Introduction
Unemployment often brings devastation to the lives of the people within the community. Understandably, unemployment often results in social and personal consequences such as involvement in criminal activities and substance abuse. From a sociological standpoint, practicing civic engagement can be critical in helping the unemployed people within the society and enabling them to undertake activities that will inevitably guarantee the general progress of the community (Keirns et al., 2018). Notably, the establishment of certain social service agencies has been instrumental in alleviating inherent problems associated with unemployment within society.
More specifically, Goodwill Industries International Inc. has been playing an integral role in addressing the unemployment issue within society. Goodwill Industries is a non-profit social organization that seeks to provide employment opportunities and assist individuals in developing their skills to enable them to break underlying barriers to employment (Gibbons & Hazy, 2017). The mission of God Industries is to enhance the dignity and quality of families and individuals’ lives by strengthening different communities, remove barriers to opportunity, and assisting people to reach their full potential through enhancement of their skills. The industry was established in 1902 in Boston, Massachusetts, United States (Gibbons & Hazy, 2017). It was started by Reverend Edgar J. Helms of Morgan Methodist Chapel, where he, together with his congregation mobilized, used household items such as clothing and redistributing them to people who are in need. The organization focused on hiring and training unemployed individuals to mend the collected clothes.
Goodwill Industries serves unemployed individuals by imparting them with contemporary skills and knowledge that enables them to get existing employment opportunities. Further, the organization focuses on serving less privileged people in the society by providing an environment that will guarantee the sustenance of their lives (Gibbons & Hazy, 2017). More fundamentally, the organization develops programs aimed at improving the quality of life of the community.
I chose the agency because of its reputable nature and robust functions in plays across the globe in assisting unemployed people in getting employment opportunities by providing them contemporary skills. Also, I chose the company because it emphasizes on improving the quality of life of the community in general by redistributing donations to the less privileged.
The organization can utilize technological advancement, especially in the spectrum of communication (Gibbons & Hazy, 2017). Many people have embraced different technological devices like smartphones, and the organization can reach a large number of students by advertising their services on different social platforms such as WhatsApp, Twitter, and Facebook, among others (Jakimovski, 2018). Additionally, Goodwill Industries can leverage their financial muscle to develop modern communication methods that will ensure that many students are adequately informed about their services.
The conflict perspective focuses on challenging the status quo and highlights that social change is necessary for the community to progress. Conflict theorists believe that the elite members of society are responsible for certain social problems, such as unemployment (Keirns et al., 2018). Further, conflict theorists maintain that social conflict is voluntarily created by the rich and powerful people in the society as they often force social order on the poor and weak individuals in the community. More critically, the elite members of the society have raised the status of local colleges, which inevitably results in a lack of education for the poor people in the community (Keirns et al., 2018).
According to functionalism, all the underlying aspects in society are interdependent, and effective cooperation often results in much-needed stability and productivity. Functionalism is critical in addressing unemployment issues in the society, and functionalists believe that the society and government should adjust to the present situation to ensure that the community navigates different challenges such as high unemployment rates (Collins et al., 2014). Moreover, functionalists observe that society should foster cohesiveness in undertaking different activities, and they must always work collectively to slay the dragon of unemployment (Keirns et al., 2018). Equally important, productivity, stability, and social order can be achieved when the unemployment issue is not addressed.
Symbolic interactionists observe that people often attach meanings to underlying symbols, and their actions are premised on subjective interpretation of such symbols. Concerning the unemployment issue within the society, symbolic interactionists maintain that people will interpret their life based on the existing consequences that have been brought by unemployment (Keirns et al., 2018). More importantly, the growth of the society will be likely impeded when people interpret their lives that have been adversely affected by unemployment.
Population Trend of People Served by Goodwill Industries
Year No. of People Placed in Employment
2014 10, 000
2015 36, 438
2016 11, 149
2017 11, 786
Projected 41, 000
History has shown the Goodwill Industries has been helping most people to get employment opportunities (Gibbons & Hazy, 2017). The number of people set to receive training to develop their skills is set to increase beyond the documented years (Gibbons & Hazy, 2017). The forecasted high number is attributed to an increased advertisement that has helped in informing students about the organization’s services.
Conclusion
In conclusion, unemployment often results in adverse consequences for society. Most employers always fail to employ individuals because they have limited skills. Goodwill Industries has been instrumental in bridging the skills gap and assisting unemployed individuals in getting opportunities and achieving their full potential. Also, the organization has been at the forefront in championing for high-quality life of the community by facilitating the redistribution of donations. The application of the three sociological perspectives of conflict, functionalism, and symbolic interactionism is integral in ensuring the unemployment issue is adequately addressed to enable the community to progress not only socially but also economically and politically.
