1. Below you will find an attachment of the riverband scenario and also some pages from the book if you need to quote itEvaluate Task Force ParticipantIn Unit 2 you completed a Riverbend City scenario on evaluating and selecting a task force member. The purpose of this assignment is to provide you an opportunity to reflect on that experience. After completing the media scenario from the previous study, begin to evaluate how your knowledge of human services theories supported your choices in the scenario. Refer to the linked Resources as needed, and consider the following questions in your reflection:What are the attributes of effective human services professionals?What was your evaluation of these attributes in the employees you interviewed?What were the needs for multidisciplinary and diverse participation on the task force?Which interviewee did you choose to join the task force?What were the strengths and weaknesses of this person?What would you recommend to help this person address weaknesses?Based on your readings thus far, how do human services theories and models support your recommendations?RequirementsFont: Use 12-point Times or Times New Roman, double-spaced type.Writing: Writing should be clear, organized, and free of errors; it should also follow professional standards.Research: Use at least 3 academic sources to support your work.Length: Your paper should be 3–4 pages, not including the cover page or reference page.Format: Follow all APA current edition style and format requirements.
riverbend_city__choosing_a_task_force_candidate_transcript.pdf
capella__human_services_in_contemporary_america.pdf
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Riverbend City: Choosing a Task Force Candidate Transcript
Riverbend City ® Activity
Choosing a Task Force Candidate
Introduction
Scene 1
Scene 2
Scene 3
Scene 4
Scene 5
Scene 6
Conclusion
Credits
Introduction
You are a case worker at Riverbend Community Action, a Human Services organization
that provides services for struggling individuals and families in the mid-sized
metropolis of Riverbend City. Your manager has asked you to represent your
organization at a newly formed community task force, the Ruby Lake Teen
Homelessness Task Force. This task force has been formed to deal with crisis levels of
youth and teen homelessness in the Ruby Lake neighborhood of Riverbend City.
The Ruby Lake Teen Homelessness Task Force has met several times, and it needs a leader. The
group has found a candidate they think may be an excellent choice, but they’re not sure if she’s
interested—and if she’s not, they may need to interview additional candidates. They need your
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feedback on which leader to choose, and they also need feedback on how to best equip the
chosen candidate for success.
Scene 1
Email from April Nguyen
From: April Nguyen, Manager, Riverbend Community Action
Subject: Ruby Lake Teen Homelessness Task Force
Thank you so much for your willingness to meet with the newly formed Ruby Lake Teen
Homelessness Task Force. As you know, there’s been an alarming spike in rates of teen
homelessness in the Ruby Lake neighborhood.
This task force is choosing a leader, and they could use your feedback on this process. The task
force is excited about Alyssa Ashmore, the Director of the Washington Avenue Crisis Center for
Youth. I’d like for you to attend Alyssa’s interview. As an outside set of eyes, you may have some
good insight into whether she really is as good a candidate as they think. Also, if Alyssa is not
interested, then the group will have to interview some additional candidates, and they will need
your feedback on these candidates as well.
To help you get started, I’ve attached a Riverbend City Free Press article that provides
background information about the issue of teen homelessness in the Ruby Lake neighborhood.
Thank you again for your eagerness to participate on the task force, and best of luck!
— April
Online Article
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Out at Home: Youth Homelessness on the Rise in Ruby
Lake
Written By: Laurie Boyette (lboyette@rcfpress.com)
Ashley Garcia, 15, loves theater. She’s been in school plays every year since her freshman year at
Ruby Lake High School. She’s been practicing hard for her audition for the upcoming production
of High School Musical. “I want to play Gabriella,” said Ashley. “That’s my dream.”
Does she have any other dreams?
“Well, yeah,” says Ashley. “I want my mom and me to live in our own apartment again.”
Ashley and her mother, Kristina Garcia, 32, have been living in the Helping Hands House—a
homeless shelter—for the past three months. Prior to that, they were living at various relatives’
homes—and before that, in a vehicle.
And Ashley is by no means alone. According to Bruce Greenberg, Superintendent of the
Riverbend City School District, homelessness among students in the district is up an estimated 20
percent from five years ago. In sections of city that serve poorer students, that percentage is even
higher.
