On the 1st of November, 2023, BOSCH in association with the Social Work Students' Association and Green Spartans Association from St. Joseph's University, Bengaluru, conducted a plant for the planet event wherein students engaged in a cleanup drive at the Rayasandra lake and planted fruit bearing trees. The goal was to ensure environmental sustainability so that the future generation can also enjoy a cleaner and greener future.
On the 25th of October, 2023, the Social Work Students' Association (SWSA) organsied an alumni lecture and interaction session with Mr. Ajay Gowda who is currently serving as a counsellor in six different NGOs with a special focus on addiction to substances. He has also held high positions in a reputed group working to help individuals overcome addiction to alcohol. The session took place in the Xavier Hall of the University at 1:30 PM. The Dean- Dr. Fr. Augustine, felicitated the speaker. Mr. Ajay then spoke about his life experiences and understanding of addiction to various substances. This was followed by a very active interaction session wherein students raised several questions via google forms. The programme concluded with the vote of thanks by Dr. S. Rama Gokula Krishnan, coordinator- SWSA.
On the 4th of October, 2023, the Social Work Students’ Association (SWSA) organised the first debate series titled – Parlance (Vol. 1) on the National Council of Social Work Education Bill, 2021. Dr. S. Rama Gokula Krishnan, the coordinator of SWSA informed the gathering that the debate series was aimed at encouraging student participation on the discussions surrounding issues that affect social work profession as well as society. The debate took place in Xavier Hall with three students speaking for the bill in its current form and three students against the bill in its current form. While Allen from 2nd BSW and Vanshika and Anto George from 2nd MSW, spoke against the bill in its current form, Mansi from 1st BSW, Aleeza from 3rd BSW, and Ishwarya from 1st MSW, spoke in favour of the bill in its current form. Prof. Y.J. Rajendra, faculty, School of Social Work, also enlightened the audience about the features of the bill. This was followed by a vote by the audience, through which the team speaking against the bill in its current form, won the debate. The event concluded with a vote of thanks by the Head of the Department- Dr. Alan Godfrey.
On the 30th of September, 2023, the Social Work Students' Association in collaboration with the School of Social Work, set up seven exhibits on open day that was organised by St. Joseph's University, Bengaluru. The exhibits by students from all five classes showcased the creative minds of the students of social work. While some of the exhibits highlighted social issues, others provided a clear insight into the vastness of the career opportunities for those who pursue a degree in social work. The judges also appreciated the efforts of the students in this regard.
The "MSW-HR Forum" was inaugurated by the School of Social Work at St. Joseph University on September 2, 2023, with Mr. Jatinder Mohan as the distinguished chief guest. Fr. Francis, who serves as Assistant Professor and MSW-HR Forum Coordinator, delivered the welcome address, formally introducing everyone to the event, while Dr. Prema Jyothi, the Co-Coordinator and Assistant Professor, elaborated on the objectives of the MSW-HR Forum.
The Dean, Dr. Fr. Augustine Lourdu, emphasized the significance of the MSW- HR Forum, and Dr. Alan Godfrey, the Head of the Department, praised it as a unique beginning. Mr. Jatinder Mohan, renowned for his accomplishments as an author, entrepreneur, trainer, and teacher, delivered a keynote speech titled "Heart of the Matter," addressing HR challenges, information accessibility, and employee well-being.
Towards the end of the event, Ms. Zairah Zaheer, the Student Coordinator of the MSW HR Forum, expressed gratitude to all participants. Additionally, special recognition was given to Fr. Simon, an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work, for his consistent guidance and support to the HR specialization.
The MSW-HR Forum promises to be an invaluable resource for MSW-HR students, facilitating growth, fostering innovation, and promoting networking opportunities.
The
inauguration of Green Spartans, an environment based association was held on the
28th of August, 2023. The inauguration ceremony took place in the quadrangle
at 1:45 PM. After the initial introduction to the association by the dean, Dr.
Fr. Augustine Lourdu, the students from all the five batches moved to the auditorium
basement for the investiture ceremony and for the cultural events. The ceremony
commenced with a warm welcome from the dean. The elected leaders then took the
oath and were entrusted with the responsibility of guiding the association towards
its mission of promoting eco-consciousness and sustainability. This In addition
to the investiture, the event featured group song, dance, quiz, and skit
performances coordinated by the Social Work Students Association (SWSA) to
convey the importance of the occasion.
On the 25th of
July, 2023 (Tuesday), at 12:55 PM, the school of social work organised a peace
meet at the entrance of the admin blockof the university to condemn the violence taking place in
Manipur. The meet was coordinated by Dr. Alan Godfrey, Head of the Department,
School of Social Work. Around 150 students took part in the meet wherein both
past and current students from the school of social work, who hail from
Manipur expressed the need for solidarity and support for the victims and
requested everyone to pray for the end of the violence in the state.
The School of Social Work, St. Joseph's University collaboration with University of North Carolina Wilmington conducted International Virtual Conference on "Emerging Trends in Social Work Intervention : Response to the Pandemic in various Social Work Settings" from 19th to 21st April, 2022.
