A new year encourages many of us to reflect on our achievements and set new personal and professional goals for the new year. As you think about organizational goals in the workplace and your role within the unaccompanied children’s world, it is understandable to be apprehensive about the uncertainties posed by evolving immigration policies and how these changes might impact the lives of your clients and your advocacy efforts. If you’re new to this work, you may feel unprepared for the challenges ahead. If you’re experienced, you understand how unpredictable and demanding the road can be. Regardless of experience, facing these uncertainties can feel daunting—but in moments like this, we become each other’s greatest source of support. Please know you are not alone on this journey. You are part of a community of compassionate, empathetic individuals united by a shared commitment to justice.
In social work, we refer to social workers as change agents. A change agent is a person or organization that influences others to think and act in a way that makes a positive impact on the world. In the same sentiment, advocates of unaccompanied children are change agents through the relationships you develop with your clients, and onerous efforts to assist them in their immigration case.
As change agents in the lives of unaccompanied children, navigating change is an integral part of the work you do. Whether it's guiding your clients through complex legal processes or adapting to shifting policies, managing change requires both strategy and resilience. This is where grit—the perseverance and passion for long-term goals—becomes a powerful tool. By combining strategies to manage change with the inner strength that grit provides, you can continue to make a meaningful impact while fostering growth and stability in yourself and your clients.
How to navigate change?
Navigating change can be challenging as change may be unwanted and difficult. There are strategies to help you manage change, that can be applied when working one-on-one with your child/youth clients too.
- Acknowledge and validate emotions: Acknowledging your emotions, if you feel anxious, overwhelmed, or resistant to change- these emotions are normal. It’s important to acknowledge and name your own feelings when dealing with change to be able to start processing.
- Identify barriers: Identify the specific challenges and obstacles that hinder you from accepting change.
- Set realistic goals: Break down large changes into smaller achievable steps to make the transition feel less daunting.
- Continue to build your support system: Lean into your professional network (contribute or ask for help), lean into your community, family and friends, and mental health professionals to support your emotional and overall well-being.
- Practice self-care: Self-care is personal, and a practice of regularly taking an active role in protecting your own well-being, particularly during periods of stress. Remember, self-care is not a reward, but an act that helps you feel physically and mentally well.
The Balanced Impact of Grit
In psychology, grit is defined as a personality trait characterized by perseverance and passion for achieving long-term goals. Immigration work, as you know, is complex and often requires a long-term commitment. By being persistent, advocating, and being resilient you demonstrate the grit you have to move forward and to fight tirelessly on behalf of the children you serve.
By building your grit, you:
- Build resilience in the face of adversity: Grit helps individuals bounce back from setbacks and challenges. While unwanted change brings disruption, with grit- you are better equipped to face obstacles and maintain forward momentum.
- Overcome feelings of fear: Grit empowers you to push through fear and face the future with courage.
- Build emotional endurance: Grit fosters emotional endurance, by allowing you to remain in emotional equilibrium and optimistic even when circumstances feel overwhelming.
- Adapt and grow: Grit encourages a growth mindset, where challenges are seen as opportunities for learning. Grit makes it easier to adapt to reality and emerge stronger from difficult situations.
- Sustain focus and purpose: During periods of unwanted change, it is easy to lose focus of long-term goals. Grit helps maintain focus, ensuring that despite disruption you continue working towards your goal with passion and determination.
As you’re building your grit, remember maintaining balance in taking care of yourself is very important to achieve long-term sustainability.
We understand the work ahead may be uncertain, know you can count on us- CILA and the professional network to continue to fight for unaccompanied children with grit.