Cultural Competency Assessment Essay

The Long Island Adolescent and Family Services or LIAFS is a social service organization that assists the young population in their needs and concerns. LIAFS first started as a support group for young people who were victims of crime and a haven for children who do not have anywhere to go. LIAFS does not operate for the purpose of generating profit. The organization is headstrong in providing support and assistance to adolescents or families who are experiencing difficulties and challenges in whatever aspect of their lives. (LIAFS, 2008) LIAFS obtains its resources to accomplish its goals and objectives from donations and contributions. People who want to help LIAFS further their aims are able to send their monetary assistance to the LIAFS’ office. As of now, the organization is publishing a wish list that contains what they need, such as computers, sports equipments, vehicles, and gifts that the organization will be able to give out to children during their birthdays. (LIAFS, 2008b) The organization is also in need of employees that are willing to work for the said cause, such as cooks, therapists, drivers, counselors, and psychologists. (LIAFS, 2008c) The involvement of the community or the neighborhood is much needed in running programs of the LIAFS. This is highly recommended, especially for non-profit organizations, if LIAFS wishes to sustain resources and take one step higher than what the organization has been attaining or has attained. This concept builds on cultural competency. Cultural competency means that a non-profit organization is able to become culturally aware and through it gain help from diverse groups in society in order to assist the organization is realizing its goals and objectives. (Alliance for Non-Profit Management, 2004) In general, cultural competency assists the organization in providing much-needed quality services to the youth and their families. The need for cultural competency requires LIAFS to employ the help of the community or the neighborhood in understanding a multitude of cultures in order to provide suitable and comprehensive services to cover for the needs and concerns of youth and families. Employing the help of community members requires the need to train them in cultural issues so they too can help in providing needs and concerns that the LIAFS originally provides the youth and their families. Involvement of the community or neighborhood should be on a regular basis because its members need to understand that the welfare of the youth and their families influence the conditions of the community and the neighborhood. Aside from cultural awareness to deal with people belonging to diverse cultural backgrounds and other groups or organizations that operate on a different cultural environment or situation, people from the community or the neighborhood should be able to be informed about the situations that the youth and their families are experiencing. It is important for them to discern that the adolescent population and their families who are experiencing difficulties and challenges need the help of other people for them to be able to improve their situation and way of life. Part of the contribution of communities and neighborhoods include being observant or vigilant about their surroundings. It is important to supervise events or situations in the neighborhood in order to perceive potential risks or harmful environments that might endanger children and their families. Keeping a watchful eye prevents difficult situations such as child abuse, for instance. It is also the role of the community and the neighborhood to protect the rights of the citizens. Once an incident happens, it is their responsibility to act against crime and other events that lead to difficulties and challenges. Another role that the community or neighborhood should play is to be involved in the fund-raising process most especially because LIAFS is a non-profit organization. Members of the community or neighborhood should be able to contribute to LIAFS’ programs and activities with whatever assistance they can extend to the organization, the children, and their families. Community volunteerism is something that should be practiced by members of the community or neighborhood. References Alliance for Non-Profit Management. (2004). â€Å"Cultural Competency Initiative. † Retrieved August 30, 2008, from Alliance for Non-Profit Management. Website: http://www. allianceonline. org/cci. ipage LIAFS. (2008). â€Å"About LIAFS. † Retrieved August 30, 2008, from LIAFS. Website: http://www. liafs. org/about. html LIAFS. (2008b). â€Å"Support and Donations. † Retrieved August 30, 2008, from LIAFS. Website: http://www. liafs. org/donation. html LIAFS. (2008c). â€Å"Employment Opportunities. † Retrieved August 30, 2008, from LIAFS. Website: http://www. liafs. org/employment. html