Statement of Interest-Master of Social Work Critical Leadership

Student Name
Course
Instructor
Date
Statement of Interest-Master of Social Work Critical Leadership
Introduction
I am writing this statement of interest to make an application for the Masters of Social Work Critical Leadership. I am specifically interested in developing community leadership skills which would assist me to address some of the issues facing the community where I work. I have been engaged in various community initiatives, and now I believe it is time to advance to the next level by undertaking the MSW-Critical Leadership program.
The dilemma facing the organization
Currently, I work as a health promotion specialist where I coordinate Indus seven senior groups at both Mississauga and Brampton. The community here faces various challenges ranging from social, economic and environmental issues. Various social workers are tasked with addressing the different needs of the community members. Despite the availability of social workers in this area, there is a lack of adequate collaborative initiatives and strategic partnerships. The various social workers do not want to collaborate to address some of the common challenges facing the community. Instead, different social workers prefer to work in isolation without involving each other. In such a scenario, it is difficult to bring together social workers to address some of the common problems affecting society.
Moreover, the lack of leadership skills makes it problematic to bring social workers together. In my practice, I have found it challenging to organize other social workers because I do not have adequate leadership skills. Besides, I also encounter challenges while trying to implement essential initiatives affecting the community members.
How I have offered leadership
I have a Bachelors of Art in Health Studies and Bachelors of Social Work. These academic qualifications have allowed me to get employment opportunities in various organizations dealing with community issues. During my practicum, I was a peer/court support mentor at the Women’s Centre of Hamilton. Here, I was tasked with providing women who were victims of domestic violence with the support and information on several legal issues. I assisted the clients to navigate the complex legal systems. I also facilitated a support group to help the victims to gain their self-esteem and empowerment. During this time, I discovered that effective leadership skills were essential for the success of my work.
I had an opportunity to develop educational interventions to assist in training the clients on various issues. For instance, between June 2016 and April 2017, I worked as a mental health support worker at the Oakville Memorial Trafalgar Hospital. I supported the service users to identify and develop recovery plan goals to enable them to achieve individual wellness. Using tools like the Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP), I assisted the service users in creating their recovery plans. In addition to developing the plans, I engaged in training and educational activities. I particularly taught the service users regarding identifying and combating negativity and fears by using coping strategies. I organized group discussions where the service users engaged each other one on one. Here, they s...