Medical Visit 2019

The Department of Social Work, St Joseph’s College (Autonomous), Bengaluru, organised a four-day medical visit for second year MSW students specialised in Medical and Psychiatry to Mangalore, Karnataka from the 26th to the 29th of September, 2019. The primary objectives of the visit included a visit to Father Muller’s Charitable Institutions (FMCI), Department of Social Work, St. Aloysius College, and Roshini Nilaya School of Social Work. On the first day, the students got a chance to understand the structure of the hospital and various activities with special focus towards medical and psychiatric social work settings in Father Muller’s hospital. Post lunch, the students visited Roshini Nilaya School of Social work and had an interaction with professors in the college. The Head of the School of Social Work, Dr. Meena Monteiro, conducted a short orientation on the history of the college.  On the second day, the students visited St. Aloysius College, Mangalore to take part in a two-day conference organised by Department of Social Work- titled- Samprathi 2019. The theme of the Conference was Youth as Catalysts for Social change. Many students presented their research papers under eight major sub-themes revolving around youth and development. On the fourth day of the visit, the students visited the Theological College, KTC, to understand the history and culture of Mangalore. Over all, the medical visit was a great learning experience both in the academic as well as in the theoretical fronts. 

27 paper presenters from the Department of Social Work, St. Joseph's College (Autonomous), Bengaluru in Mangalore Seminar

A two-day national seminar titled Samprathi 2019- ‘Youth as Catalysts in Social Change’ was organised by the Department of Social Work, St. Aloysius College, Mangalore on the 26th and 27th of September, 2019. A record number of students from the Department of Social Work, St. Joseph’s College (Autonomous), Bengaluru, presented papers in the national level seminar. A total of 245students and 2 faculty members from the Department presented papers and participated in the discussion that followed. Overall, it was a very memorable experience for all the students, especially for the first time presenters. 

The names of the presenters and the title of the papers are as follows:

1. Mridula T and Prabhu P (III BSW)- Consumerism among youth in Bengaluru through the influence of media

2. Sanjana Salome Durairaj and Maphisha B Bareh (III BSW)- Resilience among Youth who have attempted suicide in India 

3. N Tejhashwin (III BSW) and Suraj SK (II BSW)- Alcoholism among the youth in Hakki Pikki Community

4. Diana Praeepa Mani and Manggouthang Haokip (III BSW)- Problems of Cyber Bullying among Youths with specific reference to Social Media

5.  Anima Lakra and Sanjana Salome Durairaj (III BSW)- Youth who have risk behaviors and addiction among youth in India 

6. Ganesh Kanojia and Ajith Kumar M (III BSW)- A Description of Health Concerns Among Rural and Urban Youth in India  

7. M. Merlyn Rozario and Rushabh Mohan Nair (II BSW)- A Look at Risk Behaviour among Youth in Bengaluru, India

8.  Nicole Marie Mathew (II BSW) and Pankaj Lakhi Pradhan (II MSW)- Perception of nation building among NCC cadets in Bengaluru city- A Study 

9. Sushma A and Lalremruatpuii (II MSW)- Alcoholism among Youth in Bengaluru city - A collection of case studies 

10. Tekhengutele and Ashwini Srinivas (II MSW)- An evaluative study on access to safe abortion methods 

11. Anoop Mathew and Anjana Joy (II MSW)- A review of existing training programmes for youth in India 

12. Saurav Brandon Chettri (II MSW) and Prof. Viola Noronha (Faculty)- A study on the prevalence of depression among migrant students in St. Joseph's College (Autonomous), Bengaluru 

13. Prof. Dhivya Kiran Jeevan (Faculty) and Nanaiah - Challengesin higher education: Effect on youth and skill development.
14. Christopher A. (II MSW)- Magnitude of carrier confusion among college students in India: An empirical report

Social Justice Lecture 2019

A social justice lecture on the topic “CHALLENGES TO FEDERALISM” was organised by the Department of Social Work, St Joseph’s College (Autonomous), Bengaluru. The special lecture began at 3:30 PM with an introductory theme and welcoming of the national and the international social justice advocate Justice Mr. H.N. NAGAMOHANDAS to inspire the students through the social justice lecture. He highlighted the importance of federalism. He indicated that the main reason behind the emergence of federalism was abolishment of feudalism. He also added that secularism in the Indian constitution was a measure to remove discrimination that the minorities in India had faced for centuries. The legal and the external dimensions of the nation’s functioning were also briefed. He indicated that certain changes with regard to the articles in the constitution were causing several problems including the current economic crisis. The chief guest concluded the session by encouraging the students to raise their voice against injustice and human rights violations occurring anywhere in the country. The book by the chief guest “READING THE CONSTITUTION” was released after the lecture. The event concluded at 4:45 PM.

