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Durham College Social Service Worker program courses are structured to meet various requirements through course learning objectives and essential employability skills. EES are critical for success in lifelong learning, daily living, and within the workplace. As per Durham College, essential employability skills are essential for adults to function in society as they prepare students with valuable skills. These skills include communication, numeracy, critical thinking and problem solving, information management, interpersonal, and personal.

Throughout this page, website visitors can peruse some of the artifacts and presentations that I have completed within my first year of the Social Service Worker program. If you click on the link it will take you to a new window of an online PowerPoint Presentation or a YouTube link on the presentation.

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Communication includes skills related to reading, listening, writing, speaking, presenting visual literacy, and responding to questions or feedback. The artifact of Diversity and Cultural Competence represents communication as it clarifies information, organizes communication, incorporates content that is meaningful and necessary, and summarizes information in the PowerPoint format. Within the course Diversity and Cultural Competence in the second term, students were asked to form groups and present research on a particular topic. Our group's topic was on the history of residential schools in Canada. At the time of completing the research, I learned quite a deal about the history, some of which I had never learned previously. For example, I did not know that the Canadian Government hired police to enforce the Indian Act Laws. One of those laws made it illegal for the Indigenous population to participate in dancing, which was a critical ritual in their prayer ceremonies. Working on this program allowed me to understand the importance of research, critical examination of institutional teachings, and proactively evaluating research from various sources. The impact on this particular learning allowed me to understand the Indigenous population's lens, which contributes to increasing my cultural competence. I would love to have incorporated information from interviews to the project, or the Ontario elementary and high school curriculum, to show the Indigenous population's misrepresentation and the Canadian Government. A few other artifacts that demonstrate communication include Human Trafficking for Healthcare Professionals and Diversity & Cultural Competence.

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Critical thinking and problem-solving include skills related to purposefully evaluating information and opinions, finding alternative ways to solve a question, issue or address a situation, using old information in new ways, and analyzing to anticipate and solve problems. Artifacts include analyzing, synthesizing, categorizing, evaluating, making decisions, thinking creatively, sequencing, prioritizing, investigating, and justifying. In our Crisis Intervention course, we had to research a current media release related to a 'crisis' worldwide. I had chosen an article presented by CNN on George Floyd. The artifact reflected our current state and mentioned other sources on what has been done and what we can do to help navigate the crisis. I learned in the process that collectively, we all experience crisis, even though it may not be directly within our world. I learned that it is easy to feel emotional through empathetically learning about what is happening. I learned that it is essential to stay informed and to examine feelings brought on by crisis. The project had a huge impact on how I viewed news stories, mainly understanding that the story is from one person's perspective and does not include the full information. I do not believe I would make any changes to this project as I was very happy with how I contributed my voice to enhance the article and the project. I now realize the importance of staying informed, learning multiple lens, and awareness. It is essential to know that events are happening and know that these events can have a major impact on many people in various ways. The project also reminds me to remember that some people may be facing many feelings regarding the crisis' they are experiencing. Also, it reminds me to remind diligent in the sensitivities of triggers.  A few other artifacts that reflect critical thinking and problem-solving include The 4 Cs of Success, 1-Minute Motivator, Lifelong Learner and the 12 Week Cookie Class.

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Information management includes skills of using computers or other technologies as tools to increase productivity and enhance tasks, selecting and using appropriate tools and technology for a project, and locating, selecting, and organizing information using the appropriate technology and information. Students were asked to complete a three-to-five-minute presentation on something that makes us who we are in our Academic Writing course. Students were allowed to choose any media to complete the presentation with the requirements they will be heard and understood. I chose to complete the presentation on the fact that I am a lifelong learner. I did have to ask my mom to take a picture of my grade eight graduation photos with her iPad and then share it on Facebook messenger. I also had to figure out a way to present the information on my PowerPoint Presentation visually. I had realized that I did not have the correct PowerPoint to voiceover. I downloaded a new one, I watched YouTube videos, yet I was still unable to figure it out. I researched the software Loom, allowing users to have a small camera spotlight to voiceover their screens. I do wish I could have learned to do the PowerPoint voiceover, as I would have done that instead of using Loom. I did lose marks on the project as the professor said that she could not see me. I learned that there are many new ways technology has advanced to enhance student's work, such as Loom, or even through Zoom. Overall, I was pleased that I met the project's requirements, and I know that I can contribute to using technology to enhance projects in the future. Other artifacts that display information management are Indigenous Support Resources and the Community Participation Program Action Plan.

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Interpersonal includes working in teams or group, the ability to assume responsibility for collective duties and decisions, interacting effectively in a working relationship, showing respect for diverse opinions, values, and beliefs, identifying roles, valuing diversity, participating in peer and self-evaluation, effective listening, collaborating, confronting, problem-solving techniques out of class, and identify conflicts and strategies for resolving. During student placement, our supervisor worked with myself and my classmate to complete The 12 Week Chicken Soup with Extra Recipes. We had a fabulous time working on this project. We would spend the afternoons organizing the information and choosing recipes. I had typed up the document to meet the agency's Action Plan format, and I completed the PowerPoint document. I formatted, chose the images, and the layout for the document's recipes, as it was printed for in-person use. We all worked hard, and it was great to see the final product. I did follow our supervisor's direction, as she taught us a great deal about cooking, such as what a Mirepoix includes. I learned that we could have great fun when sharing a common goal or task. If I could do anything differently, I would want to work on projects in-person with others instead of working on Zoom. I do find it difficult to share ideas with a group of people while on Zoom due to the technology. I also had to spend a fair bit of emails back and forth while working on the drafts. I know that we could complete the project without any issues while respecting each other's opinions. Other projects that demonstrate interpersonal skills include the Community Participation Program Action Plan and The 12 Week Cookie Class.

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Personal includes achieving task-related goals in personal and professional lives, including using time, money, space, and resources efficiently. Personal involves developing, planning and predicting ways of achieving goals, using tools, assessing how realistic the goals are, and adapting. Personal essential employability skills manage time and resources to complete projects while taking responsibility for our actions, decisions, and consequences. Navigating the responsibilities of school during a pandemic was very different. I knew that I wanted to work on some additional projects to enhance my artifacts. I took a few online Human Trafficking courses, including one offered through CAMH. I quickly realized that the information presented was important, and I wanted to have a place to access it at any point. I decided to spend some time creating a PowerPoint that summarizes the information. Human trafficking is a topic that I am passionate about, and working through the course allowed me to learn how what to look for as a healthcare professional. This includes victims' terminology and some key factors to look for, such as everything they own, found in their purse. I learned many facts and statistics about Human Trafficking. I believe it has impacted my passion and drive towards working with Human Trafficking. I would love to have been in a classroom setting to learn the information instead of completing it online. I also wish I had a friend who took the courses with me to further the conversation. I am looking forward to sharing the information I have learned about Human Trafficking with others.

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