Wurzweiler Goes to New Orleans in Social Service A group of graduate students from 🟩Facebook账号 | 安卓真机注册 | 注册1-5天 | 英文名字 | Fviainboxes.com邮箱可用 | 已设置2FA’s Wurzweiler School of Social Work recently visited New Orleans, in an educational seminar meant to help students understand the emotional and physical toll that Hurricane Katrina took on the city’s inhabitants some five years ago. Led by Professors Saul Andron and Jonathan Fast, eight students in the second and final year of Wurzweiler explored the role of social work in addressing needs and intervention tactics dealing with stress, trauma, and loss. The mission was made possible in part by a grant from the UJA-Federation of New York, and marks the second year in a row that Wurzweiler students have visited New Orleans to gain real-life experience in social work practice in response to disasters, in both the general and Jewish communities. httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llYpceqy6Gk Professor Andron explained that last year, only students headed for their Jewish communal certificate made the trip, but that this year, “the mission reflected the diversity of the school and its three concentrations: casework, group work, and community social work.” Participant Diana Benmergui explained, “The seminar not only allowed me to solidify many of the theories and schools of thought I have studied and discussed as a student at Wurzweiler, but also presented a unique opportunity to unite classmates from different concentrations.” Students heard from community leaders, toured the city, and participated in seminars and site visits for one-on-one interactions with senior social service agency executives and community members who survived Katrina. A seminar at the Tulane University School of Social Work helped explore issues of trauma and resilience and the role of social workers facing a disaster, however, it was a site visit to Kingsley House, the largest settlement house in the South and a leading community agency dedicated to rebuilding New Orleans, that stood out for students. “Kingsley House’s director, Keith Liederman, is a very dynamic and charismatic individual, and helped show us a lot Kingsley House’s activities, such as its Head Start educational programs and senior programs," said Professor Andron. "He’s also an MSW graduate from Wuzweiler and the students found him both inspiring and compelling.” The two days spent helping renovate a home as part of the St. Bernard Project also stood out as a highlight of the trip, allowing students to really appreciate the extent of the destruction and dislocation of families, along with hope for a more promising future. “New Orleans is really a laboratory of volunteer opportunities and tikkun olam, or helping to repair the world,” Professor Andron said. Dr. Sheldon Gelman, dean of Wurzweiler, asserted, “Exposure and immersion in real situations with real clients is at the core of social work education. The opportunity for our students to engage in specialized, well-planned, and structured service-learning opportunities beyond their field work is unique to Wurzweiler.”