And in the Ruby Lake neighborhood, where Ashley lives? “We estimate that youth and teen
homelessness is up by about 40 percent over the last five years,” said Greenberg. “There’s not a
student or teacher in that district who doesn’t interact regularly with homeless students, whether
they know it or not.”
“This is nothing less than a crisis,” added Greenberg.
So why are so many young people in the Ruby Lake neighborhood homeless? Ashley Garcia
represents one category of homeless youth: those who are homeless along with their parents or
other family members. “Homelessness in Ruby Lake has everything to do with neighborhood
poverty,” explained Nathan Williams, job training director at the Ruby Lake One-Stop Center.
“This neighborhood never recovered from the Great Recession, or from the exodus of
manufacturing jobs that at one time were a mainstay in Ruby Lake.”
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This is the situation that Kristina Garcia—Ashley’s mother—finds herself in. Last year, when the
Schneider Paper Company closed its doors and moved operations to Bangladesh, Garcia lost her
job as an assistant floor manager. Garcia, who dropped out of high school when she became
pregnant with Ashley, is now working as a part-time cashier at the Chicken Hut.
“There’s no jobs in this part of town,” said Garcia. “Nothing that pays even close to what I was
making. As a single mother, I used to be able to provide for me and my daughter without much
help from anyone. Now, I can’t even keep a roof over our heads.”
Garcia has applied several times for a job training program at the One-Stop Center.
Unfortunately, as Williams explained, funding for these programs have been cut drastically in
recent years. “The city has chosen to invest in other kinds of employment programs,” said
Williams. “Now, we’re only able to accept a fraction of our applicants. And, at this point, we’re
only able to accept applicants who have a high school diploma or equivalent.”
However, youth with struggling families aren’t the only ones who lack a stable home. “There’s a
truly alarming number of teenagers in this community who run away from home, or who have
been thrown out,” said Corinne Ackley-Brown, a social worker at Ruby Lake High School.
The reasons for this are numerous. They include drug and alcohol abuse—including a growing
number of cases of opiate abuse. In some cases, kids with addictions are leaving home; in other
cases, they are fleeing drug and alcohol abuse in their homes. Other kids are fleeing physical or
emotional abuse—or foster homes.
Another common reason for homelessness in Ruby Lake is teen pregnancy. “This neighborhood
has had one of the highest teen pregnancy rates for years,” said Ackley-Brown. “Many of the
students in this neighborhood come from traditional Catholic, Hispanic families. In many families
—most families, in fact—families step in and support pregnant girls. But I’ve seen far too many
cases where teen pregnancy results in a girl being on the street.”
In addition, according to Superintendent Greenberg, a growing number of students throughout
the district are on the streets because they are gay or transgender. “These days, kids are
increasingly open about their sexual orientation or gender identity,” said Greenberg. “That’s led
to increased acceptance. We have Gay-Straight Alliance support groups in many of our high
schools and even middle schools. But not every teenager has a family that supports LGBT kids,
and sometimes this means that kids who don’t keep silent are on the streets.”
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Alyssa Ashmore, the director of Washington Avenue Crisis Center for Youth, agrees. “I’ve never
seen so many LGBT teens come through our doors than we have in recent years,” said
Muscarella. “These teens often suffer from depression and anxiety, and are at high risk for
suicide.”
According to Superintendent Greenberg, the school district is taking the issue of youth and teen
homeless very seriously. “This is among our top priorities to address in the coming year,” said
Greenberg. In the Ruby Lake neighborhood, the school plans to partner with the newly formed
Ruby Lake Teen Homelessness Task Force.
“We have an obligation to our students that extends beyond the classroom,” said Greenberg.
“When students don’t have their basic needs met—including the need to have a stable, safe
home—they cannot live up to their potential as students.”
Scene 2
Ruby Lake Office
The Ruby Lake Teen Homelessness Task Force is ready to interview Alyssa Ashmore, the Director
of the Washington Avenue Crisis Center for Youth. You should sit in on the interview and see
what you think of this candidate.