The guest speaker at the Conference Dr. Panagiotis Pentaris, Associate Professor in Social Work spoke about Social workers in healthcare settings have been at the forefront of the pandemic response. They have collaborated with medical professionals to provide holistic care to patients and their families. Their roles included psychosocial support, facilitating communication, and ensuring access to resources for vulnerable populations. They also engaged in bereavement support, helping families cope with the loss of loved ones.
He also added the pandemic has had a significant impact on mental health, and social workers in mental health and counseling settings have been instrumental in addressing this crisis. They have adapted to remote counseling methods, providing teletherapy and virtual support groups. Social workers have developed innovative approaches to tackle anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues arising from social isolation and uncertainty.
Furthermore, the pandemic has increased the risk factors for child welfare, such as domestic violence, substance abuse, and neglect. Social workers in this setting have worked tirelessly to ensure the safety and well-being of children. They have utilized technology to conduct virtual visits, monitor families at risk, and provide virtual parenting education. Social workers have been crucial in advocating for children's rights and connecting families with essential resources.
The School of Social Work, St Joseph's University conducted its 8th Ambedkar Memorial Lecture on 20th December, 2022. The guest speaker of the day was Mr. Shivasunder, a notable journalist and social activist. Dr. Fr. Augustine Lourdu, Dean, School of Social Work gave the welcome address wherein he spoke about Dr. B R Ambedkar and his key role in framing the Indian Constitution. Mr. Y J Rajendra, addressed the gathering as well and welcomed Mr. Shivasunder. The guest speaker spoke extensively on democracy and its significance in Indian society. He provided the audience with an understanding of democracy and stated that democracy was not just a political system but also a social and economic system. He explained the constitutional concepts of Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles of State Policy. He also highlighted the need for inclusion of women in society and the importance of free and equal education for all. The lecture was followed by a Q&A session in which the students actively participated.
A workshop on anger management chaired by Dr Arthur J Frankel of UNCW was hosted by the School of Social Work, St. Joseph's University. This was organised in collaboration with the University of North Carolina, Wilmington (UNCW), USA, on 19th December 2022. Dr Arthur gave an extensive session about evidence-based approaches to deal with anger management. His knowledge on negative reinforcement, positive parenting, humanistic approach and Gestalt Therapy was an eye-opener for the audience. The workshop helped the audience to learn how to recognise, cope and express anger in fruitful ways. The event was followed by a very active Q&A participated by the majority of the audience. The session was rated “excellent” by most of the participants who attended the workshop.
December 18th, 2022 witnessed the School of Social Work, St. Joseph’s University host Tandav, a festival of inclusion in collaboration with the University of North Carolina, Wilmington, USA, Growth School, Oracle, and Smileys India. Over 800 participants including differently abled individuals of all ages across the nation took part in the event. Dance, music, and fun constituted the festival from the inaugural ceremony till the closing ceremony. Cultural performances of the participants were a joy to behold. The event also showcased a fun learning interactive game session which was absolutely incredible and provided an unforgettable experience for the participants. Food stalls, handicraft stalls and game stalls gave the audience a chance to be a part of the mesmerising event. The tempting food and the entertaining games added to the grand success of the event.
On 26th of November 2022, the second SWSA Alumni Lecture Series III was held in the auditorium of De Nobili Hall, UG Block, St. Joseph’s university.
Mr. Varun Jagannath is a senior researcher and field manager at Good Business Lab. He is a former professor of the School of Social Work, St. Joseph’s University. The session started with Mr. Jagannath asked the students what they expected out of the session and he addressed each concern. The session was very interactive. Sir then spoke about how capitalism gives scope to social workers and also talked about the importance of questioning things. A few of the other concerns addressed by Sir include the gender pay gap, the importance of research and challenges faced by social workers. He concluded the lecture with his words “We are working for one common goal and that is serving humanity”.
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First, the HOD of School of Social Work, Mr. Alan Godfrey welcomed the guest with a token of respect. Then he addressed the gathering with a welcome speech. Later, Mr Xavier had an interaction session with the students of social work on the role of social social workers in mental health settings. He spoke about mental health and how NIMHANS contribute to helping patients. He also spoke about how social workers have challenges with conveying information to the patients' parents and what they ought to do as a medical and psychiatric social worker. Finally, the program was concluded with a vote of thanks given by Prof. Lavanya.
The main speaker for the day was Mr. Jena Sudhakaran, Program Officer from ITC WOW, who spoke about dry waste management, including segregation of waste, why it is important to segregate waste, and how this process can affect waste-pickers and landfills. He spoke about segregating our daily household waste into wet waste, dry waste, biomedical waste, e-waste, and reject waste. He also spoke about the responsibility of waste management on each and every individual, because each one of us is responsible for waste generation.
The session was very interactive, as the students actively participated in the awareness campaign and made the event successful.
The inauguration programme was then taken forward by the Dean of the School of Social Work, Dr. Fr. Augustine Lourdu who spoke about SWSA and the importance of the association in promoting social change and learning.