Still Mob on Suicide Prevention

The World Suicide Prevention Day was observed on 18^th September, 2019 and students from IInd year BSW, belonging to the the Social Work Students' Association (SWSA), performed a still mob near M.G Road and Lalbagh Metro stations, respectively. A few students were holding placards with captions to prevent suicide and the rest were involved in the still mob. The students not only stood near the Metro station but also moved around and stood near the signals, on the footpath, and at the entrance of the park so that they could catch the attention of a greater number of people. The students also shared the helpline number (provided by AASRA in India) to people who stopped to watch the mob. The public took pictures and congratulated the students for their efforts since it is a serious issue prevalent in the country and in the world in general. Currently, India has the highest number of suicides among youth aged 15-24 years. Overall, the programme was very  successful. 

Orientation visit to Global Concerns India (GCI)

As part of the field work curriculum, an orientation visit was conducted for the students of 1^st MSW on the 20th of September, 2019. The students arrived in two batches. The sessions were taken by two different members of the organisation and both proved to be informative and inspiring. Both the sessions started with a brief introduction to the organisation. Global Concerns India (GCI), is a not-for-profit organisation, working on issues of human rights, gender equality and education. The resource person specified that the organisation’s primary focus is to help women and children but that it also caters to the needs of men. It was mentioned that they are proactive on the field and have their offices and hostels in different parts of Karnataka. They function through different programmes and projects like the ALP (Assistant Learning Program), Sadhana, Training for Government Officials and many more which focus on upliftment of individuals, families and communities. The briefing was  followed by interactive session started, wherein the students enquired about the different GCI handles. The session ended on a positive note with a vote of thanks from a student representative and a promise to actively volunteer for the organisation’s activities and programmes. 

Orientation Visit to Home of Hope

The students of 1^stMSW visited New Ark Mission of India, Home of Hope, Doddagubbi village on the 12th of September, 2019. The orientation began at 10AM, at Home of Hope, a home for the destitute. The organisation was started by T.Raja aka Auto Raja, who began by bringing people he found in pathetic conditions on the street to his own house and taking care of them. Hence, it allbegan in 1997 in a rented house and later on in 1998 the Mission was registered under the trust name called NEW ARK MISSION OF INDIA with Home of Hope as its rehabilitation centre. 

The students were shown a short video that showcased the condition of the destitute and homeless in India, and the stigma attached to their condition, especially those with mental illnesses. The students then interacted with the founder-Auto Raja and learnt about how and why he began this mission as well as how they could contribute towards the cause.  They then learnt about the one rupee per day donation scheme where he requested the students to contribute by spreading the word. The trainees then went and visited the different campuses including the new one that was built for the sick and dying. It was an informative session as the students became more sensitised about the real plight of the destitute in India.  

Orientation Programme- Alcoholics Anonymous

An Orientation was  held on “Alcoholics Anonymous”  which was organised by the Department of Social work, St. Joseph’s College (Autonomous), Bengaluru, for the first year MSW Students. The orientation programme began at 3 PM with a speech from Mr. X where he explained about the organisation, the problem of addiction to alcohol as well as other types of addiction such as computer games addiction, smoking, and so on. He then continued with the topic of alcoholism and shared his experience. He explained as to how he got into alcohol addiction and what helped him change. The second half of the session was handled by Ms. Y who also shared her experience of having been an alcoholic in the past and how she got back her life through the alcoholics anonymous (AA) meetings. Later, Mr. X took over and stated in an elaborated way about alcoholics anonymous and about the meetings they have. There was a question and answer session during which there was an interaction between the students and the members representing alcoholic anonymous. 

The session ended at 4;00 PM and the vote of thanks was given to Mr. X and Ms. Y by Ms. Sreechitra from 1^stMSW who thanked the speakers for taking time to come to college and explaining to the students about AA. 

Tribal Camp 2019

The Department of Social Work, in collaboration with the Attappadi Adivasi Development Initiative (AADI) organised a four-day tribal visit from the 6^thto the 9^thof September, 2019, to Attappadi tribal block, situated in Palakkad District in Kerala. The main objective of the visit was to enable students of 2^ndMSW (Community Development), to experience the tribal way of life. AADI is a non-governmental organisation working with dual motives - development of Adivasis and environment conservation. The students were guided by Dr. A. Alan Godfrey, Assistant Professor and PG Coordinator, Department of Social Work. On the first day, the students visited Varagampady village near to Anaikkatty and had an interaction with the Anganwadi workers in the village. On the following day, the students got an opportunity to visit the Government tribal speciality hospital in Kottathara, Attappadi; to understand the common health problems faced by the adivasis. On the second half of the second day and on the third day, the students conducted Participatory rural appraisal in Varagampady village and practised PRA techniques such as village mapping, social mapping, timeline mapping and resource mapping. On the third day, the students were oriented about Tarumithra (friends of trees) initiative by the Assistant Director of the agency. Tarumithra is an initiative started by Jesuit priests for environmental conservation. The tribal camp as a whole was a learning experience which enabled students to brush up their social work skills as well as experience the tribal way of living.    

