For the past week and a half all I've been able to talk about is Monster Energy Drink vs. Rock Art. It appears to have become resolved, with Rock Art winning, thanks to a great community organizing effort that spanned facebook, many many blogs, and some national news sources. Eventually Bernie Sanders even got involved and sent a letter. It's great to see community organizing work, and it's even greater to see it work quickly for justice!
Although my focus in social work has long been working with the seriously mentally ill, I think I may be getting interested in other parts of social work enough to contemplate a change. This isn't anything new; every day I spend at least a little while fantasizing about doing something else with my life... no matter what I'm currently doing with my life.
Usually I sit around and daydream about opening my own brewery. Sometimes I think about opening a used bookstore. Other times I think about having a duck farm. Many times in the past year I have contemplated just going for a PhD and leaving the world of practice behind to focus on research.
Today, however, I spent time thinking about community organizing. It's been in my head since the RISE conference that I should take the c.o. elective next semester. Now after watching a community unfold in support of Rock Art, I'm further considering taking the course.
The more I think about it, the more I believe community organizing is a vital compliment to the clinical work we participate in with consumers. The mental health system is in disrepair, and it's not going to change if nobody is organizing for change. The people stuck in the system can't recover if the system is broken and oppressive, so as far as I can see it, it's our ethical responsibility to work on fixing the system. Without a fixed system, there's not really justice, and without justice there isn't really equality, and without equality some people are getting screwed. I'm really sick of seeing consumers that I work with get screwed and being left seemingly powerless, so I guess I'll take this elective and I hope you do to.