The inauguration programme was then followed by the chief guest inaugurating SWSA and the introduction of the core committee by the SWSA coordinator, Ms. Viola Maria Noronha, where she introduced the elected members of the core committee, followed by an oath taking ceremony. The oath taking ceremony was the essence of the program, and it was an overwhelming experience as the elected core committee of SWSA became the first committee of St. Joseph's University.
The programme was then taken over by the students of the School of Social Work, where the students had cultural activities including dance performances, singing, and skit performance. Concluding the programme, Moukuhi Dutta Phukan, elected president of SWSA 2022-2023 addressed the vote of thanks.
SWEFT INAUGURATION - 2022-2023
The annual inauguration ceremony of the Social Work Eco-Friendly Team (SWEFT) for the year 2022-2023 took place in the Xavier Hall of the university on 28th September, 2022.
The ceremony was conducted in collaboration with ITC. The chief guest for the event were Mr. Akshay Heblikar the director of ECHO WATCH and Ms. Mansi Mishra from ITC. The Dean of the School of Social Work, Dr. Fr. Augustine Lourdu, emphasised the importance of the environment, its impact on contemporary society, and in particular, the harmful effects of plastics on the environment. Later, the chief guest, Mr. Heblikar, addressed the gathering and highlighted the fact that the environment has a direct impact on our wellbeing and that we as human beings who depend on the environment for our very survival must learn to respect and preserve it. Mansi Mishra from WOW initiative by ITC also spoke about how waste management is integral in our everyday lives and how it can be easily practiced and how WOW makes it possible with its initiative.
The programme was followed by an energetic and informative skit on the need to preserve the environment, enacted by the members of SWEFT. The event concluded with the distribution of certificates to former members of the SWEFT team.
On September 27th 2022, St. Joseph's University, which in July, 2022 was upgraded from a college to a University under the RUSA scheme of the MHRD, was inaugurated by the Honorable President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu in the presence of the Honorable Governor of Karnataka, Shri. Thaawar Chand Gehlot, the Honorable Chief Minister of Karnataka, Shri. Basvaraj Bommai, the Honorable Minister for Higher Education, Shri Dr. C.N. Ashwanath Narayan, Rev. Dr. Peter Machado, Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Bangalore, and Rev. Fr Dionysius Vaz SJ, the Chancellor of St. Joseph's University.
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The first lecture of the Alumni Lecture Series II was held on 3rd December 2021. It was on the theme, ‘Social Work and HIV/AIDS’. The resource person for the session was Ms. Maria Sonia Louis, Counsellor and Researcher. She has experience in working with HIV/AIDS affected women and children as a Medical Social Worker. She has also worked as Counsellor for advanced stage cancer patients (Palliative Care). The programme began with the invocation song by Elina from 1st BSW. Marryam from 3rd BSW, the emcee welcomed the gathering and gave a brief introduction to the session. The moderator, Shravani from 3rd BSW introduced the speaker and familiarised the audience to the topic. After which, the speaker, Ms. Maria Louis addressed the gathering. She threw light on the meaning and transmission of HIV/AIDS, the misconceptions among people regarding the disease, treatment and its preventive measures. She emphasised on the role of social workers while working with people who are suffering from HIV/AIDS. She highlighted the importance of counselling and the role of palliative care in HIV/AIDS. The lecture was an eye opener for the budding social workers who were present. The moderator gave the concluding remarks. The session ended with the vote of thanks by Ann Maria, President of SWSA.
The Ambedkar Memorial lecture was held on 6th December 2021 through the MS Teams platform. The resource person for the lecture was Dr. Tanoj Meshram, Former Civil Servant, Social Activist and Researcher. The program started by invoking God’s blessings with a prayer song. Then, Chitra from 2nd MSW – Emcee of the program highlighted the importance of Human Rights and the significance of the Ambedkar Memorial Lecture. Dr. Mary Princess Lavanya - Associate Professor, School of Social Work welcomed the gathering. Then, the Moderator: Rev. Dr. Augustine Lourdu, Dean of School of Social Work took over the session and gave a brief introduction to the topic and the resource person. This was followed by Dr. Tanoj Meshram ’s address about Dr. Ambedkar, his early life, education, how he faced caste discrimination and untouchability in his life and how he got inspired to work towards removing discrimination. Dr. Ambedkar made a positive impact on the lives of many people who strive for a just society where all are equal with no discrimination. His ideas got incorporated into the constitution and they stand for equality, freedom, and Abolition of social evils. Dr. Ambedkar was an advocate of promoting the light of education. He also stated that Dr. Ambedkar worked towards a society where women are granted equal rights as those of men. At the end, the resource person threw light on the role of a social workers in promoting the idea of Ambedkarism, how important it is for us to take his idea forward and fight against the injustices in our society. The lecture was followed by the Q and A session where students actively participated in the discussion. Dr. Augustine then gave the concluding remarks. Janane Shree – Treasurer of SWSA delivered the vote of thanks. The session was very inspiring and enlightening.
On the 1st of November, 2023, BOSCH in association with the Social Work Students' Association and Green Spartans Association from St. ...
