Giving Back to Community
Many people said they chose to work in Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH) as a way to give back to their communities.The act of serving their communities brings meaning to their lives. They care a lot about helping young children and families grow and heal. Their love for the work and their commitment to their community keeps them going, even when things are tough.
“We work with low income, homeless, and CPS families. Just knowing that they have the support system, this program, and these extra tools that could help their families - it's a joy thing, something that I didn't have growing up, as an immigrant household, a Latina, someone of color.” - From a direct service provider
“I'm just trying to learn all that I can to give back to my community. And you know, I think that's my purpose. I've had a long way to get here and I'm more clear minded. I want to show other tribal members that it's possible to turn your life around and just be that positive influencer and role model.” - From a direct service provider
Call to Action & Connection to Other Topics
Focus group participants did not have specific calls to action for this topic. Rather, Giving Back to Community was identified as a major reason why people join and stay in the field. The chart below shows how Giving Back to the Community is connected to other topics. The numbers show how often the topics were discussed together.
