Bonus Assignment: Blog # 5

Despite the fact that I have faced many challenges taking this class, I have learned so much and gained a better knowledge about many things, such as social welfare in Canada, different ideologies, citing and referencing, aboriginal people and their lifestyle, and LGBT community. I also learned a lot about myself and about poverty in Canada, especially in Ontario. Most importantly, I came to realize how lucky I am to be here and to live such a good life.

At first, taking this course was overwhelming to me, for that I had to learn so much in such a short period of time. I did not either know what apa style is or how to write in-text citations. Also, I did not know that much variety of words and terms. I was not aware of the searching technique that we learned about at the lab session in September as well. For example, I did not know how much the use of a word or a signal changes the searching results. By time, I started picking up these methods and start applying them not only in this class, but also in my other class too.

At the beginning, I was not aware of the fact that the Canadian social welfare is influenced by the English poor laws. I learned about the deserving and the undeserving poor. I also learned more about Aboriginal people and their lifestyle. For instance, writing the first blog and reading the blogs my colleagues wrote helped me have a better understanding of Aboriginals and where they come from. Throughout the time, I was able to relate to some of their beliefs about life and spirituality. Also, I come to realize that they did not suffer from poverty and barely had to stand against it until the Europeans settled.

Moreover, coming from a family who is politically involved and active, I was familiar with some of the ideologies that we have discussed in class. However, I did not know how similar, yet different they are from one another. For instance, I learned more about the feminist approach, its beliefs, and goals. So far, I came to realize that I share many common thoughts and principles feminist hold. I asked myself at some point the question if I was a feminist or not. Therefore, I know better about who I am and where I stand.

The society I come from has merely any knowledge of LGBT community. I was shocked by the things I have learned and the stories I have heard in class. I understand that our gender is not the same as our sex, knowing the difference between what we desire and who we are. The LGBT group presentation has opened my eyes to what non-heterosexual individuals come across on a daily basis. I started wondering about where I stand and I came to realize that I am one of the LGBTQ. I am interested in educating myself more to become more conscious and understand these individuals just as they understand me.

Since I am in the poverty group, I was shocked that there are many people who live in poverty in Canada. I learned a lot about some of the social policy issues and how they reflected on people and their lifestyle. I also learned that eating healthy food is very expensive here. Thus, many Canadians strive to serve good quality food on their tables and maintain a home for their families. 

In a conclusion, I am writing the last blog entry for this semester with a mind that is full of knowledge and understanding of many things we studied about in class, such as social welfare in Canada, different ideologies, citing and referencing, aboriginal people and their lifestyle, and LGBT community. I am looking forward for next semester and to discover more about life and myself. 

-Farah

What I learned from this course.

What have I learned from this course?   I just didn’t learn the ideologies and the frame work of social polices, I learned to work with other people a projects as well.  I learned to be patient with technology, and we can’t forget the little distractions inside the classroom.

 

I have an understanding of how policies make the frame work of everything in social work. I now know how important it is to understand and identify programs to help people who are in need, knowing where the policies came from such as the poor laws, and the rise of capitalism you can understand where they need to be to help people. In this class we touch on so many different topics from child poverty to LGBTTQ.  The blogging at first to me was hard, but as I did more research to each topic it was not as hard.  I have learned how to site sources and somewhat an understanding of the APA style of writing.   

 

I think having the blogging was a great way to learn to develop our writing skills as well as your research skill, I know a lot more now on how to obtain information that is credible.  I’d like to thank everyone for the opportunity of blogging and expressing my opinions.

 

Jen M  

Familiar Strangers

     Through the research done to compose the four blogs I have written, I learned a great deal about poverty; how it affects students, creates homelessness and how the Pre-Contact Era Anishinaabek people lived without it. Through my research, as well as through my readings of other blogs, I learned about the political ideologies. From the aforementioned blog posts, I learned about Older Adults and the injustices they live with, the LGBTTQ community and the stigma they face, people living with mental illness/physical disabilities and how our world has not yet accommodated them, and so much more.

