Understanding and Solving Wicked Problems in Canadian Human Services

Learning Outcome

Learning Outcome: •Articulate the complexity of solving contemporary social issues•Distinguish positive and negative approaches to solving social issues in Canadian human services.•Identify how current social policies impact marginalized groups. Learning Objectives: 1.Define a Wicked Problem and provide an example of the complexities of trying to solve it.2.Examine a specific wicked problem and underscore the human element of addressing wicked problems.Directions:•In this assignment, you will identify a “wicked problem”, a social issue that is difficult to solve, and then you will talk with someone who is affected by the issue or works in the field. Some examples of wicked problems, more generally, are access to education and health care for all, alleviating world hunger, income inequality, obesity, poverty, terrorism, and climate change. •The purpose of this assignment is to begin thinking critically about the social issues around us and to emphasize the importance of having support for your own assertions, as well as possessing a discerning eye when examining what others have to say.Step One: Initial AssessmentIdentify a social Issue or “wicked problem” or grand challenge you have noticed in Calgary that could be addressed by social policies. “A wicked problem is a social or cultural problem that is difficult to explain and inherently impossible to solve for as many as four reasons: incomplete or contradictory knowledge, the number of people and opinions involved, the large economic burden, and the interconnected nature of these problems with other problems,” (Horst Rittel, 1973). These could be things like low income housing, homelessness, education, immigration, youth crime, indigenous relations, medical assistance in dying laws, cannabis legalization, sex work legislation, environmental policy, long form census requirements, The Canada Health Act, human rights legislation regarding specific protected groups, legalization of same sex marriage, supervised consumption sites, etc. Step Two: InterviewInterview someone who is affected by, or who works in, human services where your social issue is delivered or has impact. Ask them to explain the social issues that exist, the situation in Calgary, and the legislation that they know of that positively or negatively impact the social issue. Ask them about the human service agency or service where they work or get support from and describe its mission, what services it provides, and how is it done.

Step Three: Discussion Board PostAfter identifying an issue and interviewing someone is affected by it or who works in the field, use your notes to describe your problem’s causes, its impact and its resistance to solutions or “wickedness” in words and images. Create a “Word Cloud” from the website www.wordclouds.com, which will make a graphic out of the words that you input into the generator. Once you have made one, post your Word Cloud on the discussion board and provide a brief 1-2 paragraph written explanation of the cloud. You do not need to post anything besides your Word Cloud and the explanation, but, for full marks, you do need to comment on at least two other posts regarding the similarities or differences that your peers have from you. Please be sure to respond to your peers if they ask you a q