The Lived Experiences of Bangsamoro Social Workers: Their Journey in Achieving Inner Peace and Mental Well-Being

Authors

  • Grant Warren Lu Mindanao State University – Maguindanao, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, Philippines
  • Epifania Melba Manapol Social Work Department, Ateneo de Davao University, Philippines.
  • Alimodin Hassan College of Public Affairs and Governance, Mindanao State University – Maguindanao, BARMM, Philippines

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58671/aswj.v12i1.70

Keywords:

Bangsamoro, Conflict, Inner peace, Social worker, well-being

Abstract

The study focused on Bangsamoro social workers' journey to achieve inner peace and well-being in conflict-stricken and violent communities. It described their experiences, challenges encountered, self-care approaches, and lessons learned. The study employed a descriptive research design as it was seen as suitable to generate narratives from 12 Bangsamoro social workers through purposive and snowball sampling. The study utilized a transcendental phenomenological approach and followed the rigorous data collection and analysis following Colaizzi's seven steps of analyzing the narratives of the research participants.  The study's key findings are threats and aggressive complaints, delayed salaries and insufficiency of allowances, non-performance of family roles, and other challenges encountered. They are still capable of achieving their inner peace and well-being through self-initiated and peers, family, and faith-motivated self-care initiatives, which allow them to pause from their heavy workloads, manage their stressors into manageable parts, find better solutions to their problems, and regain their motivation to continue their work. This journey of Bangsamoro social workers implied that they could not achieve inner peace and well-being alone. Several individuals should deal with it collaboratively by influencing negative or positive experiences. It also implied that for social work practice to be efficient and progressive—the institutional mechanisms of MSSD-BARMM and other social welfare offices, the programs implemented, and the social work education should be context-based and culturally responsive.n the years, the deaf community in Vinh Long province has had to confront issues of harassment and sexual abuse due to their disabilities. Unfortunately, the majority of the deaf population lacks full awareness of harassment and sexual abuse, often misunderstanding behaviors such as teasing and unwanted touching as not constituting sexual harassment. This article focuses on analyzing the awareness of the deaf community in Vinh Long province, examining aspects such as understanding of sexual harassment behaviors and awareness of responses to harassment.

Author Biographies

Grant Warren Lu, Mindanao State University – Maguindanao, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, Philippines

Grant Warren D. Lu, RSW, MAPDS, MSSW, Associate Professor 5 Social Work Department College of Public Affairs and Governance of Mindanao State University-Maguindanao, Philippines. MS in Social Work (Ateneo de Davao University), Certificate degree in Civic Engagement (Arizona State University), and MA in Peace and Development Studies (MSU – Maguindanao). Grant presented to the 3rd Peace Research Conference on the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity titled “Youth Participation in Preventing Violent Extremism and Radicalism: The Significant Role of Immersive Peace Education” in September 2023.

Epifania Melba Manapol, Social Work Department, Ateneo de Davao University, Philippines.

Melba Laguna-Manapol, Ph.D. RSW, Associate Professor 6 and Chairperson of the Social Work Department, Ateneo de Davao University, Philippines. A PAASCU Accreditor for Social Work; Member of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Regional Quality Assurance Team  (RQUAT)  for Davao Region; Member of the Career Progression and Specialization Program Credit Accumulation and Transfer System Committee (CPSP-CATS) of the Philippine Regulation Commission; Editorial Board of the Asian Social Work Journal (ASWJ); and Peer Review Board of the ASEAN Social Work Journal.

Alimodin Hassan , College of Public Affairs and Governance, Mindanao State University – Maguindanao, BARMM, Philippines

Alimodin M. Hassan, DPA, RSW, Assistant Professor IV, College of Public Affairs and Governance, Mindanao State University – Maguindanao, BARMM, Philippines. A proactive social worker with twelve (12) years of experience teaching undergraduate social work courses related to primary (group work and community organization) and secondary methods (administration and research). Supervised community organization interns from 2012 – 2018, advised Public Administration student researchers from 2015 to 2018 and engaged in various lectures related to gender, leadership, basic research, and community surveys.

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Published

2024-06-30

How to Cite

Lu, G. W., Manapol, E. M., & Hassan , A. . (2024). The Lived Experiences of Bangsamoro Social Workers: Their Journey in Achieving Inner Peace and Mental Well-Being . Asean Social Work Journal, 12(1), 39–57. https://doi.org/10.58671/aswj.v12i1.70

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