      But most important of all, I have learned about the intersectionality of people. I have been reminded about how we all have so many roles to fulfill, as students, as parents, as workers, as members of our culture etc... I have been reminded about how we are all so different, through things like race, gender, writing style, but that we have the same basic needs, we want the same things and we are in many ways, much a like. Yet all this oppression and classism still occurs. My eyes have been opened to what must be done. "Just as oppression contains psychological and political dimensions, so do liberation and well-being." (Prilleltensky, 2003).

     I have learned a great deal about the social issues that are interwoven and hidden in our world. But on a more micro level, I think about the all the faces that had become familiar to me in our classroom; the seventy or so people that have all come from different places, families and backgrounds to lug themselves out of bed to unite at 10:00 AM every Friday. We are each of us gifted. We are all of us survivors of our own trials. We know so little about each other; we probably know nothing about what the people sitting around us have been through or what they fight for. All we do know is that every Friday morning, we have an Introduction to Social Welfare class together. We become familiar strangers in a world overcast with injustice, yet filled with such promise and opportunity. Together, as strangers that cross paths, we can achieve change however, we need each other, and that is vital. As the famous saying goes, "United we stand, divided we fall."

Prilleltensky, I. (March 2003). Understanding, Resisting, and Overcoming Oppression: Toward Psychopolitical Validity. American Journal of Community Psychology, Volume 31. Retrieved December 14, 2012 from http://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/A:1023043108210?LI=true

~ Valerie

Violence Against Women

          In this blog entry, I am going to talk about the links between violence against women and poverty. I will also look at violence from a feminist approach.The Public Health Agency of Canada looked at the relationship between violence against women and poverty, the research indicated that in general, Canadian women are subject to being abused or facing violence regardless of their background, culture or race (The Public Health Agency of Canada p.4). Women who are neither wealthy nor capable of supporting themselves are highly dependent on their male partners. The Public Health Agency of Canada explained that those women who are in need of money and financial stability tend to be in exposure of abuse and violence, because they are dependent on their male spouse or family relative for providing them with the life necessities they lack (p.7). As a result, young and Aboriginal women are good candidates of being abused and oppressed, for that they have a lack of economic and financial security and a lack of job experience (The Public Health Agency of Canada p.3). However, immigrant women go also through many challenges because they either have not developed good English communication skills or they did not have the opportunity to work in the Canadian jobs field (The Public Health Agency of Canada, p.5). 

            Moreover, poverty and violence are interconnected to each other because they both lead to one another. For example, women who live in poverty are likely to be victims of family violence: they bear being mistreated and beaten up in order to survive. On the other hand, women who are abused put up with any kinds of violence they encounter with, so they can maintain their social class and the good quality of life they have. The Public Health Agency of Canada argued that “The similar effects that violence and poverty have on women have led some to conclude that to live in poverty is a form of societal abuse” (p.4). Hence, I strongly believe that poverty and violence have an incredible effect on the woman's health and self-esteem. If the woman is healthy, she will be productive. As a result, she will become successful and she will also develop a sense of self worth, respect, and importance. 

Furthermore, the feminist movement occurred to represent all kinds of  women, especially the marginalized ones. Boucher mentioned in her article that looked at violence from a feminist perspective that many feminists believe women should be treated the same way men are treated; they believe that equality between both genders starts with education and turns out to social movements (p.4). Furthermore, feminists believe that violence should be recognized as for what it really is; harmful and evil. They also debate that violence should also be identified as a serious social issue, so that we can overcome it as a society (Boucher, p.5). Feminists are very conscious and aware of the terms they use to define violence. Also, they work to spread awareness about violence against women, informing society members with what needs to be known in order to take a stand against violence (Boucher, p.8).

In conclusion, violence against women and poverty are connected to each other. The Public Health Agency of Canada examined the relationship between abused and poor women in one of its researches. A feminist approach views violence as a product of an oppressive society (Boucher, p.4). 

