Something Positive

I feel as if I need to make a concerted effort to highlight news that doesn't suck.

News in the world of social work is not much different from everything else you see and hear - depressing stories of violence, hardship, isolation, etc. - but we do have the added bonus of our work mirroring these stories and are able to use terms like "vicarious trauma" and "compassion fatigue" with fair frequency and authenticity.

I find pictures of kittens in a barrel to be just as soothing as the next person (I want you to look at Phillip's eyes), but there have to be some stories out there, beyond simple human interest, that feature promising practice and forward-thinking policy. Converting the world to a strengths-based perspective is not an easy task.

New-ish Links

My aim is still to do this every Friday, but better to do it now so that it gets done at all.

Research / Resources:

• NYU School of Social Work: Information for Practice - I don't much care for the layout of the page - 3 columns of information, which I must read separately if I'm going to glean anything at all - but the content is excellent. Updated daily, NYU's School of Social Work provides news related to mental health, social justice, policy, substance use, etc. (you know, social worky-type topics) mostly from the US, but from other countries as well. The links to scholarly journals are particularly nice, though without subscription to a service or access via a university, the articles are not always available. Nevertheless, a very good resource to check on a daily basis.
  

• The Campbell Collaboration - This is an excellent resource. As mentioned, those in the field and not in an academic setting are often severely limited in the access they have to current research and evidence-based practice. This is a problem. Here is a solution:

The Campbell Collaboration "strives to make the best social science research available and accessible. Campbell reviews provide high quality evidence of "what works" to meet the needs of service providers, policy makers, educators and their students, professional researchers, and the general public."

• Social Policy Resources - This is simply a good list of links. News sources (traditional and otherwise), data sources, governmental sites, nonprofits, advocacy groups, welfare, health care, housing, social security, etc.
  

HIV/AIDS - Sexual Health:

• Guttmacher Institute - Focusing on sexual and reproductive health, the Institute is a fantastic resource for policy analysis and to a certain extent, research. Highly recommended.
  

• San Francisco AIDS Foundation - The Bay is usually the place to go for forward-thinking programs. The focus differs based on the city for obvious reasons, but I tend to find more applicable information and resources from SF and Oakland than New York City, for example.

"The San Francisco AIDS Foundation "is one of the oldest and largest community-based AIDS service organizations in the United States. The mission of the agency is to end the pandemic and the human suffering caused by HIV."

• Johns Hopkins HIV Guide - More a medical resource than policy/program resource, but such things are important to have.
  

• REACH LA - A youth-oriented organization focusing on programs and outreach here in Los Angeles, REACH LA often partners with LAUSD, which is how I'm familiar with them. Particularly in regard to curriculum. I still don't know a lot about the group and some of their curriculum design is not the strongest, but that's why I've added their site to the list: to learn more.