Alyssa Ashmore
Director of the Washington Avenue Crisis Center for Youth
Resume experience:
Current:
Director of the Washington Avenue Crisis Center for Youth (5 years)
Assistant Organizer, Riverbend City Regional Youth Services Conference (past 3 years)
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Previous:
Director, Brown Trout Bay Youth Center (3 years)
Assistant Director, Brown Trout Bay Youth Center (2 years)
Task Force Leader, Brown Trout Bay Youth Homelessness Committee (2 Years)
I’m so glad to have the chance to discuss this position with you! As you know from my resume, I
directed a similar youth homelessness task force in the city of Brown Trout Bay a few years back. I
have 10 years of leadership experience in group homes, and I’m currently the director of the
largest group home for teenagers in Riverbend City.
In my experience, one of the most important functions of a task force leader is to make sure task
force members feel empowered to make a difference. You have to keep team members
motivated. That’s especially important when you’re working with an issue like youth and teen
homelessness, where the statistics and the real-life cases we see are so disheartening and
overwhelming. That’s not always an easy thing to do, but I’m proud to say that the Washington
Avenue Crisis Center for Youth has an employee and volunteer turnover rate that is significantly
lower than average for a group home. I think motivation is one of my strong points.
If I become the leader of this task force, I plan to emphasize the need for a balance between
finding ways to help individuals find emergency resources, while also looking for strategies to
prevent kids from becoming homeless in the first place. We always need to be thinking about
systemic problems in the community as a whole, and how these problems impact individuals. I
also think it’s very important to make sure the collective expertise of our task force is as broad as
possible. Does anyone on this task force have expertise in working with LGBT youth—and
transgender youth in particular?
Scene 3
Informal Feedback
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Mark Tucker
Group Home Supervisor
Alyssa’s well known throughout town as being a leader and an expert in group home care. I’ve
emailed her a few times with questions and she’s always willing to take the time to answer them.
She has an incredibly positive attitude.
Chelsea Jenkins
Crisis Intervention Counselor
I attended the Riverbend City Regional Youth Services Conference this past year—which she
helped to organize. The conference was terrific, and Alyssa was a keynote speaker. Her talk was
all about setting professional boundaries with youth and teen clients. Boundary setting is one of
the hardest parts of my job, and the advice she gave was so helpful!
Jason De La Cruz
Foster Care Coordinator, Hennsey County
I had the chance to speak with Alyssa in-depth at the Riverbend City Regional Youth Services
Conference. I was very impressed with her depth of understanding about youth homelessness.
She really understands the intersections between individual behavior and societal influence. I
strongly think she would steer this task force in the right direction, with a focus on making
systemic changes in the community.
Elizabeth Fine
Guidance Counselor
I spoke with Alyssa’s references. They were glowing. All three of them talked about what a great
motivator she is—how she’s able to get her employees and volunteers to stick with it, even
though working at a group home can be very discouraging and upsetting. They also talked about
what a great communicator she is—that she’s direct and makes her expectations known. She
sounds like an exceptionally positive leader.
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Reflection Questions
Now that you’ve had a chance to speak with Alyssa
Ashmore, do you think she would make a strong leader
of the Ruby Lake Teen Homelessness Task Force?
Explain why or why not.
Your response:
This question has not been answered yet.
Scene 4
Email from Mark Tucker
From: Mark Tucker, Ruby Lake Teen Homelessness Task Force member
Subject: Alyssa Ashmore
I want to thank you for participating in our interview with Alyssa Ashmore. Your feedback on her
qualifications was very helpful.
We offered Alyssa the position of Ruby Lake Teen Homelessness Task Force leader. Unfortunately,
she turned us down. She said she had too many other obligations in her professional and
personal life and didn’t feel like she had enough time to devote to our task force. The Task Force
members were very disappointed to hear this! We thought she was, for the most part, the perfect
candidate.
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Fortunately, we have three other candidates for the position. The Task Force does not have a
strong preference for any of these candidates, and we would really appreciate your input. Would
you mind attending our interviews and making a recommendations?
Thanks much!
— Mark
Scene 5
Further Interviews
Here are the other candidates for the position of Ruby Lake Teen Homelessness Task Force
leader. See what qualifications each candidate has and learn about their backgrounds. When you
are finished, you will be asked to recommend one of these candidates to the task force.
Tim Gunderson
Assistant Manager, Riverbend Community Action
Resume experience:
Current:
Assistant Manager, Riverbend Community Action, 3 years
Assistant Organizer, Riverbend City Regional Youth Services Conference (past 2 years)
Previous:
Assistant Director, Lindner Hills Teen Community Haven, 4 years
Case Worker, Linder Hills Teen Community Haven, 4 years
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I have quite a bit of leadership experience in human service leadership and teen homelessness.