-Farah

References: 

Boucher, L. Naming the Problem: Feminists Frame Violence against Women. Brescia University

College.1-10. Retrieved from:
http://www.brescia.uwo.ca/search.htmlsitesearch=http%3A%2F%2F
http://www.brescia.uwo.ca/iwil/events/conferences/lisa_mae_boucher.pdf

Public Health Agency of Canada (2008). Breaking the links between poverty and violence

against women. 1-36.Retrieved from: http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/ncfv-cnivf/pdfs/fem-brklnks-eng.pdf 

Canada's Uncertain Future for Society

     After reading through many blogs, and continuing to look for new issues affecting those in poverty, I have come to a few conclusions. First and foremost, this complete lack of local food available is truly harming our Canadian society. We see people living in serious poverty willing to go to a fast food place to eat because the food is cheaper then at the grocery store. The healthy food is truly more expensive, and for those who are concerned with their diet, looking to keep an organic or allergy-free deit, is looking to pay two to three times the amount for the same type of food. Many people today have serious allergies and food intolorences to specific food or added ingredients, and most of the people living in poverty ignore their doctor's suggestions when it comes to eating because they aren't able to afford the food (HealthLinkBC report). I know a few people who live as duel income families, and yet their children's dietary needs often leave them looking to find extra side jobs in order to maintain the bill payments. Poverty is no longer who is hungry or on social assistance, but also those with a job who can no longer afford to live life in a sustaining way.

     This year's Canadian government fall budget statement reports that "the Commision to Promote Sustainable Child Welfare completed its work in Sept. 2012". They also intend to continue their work with the Children's Aid Society and look for more supporting resources. However, when Social Assistance is mentioned, they simply state that they are refroming the system to better suit those it was designed to assist. I am unsure how this statement is suposed to be understood, as there seems to be many large misunderstandings in how people feel they should be helped and how the government feels they should be helped. Their over-powering neo-liberal views on how people should live seems to be a very narrow-minded point of view, and is currently seriously harming the health of our country.

     We have learned that people in our own wealthy country are living in under-developed conditions, and are being poisoned from the land and water they are trying to live off of. These terrible conditions aren't even being considered as we look into the future of our great country, as our Prime Minister has recently announced that 90% of our fresh waterways are no longer going to be protected by the government. In this very same document it is stated that the farming we do have is going to be looked into more intensly, with the farmers themselves being held responsible for the many new rules and regulations (C 45 Jobs and Growth Act 2012. pg.6). These two actions by the government would not only ensure that living conditions across the country become much worse, but also farmers would be less encouraged to continue by the lack of support the government is offering.
    
      I often wander the internet for interesting ads lost through the years, and this one has a larger meaning to me now then it ever has before. I found it on through Google Images, and it was an ad printed in roughly the late 1930's. The message is pretty clear. I am seriously confused as to why they didn't listen, as I am sure today's world would look much different if they had.

Elizabeth M.

References:

http://www.healthlinkbc.ca/kb/content/major/te7016.html

http://www.fin.gov.on.ca/en/budget/fallstatement/2012/chapter1.html

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/472259-c-45-jobs-and-growth-act-2012.html





 

Perhaps PUC is Promoting Poverty?

If you live in this city and have to pay your own gas, hydro, and electric bill, chances are you know how expensive showering and heating your home can be. Living with 5 people in the house can be difficult, especially when the only time you’re allowed to bathe is before 7am or after 7pm, both in which are not necessarily convenient times for a university schedule. According to Dewees (2012), the average electricity bill in 2010 was about $150.00, with a net increase of about $60.00 in the past ten years. There are no reliable sources for the average utility bill in Ontario, but as I was browsing around message boards, I discovered that on average, the utility bill was anywhere from $300-$500! Considering a person who works minimum wage, 20 hours a week, they will only make around $820 a month, which leaves very little for other living expenses.

