Jane Addams Biography

Introduction

In the social work professional field, there are many individuals whom I consider to be inspirational figures who are worth emulating. However, of all the social work pioneers, it is easy for me to choose Jane Addams because of her groundbreaking social work. Jane Addams is renowned for being a pioneer social worker with a selfless heart not to mention an internationalist with a global appeal. She was also a social reformer known for her activism and push for the feminist cause (Berson, 2004). She was born on the 6th of September, 1860 in the city of Cedarville, Illinois; according to the NASW Foundation. In the year of 1881, Addams completed her undergraduate degree at the Rockford Female Seminary.

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Jane Addams was a founder of the Hull House and the American Settlement House Movement in Chicago, Illinois in 1889. The idea of founding a settlement home was inspired after her visit to the Toynbee Hall in London. The Toynbee Hall is known as the world's first settlement home where the social disadvantaged seek and find refuge. Addams then decided to open her own settlement home, where she believed she would help those who were disadvantaged in American society. According to the biographical article, "Jane Addams," her friend Ellen Gates Starr and Jane Addams "wanted to provide a center for a higher civic, social life; to institute and maintain educational and philanthropic enterprise and to investigate and improve the conditions in the industrial districts of Chicago."

Both Addams and her co-founder Starr advocated for the needs of the disadvantaged in the different communities where they succeeded in helping to raise money that made life bearable for the less fortunate. The pair of co-founders also ensured that they educate and mentor young women as well as mothers who had nowhere or nobody else to turn to. They also managed to nurse the elderly, take care of the children, and many more accomplishments (Knight, 2010). About two years after its grand opening, every week the Hull house would host about two-thousand people. The Hull House was a one-stop shop that offered a myriad of services that included kindergarten classes, club meetings, and an art gallery. There was also a public kitchen and adjacent to it was a coffee house. The need for recreational activities saw the Hull House offer services like the gymnasium and a swimming pool. Included in this social work facility co-founded by Jane Addams was also a book bindery, an art studio, a music school, an employment bureau, a library, and finally, a labor museum (Opdycke, 2012).

Finding my calling was always a challenge because I was always good at a bunch of things, but never great at anything specific. It was not until my junior year in college when I realized that helping people was a thing, my thing, which came naturally to me. I switched majors from education to social work because I wanted to open a group home for girls aged between 6-18 years old. I have always felt a special closeness to underprivileged youth. In undergraduate school, I ran a 2-session group at a girl's home where I was remarkably able to connect with the girls within that short time frame. That experience confirmed my intuition that working with the youth was my calling. While venturing into the practical experience of it, the instructor had scared us away with horror stories of rebellion, fear, and scrutiny that would be endured. It was the complete opposite. The girls we encountered were excited and eager to embrace change. All I saw were innocent children that longed for a change in the living conditions.

In social work, the orphan train and the maltreatment of children are a synonymous issue that always rises whenever the discussion on foster children comes up. It is common for one to hear the heart-wrenching stories of foster parents who foster children for their gain or they turn to abuse the foster children mentally, physically, and emotionally. I want to be an empathetic social worker who will make a difference as afar as foster care is concerned. I want to ensure that foster children are brought up in a loving home environment. Of course, there will be obstacles and other numerous challenges, but I am equal and ready for the task. Women make up the majority of both the national and global population. Women are sensitive creatures who are selfless when it comes to nurturing, caregiving, and mothering. For the women and mothers in our society to diligently fulfill these roles, the foundation in which a child is brought up in as they grow up must be solid. I feel that by running or managing a group home, I can be of help since I will offer, stability, security, and a foundation for success for most of the little girls.

Investing in children means that you are investing in the world because there is no denying that the children are the future. What will set my group home apart from others will be a partnership with either a local college or cross-state colleges. I want to provide tutoring, extracurricular activities, college tours, and a mentoring program to the children in my group home. The college students that are studying education can tutor the children in the group home as a part of their field hours if permitted. Kinesiology majors can engage the students in sports for field/volunteer hours, while the social work students can mentor the students and lead groups on bullying and cyber awareness. There are many resources in the community that are not being properly utilized. Exposure is the key to making a difference (person in the environment). I want my group home to be my legacy and set the tone for all group homes in the future.

References

Berson, R. K. (2004). Jane Addams: A biography. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press.

Knight, L. W. (2010). Jane Addams: Spirit in action. New York: W.W. Norton.

Opdycke, S. (2012). Jane Addams and her vision for America. Boston: Prentice Hall.