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COMMUNITY
The very heart of social work is helping others, and perhaps the best
way to address humanity’s most complex social problems is by literally
lending a hand. To engage students on a deeper level outside the
classroom, TCU’s Department of Social Work participates in annual
service learning events like Hunger Week.
Helping the hungry is a major issue for social workers, according to
James Petrovich, TCU assistant professor of social work. “It does not
make sense that in a country as prosperous as the United States there
are people facing food insecurity,” he said. “We know hunger is real, yet
many of us do not realize the extent of it in our own backyards.”
According to the Tarrant Area Food Bank, one in four children in Tarrant
County does not knowwhere the next meal will come from. To illustrate
the magnitude of the hunger problem in Texas and nationwide, the
Department of Social Work helped the TCU Religious & Spiritual Life and
Student Affairs put on the 31st annual Hunger Week.
“As social workers, we want our clients to thrive and find meaningful
ways to contribute to society,”Petrovich added. “But when folks struggle
with hunger, that creates a tremendous barrier to helping them reach
their potential. When you are food insecure, it is hard to focus on
anything else.”
During Hunger Week 2014, social work faculty and students arranged
a forum featuring local experts on women-related issues in Fort Worth
and Tarrant County. Workers from Safe Haven, YWCA, United Way and
the Women’s Center discussed issues that affect women, including
poverty and domestic violence, and how they tie into hunger. Social
work students also organized a food drive and encouraged their peers
to donate.
Hunger Week was just one way the Department of Social Work reached
students through service learning and community engagement. Also
this spring, the department participated in the Pinwheel Project,
in which 5,689 blue and silver pinwheels were planted on campus
to mark the number of child abuse cases reported last year in
Tarrant County.
The pinwheel display, sponsored by the nonprofit Alliance for Children,
kicked off two days of symposia and training for counselors, teachers,
social workers and law enforcement. Social work students helped plant
the pinwheels and manned an informational booth.
“The well-being of children is critical to social workers,” said David
Jenkins, professor and chair of the Department of Social Work. “This is a
way of bringing attention to the hidden tragedies of children who have
been abused.”
Professors believe service projects like Hunger Week and the Pinwheel
Project are an effective way to teach students important lessons.
“This is some of the most important learning they will do,” said
Jenkins. “It is memorable and active. This is the kind of stuff that sticks
with students. They may not remember all the lectures, but they will
remember the times they actively got involved in their communities
and helped change the world.”
LENDING A
HAND
FOR
SOCIAL
CHANGE
FEATURES
Harris College Magazine
- 2014 ·
23