This is the final blog post for the block. It will be a culmination of all the new skills and lessons learnt throughout the time spent in the community. The community block has provided me with a taste of what the following year will be like.
Sustainability. During this block I have really come to understand the importance of ensuring that what is done in the community is sustainable. It has not been easy coming up with solutions for how our projects can be sustainable. However, I see the significance of sustainability and carry over. In the community setting sustainability of projects also is part of community development and engagement. It is making sure that members of the community have an active role in the existing projects that will benefit their community thus creating cohesiveness within the community. It can also be seen as empowering the community and developing a sense of autonomy as members have active roles and responsibilities rather than them being passive members waiting for outside assistance. Having the skills to create, organize and co-ordinate projects that are sustainable is a skill that will be of great assistance for the future.
Group work. I have really enjoyed the time spent with collages and the opportunity to see things from their perspective. When establishing new projects and adding on the existing ones I see how beneficial it is to get someone else perspective. We have been able to critique each other’s ideas; scrutinizing each step to see where the weakness is in the projects. Group work skills is very important in the workplace and this block I was able to improve on these skills. I hope to use these skills going forward in the following year when working with other members of the multi-disciplinary team.
Questioning everything. This is something I am still working on. I learnt to not just accept things for the way they are and to take action. Changing my mindset of just accepting things and looking at the situation at face value to now always asking why are things working this way. This can be applied to the curriculum of Occupational therapy to the policies and systems in the health sector. I think this module has taught us to be rebellious. By always questioning things it allows for the skills of critical thinking to be developed. I know I still have a far way to go in developing this skill however during my time in this block it definitely has been practiced.
These are just a few skills and lessons I have gained during the community block. I hope to now approach every situation in my personal and professional life with my new changed mindset.
Below are links to different websites I have used to assist me in developing my skills during this block:
Inside the mind of a 4th year OT student 