Explain how the Economic Opportunity Act and the War on Poverty caused a shift

Explain how the Economic Opportunity Act and the War on Poverty caused a shift in social work’s views on social welfare and the profession itself. Support your explanation with scholarly readings.
Response Guidelines
Respond to at least two of your peers sharing your explanation. Comment whether you agree with their explanation and why, supporting your arguments with scholarly readings.
Peer one Spear
The maximum feasible participation concept opened new sources of psychological, financial, and political power as the poor found themselves having a say in, and in some cases even controlling, the programs and institutions that affected their lives, and the Economic Opportunity Act and the War on Poverty did make significant contributions to change (Stern & Axinn, 2018). This did represent a substantial change as consumers of services now have a say in developing and implementing programs that affect their lives.
I know that at my job, I sit on several committees where we include people with lived experience.” Researchers involve people with lived experiences by listening to and learning from them (Learning from Lived Experience in Research – Mental Health Research Matters, 2022). It seems to make sense that policymakers include representatives of the target population members when developing policies and programs that will affect their lives.

Learning from lived experience in research – Mental Health Research Matters. (2022, December 6). Mental Health Research Matters. https://mentalhealthresearchmatters.org.uk/what-good-mental-health-research-look-like/lived-experience-in-research/
Stern, M. J., & Axinn, J. (2018). Social welfare enhanced Pearson eText Access Card: A History of the American Response to Need. Pearson.
Peer 2 Lilian
President Johnson declared that “the War on Poverty” was intended to end poverty in the United States as part of a larger legislative program called “The Great Society” to make the U.S.A. a more equitable and just country (Cooley, A., 2023). Many social workers viewed the War on Poverty with great enthusiasm and saw it as an opportunity to incorporate social reform into their practice (Stern & Axinn, 2017). In contrast to the claims of expertise that the profession had made a few years earlier, many social workers called for community and consumer participation in policy making and decision making, for the input of nonprofessionals into service design and delivery, and for social action to change the system (Stern & Axinn, 2017).
The Economic Opportunity Act was signed into effect in 1964, its purpose being to mobilize the human and financial resources of the Nation to combat poverty in the United States (Stern & Axinn, 2017). This act created “Job Core” – which was a residential education and job-training program for low-income at-risk young people that provided them with academic and vocational skills they needed to attain meaningful lasting employment (Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopedia, 2023). It also established Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) – which placed volunteers throughout the country to help fight poverty and to address illiteracy, lack of quality housing, and poor health, among other issues, through work on community projects with various organizations, communities, and individuals and in 1993 it would be folded into AmeriCorps, (Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopedia, 2023).
The EOA also helped to begin the HeadStart Program that was designed to help prepare children from disadvantaged families for success in public schools, as well as the Neighborhood Youth Corps, that provided training and jobs for young people (age 16–21) from impoverished families, work-study programs, and community action programs, (Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopedia, 2023).The act also provided loans to small businesses and farmers , (Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopedia, 2023). This brought about a lot of great changes many of these we still see today!
My mother is a Childrens Librarian here in my hometown and she goes to different HeadStart’s in our community to read to the kids and is able to give their teachers information to give their parents about coming to the Library as a resource and all the different programs that the Library offers for free for them and their parents. In my previous place of employment we were partnered with these HeadStart’ and when they are in session during open house we were able to go and offer mental/behavioral Health services to the parents for themselves & their children as well as point them in the direction of different community resources that can help with financial assistance, food, clothes, yard work, house work, etc… If this Act and the War on Poverty hadn’t happened who knows where we might be today.

Lilly 🙂

Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2023, March 20). Economic Opportunity Act. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Economic-Opportunity-Act
Cooley, A. (2023, April 28). War on Poverty. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/War-on-Poverty
Stern, M. J., & Axinn, J. (2017). Social Welfare: A History of the American Response to Need (9th ed.). Pearson Education (US). https://capella.vitalsource.com/books/9780134292960