Embracing Culture- New and Old – Detroit Community-Engaged Research Program

Embracing Culture- New and Old

Since I have been working with my community placement entirely remote, it has been difficult for me to get a vast understanding of the overall culture of the program. But, my community placement primarily services Hispanic men, so we have a social worker that speaks English and Spanish to better help the clients. My supervisor and the other social worker they have on staff are both people-of-color.

Although I haven’t been to the office in person, I know that it has a very open workspace, and offers a very welcoming environment for all people. Since we focus on jail-diversion and trying to change the relationship between the public and the judicial system, we like to use the term “judgement-free zone”, and it is extremely applicable. People are comfortable when they join our program, which makes them more honest and willing to receive help. We don’t view progress within a small bubble, and we reward clients for their progress, even if it may seem like a small step. 

While they are looking to bring on more staff in order to serve a larger variety of clients, they plan to still keep the organization small and ensure everyone is dedicated to justice in the same ways they are. The staff at SWDCJC is very kind, and even after my first day I had already felt so welcomed to join their program and learn from them. They are dedicated to their work, and I am thankful that I have the opportunity to work with them. 

It’s hard to believe that we are almost halfway through the program, time has been going so fast! I hope to plan something in Detroit where we can all get together before the summer is over. I would love to get to visit my placement in person, as well, and meet the staff! They are a great group of people, as are all of you, and I really wish to have had this experience in person. Nonetheless, I am gaining a lot from this experience and learning so much about Detroit, especially when we have guest speakers at our Tuesday meetings.

1 thought on “Embracing Culture- New and Old”

  1. Oh wow that’s so cool! Do you speak Spanish? I love the “no judgement” environment they’ve created. I think that’s very important for the work you are doing. I can see how that help people gain comfortability with SWDCJC. Keep up the good work :).

Comments are closed.

lsa logoum logo