In many family homes, people have to rely on soup kitchens and food banks to get the nourishment they need, as paying the bills for the home takes all the money in their paycheck. According to a CBC article (2012), over 400,000 Ontarians are using food banks every month, and more than a third are children. Over 17,000 households have used these food banks for the first time this year. They also state that the largest groups of food bank users are:

·         Single parent households

·         Children under 18

·         Seniors or people on a fixed income

·         The recently unemployed

·         University graduates having trouble finding work

So why are so many people having trouble paying their bills? It may be due to the fact that PUC has initiated a public program using so-called “smart meters.” The goal of these smart meters was to “provide incentive to shift electricity usage to non-peak hours of the day,” which we call know is a load of garbage, as people will still have to use certain things at certain times of the day. This initiative is to just increase their revenue by an obnoxious amount, as in their third quarter, PUC stated a revenue of over $6 million (Curran, 2012).

From a social democratic ideology, I find it sickening that a company can make that much money off of roughly 75,000 people. From this lens, the people that are unable to pay their bills should have equal chance in public and social welfare, so that they will be efficient and can contribute more to the free market economy. Either electricity rates need to be cheaper, or minimum wage needs to go up.

References

CBC News. (2012). Ontario food bank use hits all time high, report says. Retrieved from: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/story/2012/12/03/food-banks.html

Curran, H.J.B. (2012). Third Quarter Shareholder Report 2012. Retrieved from: http://www.ssmpuc.com/documents/assets/uploads/files/en/thirdquartershareholderreport30october2012.pdf

Dewees, D.N. (2012).  What is Happening to Ontario Electricity Prices? Retrieved from: www.sustainableprosperity.ca/dl764

-Spencer Edgar

Parliamentarians Want Action on Poverty

Parliamentarians Want Action on Poverty

Everyone has a role to play in building a poverty free and  more socially secure Canada.  Governments at all levels, business no matter the size or type, community and other civil society organizations and individuals are all responsible to take action to end poverty in our country. (Yarema. 2012)

In June of 2012 a number of parliamentarians gathered to announce the launch of a federal poverty caucus.  Poverty is not a liberal concern, a conservative concern or an new democratic concern.  It is a serious concern for all of Canadian society.  The launch of this caucus is timely because Statistics Canada has released their annual look at incomes in Canada.  Poverty levels have remained unchanged between 2009 and 2010.  Millions of Canadians are struggling to make ends meet.  But little has been done about poverty and many desperate views on solutions are prevalent in the House of Commons. (Yarema, 2012)

In recent decades there has been a fifty percent increase in the number of single women and single mothers living in poverty.  This has been due to the patriarchal view concerning women. (Cliff Notes. 2012)  There will always be gender inequality in society.  But if we start to embrace  the ideology of the feminist perspective between the sexes it may help alleviate some of the reasons associated with poverty.  Especially for women who usually stay at home to raise their children while the man works,. 

This newly formed caucus will be anti-party and anti-poverty.  It consists of 45 members from all political parties.  Poverty affects everyone no matter what your political views.  A feminist approach could be used concerning policies for economic growth, social equality and gender equality.  This approach would be challenging to implement but poverty is a problem that can no longer be ignored.  Different solutions must be found or a least viewed.  .A feminist approach would put a different outlook on the status quo.

 There have been many different campaigns, policies and procedures put in place to end poverty.  But poverty is still prevalent in today’s society  Maybe this caucus can make a real changed by adapting different approaches to help end poverty and make our country a more just society for all.

Jen. M

Yarema, M. June 22 2012. Parlimentarians Want Action on Povrty.
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/megan-yarema/poverty-canada_b_1619008.html

Yarema, M. December 03, 2012. Campaign Policy Summit on Food Security
http://dignityforall.ca/en/campaign-policy-summit-food-security

CliffsNotes.com. Causes and Effects of Poverty. 6 Dec 2012
 <http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/topicArticleId-26957,articleId-26882.html>.

Mahon, R., & Brennan, D. (2012). Federalism and the “New Politics” of Welfare Development: Childcare and Parental Leave in Australia and Canada. Publius: The Journal of Federalism.

Phillips, S. D. (2012). Dual restructuring: civil society and the welfare state in Canada, 1985-2005. British Journal of Canadian Studies, 25(2), 161-180.