Coalition of Organizations Working Together Questions
ANSWER
What is Mutual Aid? Mutual Aid is a grassroots network of individuals and groups coming together to provide aid and support during the COVID-19 pandemic. It involves everyday people in communities, such as parents, elders, immigrants, people with disabilities, caregivers, and more, collaborating to address the crisis. Mutual Aid NYC, for example, focuses on local organizing, resource connection, and building a citywide movement to respond to the pandemic. It started with the New York Caring Majority, a collective of seniors, people with disabilities, caregivers, and home care workers, and has expanded to include various organizations and individuals finding ways to help one another during these challenging times.
How Mutual Aid Works for Those Who Don’t Trust the System: Mutual Aid is appealing to those who may not trust traditional social systems because it operates on principles of solidarity, community, and direct support. People who are skeptical of formal social services often find comfort in knowing that they can rely on their neighbors and peers for assistance. Mutual Aid fosters a sense of agency and self-determination, allowing individuals to define and meet their needs collectively. It also operates on a principle of horizontalism, where power is distributed more equally, as opposed to traditional hierarchical structures, which some may find alienating or oppressive. This approach helps build trust among those who have had negative experiences with the system and encourages them to participate.
Practice and Policy Implications for Government: For mutual aid to become unnecessary, governments need to address systemic issues that drive people to seek help from grassroots networks. This involves:
- Universal Access to Basic Services: Ensuring that all citizens have access to healthcare, education, housing, and other essential services, reducing the need for ad hoc assistance.
- Income Support: Implementing policies like universal basic income or robust unemployment benefits to provide financial security, reducing economic disparities.
- Community Engagement: Encouraging community participation in decision-making processes, making people feel heard and included in shaping policies that affect them.
- Addressing Structural Inequities: Tackling systemic racism, sexism, and other forms of discrimination that disproportionately affect marginalized groups.
- Funding Social Services: Adequate funding for social services and public health infrastructure to meet the diverse needs of the population.
By addressing these issues, governments can create a more equitable society where mutual aid becomes a supplementary rather than primary source of support.
Contributions to Mutual Aid NYC: In the “I CAN HELP” section of Mutual Aid NYC, I contributed two resources to the Resources section. The first was a guide on accessing affordable healthcare options in New York City, providing information on clinics, programs, and insurance options. The second was a list of food banks and distribution centers in the city, including their contact details and hours of operation. These resources aim to assist New Yorkers in accessing essential services during these challenging times.
Professional Development as a Social Worker: This assignment has contributed significantly to my professional development as a social worker. It has deepened my understanding of grassroots initiatives like mutual aid and their importance in supplementing formal social systems. I’ve learned how to navigate community resources and contribute to them effectively, which is a crucial skill in social work. Moreover, it has emphasized the significance of addressing systemic issues as a means to reduce the reliance on mutual aid, aligning with the broader goals of social work in advocating for structural change and social justice.
QUESTION
Description
MUTUAL AID IN THE TIME OF COVID-19
Mutual Aid NYC is a network of groups organizing to provide aid and support in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. We are everyday New Yorkers working to lift up local organizing, connect people to resources, and build a citywide movement to address this crisis. Our members include parents, elders, immigrants, people with disabilities and chronic illness, caregivers, care workers, organizers, advocates, coders, and anyone else who wants to get involved.This effort was started by the New York Caring Majority, a movement of seniors, people with disabilities, family caregivers, and home care workers who came together to share our concerns and needs at this moment. It has since been joined by many other organizations and networks of individuals who are figuring out what we need to do next and how to do it.
Students will spend at least 45 minutes clicking around and familiarizing themselves with mutual aid NYC at https://mutualaid.nyc/ and a national anarchist mutual aid organization https://itsgoingdown.org/
Listen to at least one podcast on IGDcast (link found in It’s Going Down homepage menu).
Answer the following questions:
(Imagine that you were explaining this to your mom, dad, or a grandparent who is unfamiliar with mutual aid.) In a maximum of five sentences, what is it?
In a maximum of a one page double-spaced: How is mutual aid working for people who don’t necessarily trust the system that social workers are being trained to work within?
In a maximum of one page double-spaced: What are the practice and policy implications for local and national government that would need to be considered to render mutual aid unnecessary?
In the I CAN HELP section of Mutual Aid NYC, make at least two contributions to the Resources section.
In Portfolio, include responses to the questions and a description of your submissions (and proof of submissions) to the resources section on Mutual Aid NYC
How did this assignment relate/contribute to your professional development as a social worker?
Fill in the order form and submit all your files, including instructions, rubrics, and other information given to you by your instructor.
Once you complete filling the forms, complete your payment. We will get the order and assign it to a writer.
When your order is completed, it’s assigned to an editor for approval. The editor approves the order.
Once approved, we will upload the order to your account for you to download. You can rate your writer or give your customer review.
