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Community Learning Lab
Women of Opportunities Program | |
The Community Learning Lab (CLL) was created to develop, support, and encourage partnerships between classrooms and community agencies. The goals of these collaborations are to produce projects and services to improve the agency's overall impact on the community and to maintain sustainability, and to also provide students hands on experience working in the field. They allow students to apply classroom academics to real life situations. Matches are developed based on the classroom agenda, students' interest, and the needs of our community partners.
An example of a CLL partnership is the Service Learning project. This project enables students to do service learning hours at an agency in the community each week. It gives students a chance to prepare for their internships, where they will be working full time at an agency to complete their program requirements.
Conducting this project are four of the School's BSW students, Shannon Lotz, Jane Chung, Brandy Johnson, and Beth Schuck. These students are currently in their Professional Seminar I class, where there is a significant service learning component. These students were matched with the Housing Authority of Champaign County to complete their service learning. This agency works with people in the community who are currently on Section 8 housing to meet the requirements of the new, mandatory Local Self Sufficiency program. This program is a government mandated program that requires all residents able bodied and under the age of 55 to go to school or be employed in order to keep their Section 8 benefits. This service learning group has been assigned to work with a group of women who meet these criteria.
The group stated, "We each received a client to work with, along with the responsibility to create our own program that would help our clients meet the requirements for this new self-sufficiency program. We decided to call our program the Women of Opportunities program, which consists of four workshops and four one-on-one days with our clients."
Students have been providing workshops and case management services. The first set of workshops focused on skills and self-confidence, in which the clients were challenged to evaluate their talents. They also held workshops on resume building, where they taught individuals the different types of resumes and how to produce a proper, professional resume. The next workshop they will be conducting will be about interviewing and professionalism in the workplace. For case management, the students work with their clients in one-on-one meetings, where they tend to their specific needs and help them with critical tips and resources on how to succeed out there in the workforce.
When asked what has been one of the most positive aspects of their service learning project the students said, "The thing we all have been enjoying the most are the relationships we've had the privilege to build through our group interactions and the one-on-one time with our individual clients." Not only has the community been impacted by the workshops and case management services these students have been providing, but the students have been impacted as well.
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Social Work Posters On Sale
Makes a Great Holiday Gift
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The School still has social work inspired cards and letter press prints available for purchase!
 19" x 25" posters are on sale for $15 each, with six options of designs to choose from.- Sets of 12 greeting cards with envelopes are now $5 each.
To make a purchase, contact Brianna Rossbach at (217) 244-1064 or rossbach@illinois.edu.
Hurry! They won't last long!
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PTSD and the Effect of Trauma
Recovery Through Understanding | |
The School of Social Work is proud to sponsor in part the following event, featuring Luis Carlos Montalván, award winning author of Until Tuesday: A Wounded Warrior and the Golden Retriever Who Saved Him.
Parkland College
2400 West Bradley Avenue
Champaign, IL 61821
Friday, November 15, 2013
1:00-6:00pm
| 1-4:30pm | Parkland College Theatre:
Welcome, keynote speaker, Q&A session | | 4:30-5:00pm | Parkland Bookstore:
Book signing | | 5:00-6:00pm | Parkland College Center & Flag Lounge:
Reception and sponsor information fair |
Reserve your seat:
Call (217) 353-2082 or visit Parkland's website.
Click here for the map of the Parkland College campus.
For additional information please contact Cathy Robinson at (217) 353-2082 or crobinson@parkland.edu.
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New School of Social Work Website Unveiled
Check It Out & Explore |
The School just recently announced the new and improved website. Along with a fresh and contemporary design, the site features many custom and helpful options for all users.
Highlights for our Valued Alumni:
- Automated Job Board: Agencies and organizations can post jobs openings for our students and alums. This was available on our previous site, but the new site allows for instant posting. Additionally, jobs are automatically deleted as they expire.
- Update Contact Information: It's easier than ever to stay in tough! Update your information, sign up for our mailing list, read past issues of the Column and e-Column. It's all at your fingertips!
- Online Giving: Visitors and alumni can now make a donation to the School via our website. Those who wish to donate can also learn more about all of the student and faculty support awards that are available and how they make an impact.
Highlights for Current & Prospective Students:
Check it out and share your feedback!
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Class Notes
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Jill Johnson, MSW 1998, recently was appointed to Interim Dean of Students at Garden Hills Elementary School. The Champaign Schools Board of Education unanimously approved the administrative appointment. She formerly held the position of Technical Assistance Coordinator with the Illinois Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports Network. She also serves as an Adjunct Faculty member at the University of Illinois and has worked as a school social worker in Champaign and Danville.
The Champaign Schools Board of Education also appointed Lee Ann Kelly and Mabinity Tarawaillie, both current MSW students, to two-year terms on the Education Equity Excellence Committee. This committee was created because the school district is required to eliminate unwarranted disparities between different racial groups of students in achievement, discipline, attendance, assignment to special education, and access to gifted and honors classes. The committee reviews and discusses equity areas such as academic progress of students, attendance rates, discipline rates, graduation rates, etc.
Congratulations to Carol Massat, PhD 1992, who recently received the Illinois Association of School Social Workers' Career Achievement Award for her extensive contributions to the field of School Social Work. Carol currently serves as Director of the MSW Program and Professor at Indiana University School of Social Work, South Bend.
Congratulations to Megan Paceley, MSW 2009, who will be receiving the Acorn Scholarship through the Acorn Equality Fund. The Acorn Equality Fund is an organization that provides financial support for the advancement of the education, health, and civil rights of gay, lesbian, and transgender students, allies, or the children of LGBT parents. This scholarship is being awarded to Megan for her academic performance, volunteerism, and community advocacy.
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| Mental Health Concentration Committee Announces Top Scorers for Post-Assessment Test | |
Congratulations to those students who achieved the highest score (94%) on the mental health competency post-test during August 2012 and May 2013:
- Heather Heusner, current MSW student
- Amy Edralin, MSW 2013
- Michael Sophir, MSW 2013
- Sarah Spiewak, MSW 2013
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Make your gift to the School of Social Work!
Visit the SSW Website or call 217-244-4854
so we can help you make your gift.
Thank you for your support!
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