Howdy,
It’s been another long while between updates — just over 3 months, in fact. In that time more has changed. I finally got COVID-19. I was out-of-action with heavy cold symptoms for about ten days. No idea where I caught it from, except maybe public transport or almost-empty cinemas, but I haven’t been in any environment riskier than those. I also got a new job. I now work for ACON (see previous post) and my job title is Community Health Promotion Officer for Mental Health. I am in a small team of three people tasked to create a Suicide Prevention digital hub with funding from the state government. Basically, I am being paid to write and think and create in a queer organisation, and I’m over the moon about it.
But alas, the Masters of Social Work is not over and it began in earnest at the end of February. My second placement starts next week and, to be honest, I’m finding it hard to be enthusiastic about it. It seems interesting — I’ll be working with children and adults with intellectual disabilities and their carers — but with the forward momentum of my new job and juggling it all with uni work and living alone, doing any unpaid work feels like a waste of time. It has actually become a rallying point for social work students this year as the expectations of paying for the opportunity to work for free doesn’t sit right with the rising cost of living and within the social justice frameworks we are taught in class. We are obligated to do 1000 hours of unpaid labour over the two years of the degree as per the decree of the Australian Association of Social Workers, which if we were on minimum wage adds up to just over $10,000 a year we forfeit to pursue higher learning. Yet, in the Masters degree, which has a preselection criteria of experience in community services in roles paid above minimum wage, most students have given up a lot more. The uni defends itself by saying they warn us of these financial commitments from the start, but all it does is gate-keep social work, turning away people who can’t afford to give up work and yet offer relevant lived experience sorely needed in the profession.
I *think* I can manage. I just worry about burning out and losing any semblance of a life. Oh well.
I’m sure most of you have been following the invasion of Ukraine. I’d like to share a couple of videos from YouTube that I’ve come across recently about it. The first is from a Ukrainian travel blogger who returned to Kyiv to document what life is like there now. Very insightful, very surreal.
The second is a video from YouTube channel Yes Theory. I am cautiously a fan of this channel for their earnest and expansive philosophy of ‘seek discomfort’, and I respect how they utilise their global fandom to do some good things. And while the core group are a bunch of straight guys, they go against toxic masculine stereotypes and are openly affectionate with each other in every video. However, they also exemplify a brand with a social conscience and the constant reminder of the brand (which I understand helps them monetise and continue making content) can be grating. Anyway, here they are using their platform to raise funds for Ukrainian refugees in Poland.
After the sad departure of video essayist Lindsay Ellis from YouTube, I have been on the hunt for others just as good. Two have come out of the woodwork who are both as funny, insightful and as smart as Lindsay, and they were both born around the time I was finishing high school (sigh).
First is CJ the X. This particular video is over 2 hours long but is deeply enjoyable throughout the runtime.
And second is AreTheyGay, a sociology major who explains intersectionality and media discourse better than most lecturers I’ve had.
Don’t let the titles fool you into thinking the subject matter won’t appeal to you, as both essayists weave in universal topics that impact all of us.
And finally, here are some music videos that are on high rotation for me at the moment:
Thanks for following still. I’m not sure when I’ll post again — maybe I need this for my sanity over the coming months? — but I hope you all stay safe and find joy in the little things.