Personal Advocacy Reflection

I have seen others around me be a strong advocate for the children in my school.  They stood up for a family who was having a difficult time getting their children the necessary resources for his speech problem.  The social worker walked the family through the process and even took them to the doctor’s appointments.  The family was able to get the services for the child as a result of the social workers hard work and dedication.  The child now receives speech therapy twice a week and has made significant strides.  His family is extremely grateful because they felt that no one was going to help them.

Upon seeing this family’s experience, I decided to explore my own options for advocacy work.  This part in my career I feel it’s important to find as many ways possible to help every child that I come across.  By researching and keeping a list of the websites along with journal articles that I found useful, I am creating a broader spectrum of information helping me reach out to more children and their families.  After seeing the family’s smiles and hearing the child’s speech develop, it gave me the necessary motivation to pursue ways to help more children.  At this stage in my career, I have been able to provide families with information that will help them and their children with things such as housing issues and taking English classes.  Everyone is grateful when someone takes the time to listen to them and provide them with a little bit of assistance to help make their life easier.