I’ve helped to organize the Riverbend City Regional Youth Services Conference for the past two
years—working alongside Alyssa Ashmore, which has been a real honor. I’m also enrolled in a
human services management doctoral program at Beck University. My dissertation is going to be
about developing efficient protocols for helping kids with addictions.
I feel passionate about this issue. Teen homelessness is an epidemic. Once a kid gets trapped in
the cycle of homelessness, it’s very hard to escape. We need to secure more resources for
dealing with this problem so we can help kids break out of this cycle. There are so many issues—
from addiction, to prostitution, to PTSD. The public has no idea how much these kids are
suffering. Helping these kids get better—that needs to be our priority.
Shelly Rodriquez
Group Home Assistant Director, Washington Avenue Crisis Center for Youth
Resume experience:
Current:
Assistant Director of the Washington Avenue Crisis Center for Youth (19 months)
Previous:
Intern, Ruby Lake Youth Oasis
Paralegal, various firms, 16 years
I’m a career changer. I worked as a paralegal for 15 years, and I just didn’t feel passionate
enough about it. Then I started volunteering at a teen crisis center, and it blew my mind what
these kids were going through. I had no idea how many of them wind up in prostitution, or with
HIV, and as victims of sexual assault, and how often they struggle with addiction. And for LGBT
teens, all of the statistics are even more grim. I kept talking to these kids and couldn’t believe
what they were saying. As a parent, I still can’t believe that there are parents who would throw
their own children out on the streets because of their sexual orientation. Or their gender identity.
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After volunteering for a while, I just knew that I’d finally found my calling. I earned my master’s
degree in social work and interned at Ruby Lake Youth Oasis, and then I was so honored to land
a position as the assistant director of the Washington Avenue Crisis Center for Youth. Being able
to work with Alyssa Ashmore as a mentor has been life-changing. And being able to work with
such a wide variety of kids who represent all categories of teen homelessness—well, I’ve just
learned so much.
I feel that one of the things I’ve learned from Alyssa and my time at Washington Avenue is the
ability to maintain healthy boundaries while still earning the trust of these kids. And I’ve also
learned a lot about the homelessness issue as a whole. It’s so important to not look at these kids
as broken—the system is broken, not the kids. If I were the leader of this task force, I would want
to focus on two interrelated things—finding ways to enable kids to get the help they need now,
but also finding ways to collaborate with the community as a whole to make larger changes.
Amira Abdi
Case Worker and Assistant Director, Hennsey County Department of Health
Resume experience:
Current:
Case Worker, Hennsey County Department of Health
Instructor, Human Services program, Riverbend Community College
Previous:
Case Worker, Linder Hills Teen Community Haven, 5 years
Case Worker, Caring Heart Center, 3 years
I am so passionate about this issue. It hits very close to home for me. One of my sisters was
homeless for almost a year. We had a rough upbringing—there was abuse, there was addiction,
much of that because my parents were refugees from Somalia and my father has PTSD because
of some terrible war experiences. He passed away last year, and … I’m sorry. It’s hard to talk
about my father. I was the lucky one though. My sister’s experiences on the street—well, it’s very
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painful to talk about, but she fell into prostitution very quickly and became part of a human
trafficking ring. She got out of that with her life, but now she’s HIV-positive and is dealing with
PTSD because of these experiences.
So anyways, as you can see, this issue is personal to me! I’ve made a career out of doing
everything I can to help homeless teens and to prevent others from winding up on the street. I
also am working on my doctorate in Human Services Management at Beck University, and I’m a
part-time instructor at Riverbend City Community College. I teach a class about issues related to
homelessness, and that’s been such a powerful experience. I have students crying in my class on
a regular basis. And I feel that because of my academic background, I understand homeless
issues on both an individual and a societal basis. As task force leader, I want to focus both on
helping individuals and trying to affect change in the community.
I love my job at Hennsey County, especially the leadership component of it. I’m a very hands-on
leader and go out of my way to talk to my team regularly about how they are feeling. It’s so
important to keep everybody motivated in a field l …
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