Exploration of service providers, volunteers, and employees
My field experience was an excellent opportunity to learn and develop observational skills, which are essential in differentiating populations and the ability to assess developments within those populations. I conducted my fieldwork experience through volunteering in two settings. I gained invaluable skills, knowledge, and expertise that is essential for my future career objectives and practice. The following observation presents a comprehensive exploration of service providers, volunteers, and employees within my field placement setting.
I undertook my fieldwork experience in two settings. In my first placement setting, I worked with Dr. Charmaine Vega in designing and educating young children about the benefits of the diet in the physical, mental, and psychological growth of the children. We collaboratively worked in ensuring that all the objectives of the initiatives were achieved from a multidimensional perspective. The overall was the ultimate success of the project and an incremental impact on the general community.
My second fieldwork placement setting was at Timeless group Inc. where I worked with a multidisciplinary team in Los Angeles in helping men out of prison to begin a new responsible life in the community. We rehabilitated and provided them with necessary counseling to ensure that they are well absorbed into the city and that they observe responsible behavior and avoid criminal activities. This was a fulfilling experience since it entailed impacting on an individual’s life for a better course and long term outcome. These fieldwork settings enabled me to gain valuable knowledge and skills which have positively influenced my future career objectives.
While working in the fieldwork placement settings, the interdisciplinary teams collaborated effectively to ensure the ultimate progress and achievement of the objectives. We worked hand in hand with professionals such as psychologists, certified clinical social workers, legal experts, and business consultants who ensure an individual coming out of the prison is equipped with the knowledge, skills, and the emotional strength to begin a new life. The collaborations were mutual and objective to ensure that the ultimate goal of sending out a whole-round product into the society was achieved. The collaboration was achieved through effective communication and transformational leadership within the group that always left every member motivated.
During my fieldwork placement in both the Timeless group Inc. and with Dr. Charmaine Vega, the interactions remained strong, nuclear, and mutual during the hours of performing the necessary operations. However, a smile of acknowledgment, acceptance, or approval always accompanied the interactions between different employees. However, after completion of the regular responsibility, such as counseling a detainee who has completed their term, the interactions were more friendly and interpersonal. It entailed the use of more informal terminologies and conversations around a wide variety of issues. This comprehensively showed the strong bonds of friendship and trust among the employees. There was a profound social connection that was beyond the scope of individual professional expectations.
In social events that brought employees and service providers together in both the Timeless group and Dr. Charmaine’s initiative, there was always drinking and eating among service providers, employees, and even volunteers such as myself. However, there were patterns evident. Individuals mostly sat, ate, and interacted during such occasions based on social classes. The affluent class mostly sat on their own while the low-income individuals converged to gather to laugh off their miseries of life. Ethnicity was another social pattern identified, especially in the Timeless field placement setting, where the Latino was mostly likely seeing converging and interacting together, and so were the black Americans.
During the entire field placement volunteer program, the transformational leadership format was highly evident to enhance team productivity and delivery. For example, Dr. Charmaine always respected, recognized, and motivated every individual member of the children’s education team to contribute to the success of the objective positively. Consequently, decision making was highly decentralized, with most employees involved in decision making. Outstanding employees in both field placement environments were always recognized and given a token of appreciation to appreciate the fantastic job done. This also motivated other employees to diligently work towards winning the coveted title of ‘Employee of the year award’. Most importantly, communication, inter-professional collaboration, and teamwork were enhanced at all stages. This ensured that any arising issue or problem was effectively tackled.