cushion the unemployed. This intervention could be best advocated for through the proposal of policy change. For instance, the government of Canada can fund Mohamed’s family until that time when they shall have fully adapted to life in the country and can fend for themselves.
- Advocate for policy changes that would promote the distribution of resources according to the need, population, and environmental challenges communities are faced with severe difficulties. For instance, 30% allocation of resources to all regions of the country would be unfair as others would have excess at the expense of the majority who struggle to survive on a similar allocation percentage.
- Call for legislation amendments to include the minority in their crucial services, such as healthcare and education, adoption, and implementation strategies.
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- Teaching the community how to apply and access relief funds from the government. Mohamed may not know of fund reliefs and other support opportunities available for him. Therefore organizing community education will ensure such people are well informed of their luck.
- Organizing mass training events where the public can get training on relevant skills would lead to their wellbeing financially.
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- Environmental degradation, for instance, deforestation, as witnessed from the documentary. For example, Mohamed says he is greatly distracted by the sawmill in his neighborhood.
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- Involve different government departments in protecting the natural resources in the environment, such as forests. Mohamed says there is a large wood processing factory close to where he lives.
- Advocate for the legislation of policies that protects the environment. For instance, uncontrolled logging which leads to desertification.
- Sensitizing the general public on the importance of protecting the environment by organizing campaigns for planting, cleaning, and managing the environment to ensure ecological balance(Giriya and Krishnaraj, 2017). All these are aimed at protecting the country and world at large from the effects of environmental degradation.
- Development and implementation of the renewable resources. Advocating of the abolishment of non-renewable nor non-reusable materials which do not decompose. Such materials take years in the soil and limit food production. As a result, the issue of food insecurity would be persistent and would affect many other individuals in the community.
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- Working on economic development. Economic development refers to the activities undertaken to determine the various available opportunities and challenges in our communities. Identification of such factors which could underpin the economic growth would lead to the development of unique strategies that would propel the wellbeing of the communities.
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- Conducting research and detailed analysis on the community to determine the challenges, priorities, and opportunities within the community. This will help come up with unique strategic plans to raise the economic standards of the community.
- Write letters to big investment companies to put money-generating projects. Through such projects, individuals will be able to get employment and raise their living standards.
- Take part in economic surveys and research conducted by several departments. As a social worker who interacts with disadvantaged communities, the problems you experience require unique problems which only you can recommend.
- Provide business startup opportunities to as many communities as possible. The opportunities will ensure that each person survives independently without depending on aid from the government or other non-governmental organizations.
- Helping the existing businesses. This could be done by reducing tax levies imposed on businesses(Ghosh, 2020). For instance, policies should be implemented to cushion businesses generating below $2000, exempting them from paying taxes.
- Partner with the government in identifying and reviving manufacturing companies such as Matell inc., which closed its operations in Canada.
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From the above explanations, it is clear that most marginalized communities are affected by many issues, making life tough for them. For instance, Mohamed’s family is in distress as they have been informed of their bills despite having any source of income. Mohamad says he could not get a job in the city because he cannot speak English perfectly. The wife is depressed and fails to communicate with the husband. These issues can only be addressed when a social worker interacts with the affected. Mohamad’s family is isolated, and they have never mingled with their neighbors. This forces Don to her family so they can connect and mingle with others. Don tries to offer both financial and family counseling.
The sponsor paying the family’s bills is on the verge of terminating their support on the family. This points out the need to involve other stakeholders in ensuring that they continue with their course. Similarly, addressing the issue of discrimination based on language also calls for unified action to curb such socioeconomic disparities. Addressing the issues above does not require one-on-one interaction with the individuals. The problems stated above could therefore be mezzo and macro level. To promote macro issues in the community, the government and other prominent departments can be involved in influencing legislation and policy changes at the national level.
To help the family of Mr. Mohamed, I would connect him with several companies that could offer him a job. This would save him from the stress of managing his financial bills. Also, I would suggest relocating the family to a more friendly and accommodating area where they can readily and freely interact with others. I would also teach the wife, Raghda, the necessary business strategies then invest for her to run. I would also use my free time teaching the duo the basics of the English language to ease their communication with others.
In summary, the ecological approach outlines three levels of social issues, namely micro, mezzo and macro. Notably, the three levels of issues operate on different approaches, but the sole aim is to improve the wellbeing of individuals, with the community with macro being the highest level that influences communities at the regional or global level. Macro can be said to be more concerned with the formulation and implementation of policies aiming at the betterment of individuals.
References
Austin, M. J., Anthony, E. K., Knee, R. T., & Mathias, J. (2016). Revisiting the relationship between micro and macro social work practice. Families in Society, 97(4), 270-277.
Boetto, H. (2016). Developing ecological social work for micro-level practice. Ecological social work: Towards sustainability, 59-77.
Ghosh, S. (2020). Small businesses, big reform. Capitalism and COVID-19, 55(18), 32.
Giriya, M. G., & Krishnaraj, M. (2021). Ecological Imbalance and the Value of Nature in Bond’s the Cherry Tree. Annals of the Romanian Society for Cell Biology, 7123-7126.
Sloan, C. A., & Shipherd, J. C. (2019). An ethical imperative: Effectively reducing SGM disparities utilizing a multi-level intervention approach. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 26(2), 239-242.
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