    

Observing Spinal Cord Injury Day - 2019

On the 5th of September, 2019, the Association of People with Disability and Association of Karnataka collaborated with the Department of Social Work, St. Joseph's College (Autonomous), Bengaluru to observe International Spinal Cord Injury Day in the Kanteerava Stadium, Bengaluru. The three students of 2nd BSW of St. Joseph’s College, Bengaluru we’re a part of it. The trainees and  volunteers were given an orientation on spinal cord injury. The theme of the Spinal Cord Injury Day, 2019 was “Living life to the fullest."  Some of the activities that were conducted were wheelchair race, shot-put  javelin throw, and hunt for survival (a food contest).  Then, at the end of the day, a few of the survivors shared their experiences of living with this condition. This was followed by a distribution of prizes for the winners of the contests.

Social Work Students' Initiative to Aid the Flood Affected Victims of North Karnataka

Recently, parts of North Karnataka had to face the consequences of the floods caused by torrential rainfall. The Department of Social Work, St. Joseph’s College (Autonomous) organised a relief drive for North Karnataka right after the completion of the Relief Drive for Assam. The core team consisted of both BSW and MSW students and two faculty members to coordinate this effort. From 16/08/19, students approached shopping complexes and set up drop boxes in the college. One-ton worth of relief materials was collected. The Department decided that a Quick Reaction Team (QRT) which consisted of six representatives from BSW, four from MSW, and one Faculty Coordinator, would directly distribute the materials to the residents of one affected village in North Karnataka. On 31/08/19, with the help of social work students and NCC Cadets, the relief materials were loaded into a cantor and two cars. The QRT on arriving at Bagalkote District met a contact person who took the team to Yemmhatti, a village. The team received a list with the names of the residents. All the families gathered at the meeting point and received clothes, rations, toiletry kits, and blankets. A total of 180 families received the relief materials. The villagers appreciated the team’s effort and thanked the college. The team was also recognised in the Taluk office. The Department is grateful to the Principal, Rev. Fr. Victor Lobo, the Management, NCC Cadets, the students, and all the donors for their unconditional support towards this endeavour. 

QRT Students:

N Tejhashwin

Prabhu P

Harsha V

Ajith Kumar M

Suraj SK

Arun Kumar

Roopika R Nair

Femina Grace Vadassery

Mathew George

Mohamed Fawaz C

QRT Faculty 

Lt. Akshay D Mandlik

Fr. Dr. G Augustine Lourdu 

Orientation visit to SUKRUPA for 1st MSW students

A one-day observation visit at SUKRUPA was organised by the Department of Social Work, St Joseph’s College (Autonomous), Bangalore, for the 1^styear MSW students. The Orientation began at 11 AM. This organisation was initially established during the early 2000s by Ms. Krupalatha Martin Dass. The organisation is mainly focused on enabling every child to have access to good education, providing them with life skills, bridging the crucial gap between school and college, and to provide them with the opportunities to show their talent by initiating various programmes that include 1) SuVidya-To help students successfully complete their SSLC tenth grade exam, thus paving the way for them to enter some of the best colleges and universities. 2).SuKalp-It is Sukrupa’s after school life skills and leadership program.3)SuMargadarshak-It is the scholarship and mentoring programme to provide support to the child during the transition from school to college. Post tea-break, the students were given an opportunity to clarify their doubts. The students were allowed to visit the children in the classrooms school and interact with them. On the whole, it was an interesting learning experience for the students. 

Workshop cum observation visit to TALAASH for 1st MSW students

A one-day workshop cumobservation visit to TALAASH was organsied by the Department of Social Work, St Joseph’s College (Autonomous), Bengaluru, for the 1^styear MSW students. The workshop began at 11 AM with a description of the purpose and functions of the organisation. This organisation was initially established in the year 2013 and works on issues concerning women & children, with special focus on issues such as child labour, sexual abuse & exploitation, and women empowerment. It was informed that the organisation collaborates with more than 54 organisations around the world.The organisation has a social enterprise to raise funds for its activities as well. Post tea-break, the students were given an opportunity clarify their doubts on matters such as class oppression with how the organisation handles victims after rescue. On the whole, it was a very fruitful visit for the students. 

Paper Presentation by Faculty Members

On the 30th of August, 2019, four faculty members, namely- Lt. Akshay D. Mandlik, Dr. Alan Godfrey, Ms. Viola M Noronha, and Dr. S. Rama Gokula Krishnan presented papers in conferences/seminars. Dr. Alan Godfrey and Ms. Viola M Noronha presented a paper on “Working with Youth: Learnings through Social Case Work” in the national seminar on “Youth Development and Youth-Led Development, Jointly organised by the PG and Research Department of Social Work, Sacred Heart College (Autonomous), Tirupattur, Tamil Nadu. Lt. Akshay D Mandlik and Dr. S. Rama Gokula Krishnan preseted a paper titled “Perception of Unethical Practices by News Channels among a Global Sample” in the Media Meet-2019 at Christ (deemed to be University), Bengaluru.