Community Organizing as an Addiction and Mental Health Worker
| Course Code | AMHW-300 |
|---|---|
| Lecture hours per week | 3 |
| Lab hours per week | 3 |
| Course Availability | Open |
| Description | This course will introduce learners to the practices, history and theory of community organizing, engagement and social change efforts, aimed at building the learners’ knowledge, skills, commitment and vision concerning community wellness and social change. We will engage fundamental questions such as: How do we define community? How do we define community beyond the human (i.e. ancestors, ecology, animals, spirit etc.)? What is community organizing and engagement and how are they different from other approaches of addressing issues and (in)justice in communities? What are the values, ethics, worldviews and vision of community change efforts provided in case study examples? What are the social, economic and political conditions that lead to community organizing and change efforts? Learners will learn principles, models, and methods of community engagement/organizing, focusing on the knowledge and skills required to effectively support communities in wellness and social justice efforts. Learners will also make links between personal struggles and social/community issues. Through critical self-reflection, learners will explore their positionality, role as change makers, and the impact of race, gender, class, sexuality, disability, culture, oppression and trauma (individual and collective) in the process of community engagement and organizing. Through practice, learners will apply skills learned in class, such as listening, relationship building, group work, research, issues and strategy development, mutual aid etc. In both class content and format, the course will aim to utilize an anti-colonial, anti-racist, disability justice, trauma-informed, healing-centered and anti-oppression-based approach. |