The Globalization of SW Education: Field Placement in Ethiopa

Raesa Kaiteris, our Associate Dean of Field Work, writes:

Through our collaborative arrangement with a Canadian agency, Christian Horizons Global, we created a nine month field work internship for one of our Block students, Maurice Koetsier, in Assela, Ethiopia.

While WSSW's commitment to faculty advisement in the field--unique among the New York City schools of social work--had resulted in visits to placements all over theU.S., Canada, Paris, and Israel, this was the first time we had "placed" a student in Africa!

As his faculty advisor, I had the opportunity to visit with him for a week in February of 2010. It gave me an opportunity to become acquainted with the people of Assela as well as the remarkable work of several NGOs dedicated to improving their living conditions. They faced problems such as poverty, drought, sub-standard housing and limited access to education.

Needless to say, Maurice made remarkable strides in his practice skills as well as his self-awareness. Cultural sensitivity was no classroom exercise in this part of the world. He was obliged to develop programs that were relevant to the local community and sustainable after he departed; it was also imperative that he deeply understood the distinction between “doing with” and “doing for.”

I hope Maurice's experience in Africa inspires other Block students to push the boundaries of traditional social work education. As our problems in the 21st century become more global, social work services must achieve a “global identity” in order to remain relevant and vital.

Rachel's Kippots

In a previous post we talked about WSSW students who had started their own websites. Faith Herring, a second year student who participated in our New Orleans Seminar, brought this lovely and unusual web site to our attention.

Kippot by Rachel

Rachel is Rachel Hindel, a second year student in the block program. On her web-site you can order kippot, often called yarmulke, the skull cap traditionally worn at all times by observant Jewish men. Rachel hand crochets these to order, in a variety of patterns and beautiful colored yarns.

I asked Rachel how she had come to start her business, and this is her response:

My grandmother taught me how to crochet when I was young, but it wasn't until I moved to Israel for my gap year that I learned how to make kippot. We were sitting on Kibbutz and I thought it would be great idea to make kippot for my friends. It was only 6 years later that I thought about selling my work. It takes about 7-10 hours to make a kippah and I now I can share my creativity and hard work with everyone.

I will be entering my third summer in the block program at WSSW. I knew I wanted to be in a welcoming and positive learning environment and because I am such a hands on person I chose the block program to be able to truly experience working in the field. I love social work because it allows me to help others. I know everyone feels some form of satisfaction when people are appreciative of their help and efforts, which is also why I love to make kippot. I hope you enjoy looking through my website!

Rachel Hindel

Dr. Gary Stein Gives Paper at Palliatrive Care Con, Unveils New WSSW Elective

Palliative care–-providing support to clients and families facing life-limiting and chronic illness--is one of the fastest growing new specialties for social workers, particularly in hospitals and hospices. To advance practice, research, education, and policy in this field, the Social Work Hospice and Palliative Care Network sponsored a one-day pre-conference on March 3, 2010 at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine in Boston.

Gary L. Stein, JD, MSW, associate professor at WSSW, directed the program with Grace Christ, a professor from the Columbia University School of Social Work.

The conference program included national social work leaders from academia and hospital-based practices. Panels addressed cutting-edge research and innovative practices. Dr. Stein presented a paper on the evolution of palliative care training in MSW and interprofessional education. He discussed a model palliative care course elective he is developing for WSSW’s new Gerontology Certificate Program. Interested students can contact Dr. Stein at glstein@yu.edu.

WSSW Students: What's on Their Minds?

One of the things I love about teaching at WSSW is the diversity of our students: not just that they are black or white, Latino or Chinese, Chasid or Catholic, but also the variety of interests and attitudes. Here are a blog and a website written and maintained by WSSW students that couldn't be more different.

The first, "by Aaron Steinberg" discusses some serious matters in contemporary Judaism such as the Torah's views on homosexuality, reflections on last years General Assembly and reflections on leadership inspired by the Purim story.

The second, a website written and maintained by Rachel Kristol, is devoted to happy news about animals (no sad news, please!). Links provide access to articles about speed dating for bunny rabbits, a dog that was recovered 600 miles from home, and sweaters for chickens! A more serious theme runs beneath the funny stuff: that pets are an effective way of reducing stress in human beings, as well as a source of comfort and companionship.

If you've heard about other blogs and websites by WSSW students, let me know and I'll feature them here on "What's New."

Best,

TheCyberProf
(Fast@yu.edu)


http://www.thehappypetworld.com/
http://aaronsteinberg.wordpress.com/

Still More About The New Orleans Trip

Late breaking news! Marc T. Raco was awarded the prestigious Bronze "Telly Award" for his creative editing of the video of our January 2010 student service project!

Marc T. Raco, office manager, tech guy and part time video editor, made a superb montage out of the video footage Dr. Fast shot during the New Orleans Seminar: Katrina: Five Years Later. The footage was originally assembled as an introduction for a Lunch and Learn that was presented on February 17th. Now, through the magic of YouTube, we can share it with the world:

See a slide show of the trip here.

More on New orleans Seminar

Like we promised, more about the trip to New Orleans, and more photos.

Lunch and Learn on Feb 17, 1:00, rm 921, all students invited!

Prof. Susan Bendor Speaks on Behalf of Hungarian Child Survivors of the Holocaust

Wurzweiler Professor Susan Bendor has had a busy winter!

At the end of October she led two workshops at the 21^st Annual International Conference of the World Federation of Jewish Child Survivors of the Holocaust in Boston, one exploring the challenges and coping styles of the oldest group of child survivors, born before 1932; the other focused on resilience and other legacies child survivors considered passing on to their children and society at large.

On September 9^th she was one of three Hungarian Child Survivors who were invited to appear on a Boston-Newton Public Access TV Program called “On the Sunnier Side of the Street," hosted by Dr. Todd Gross. Gross features guests who have overcome tremendous odds and are able to turn traumas into victories.

The invitation to this TV program was the result of a book, Remember Us: A Collection of Memories from Hungarian Hidden Children of the Holocaust to which she contributed three chapters.

Dr. Bendor speaks frequently in person and on television and radio "to highlight the enormous difference one or more courageous, decent individuals can make in the lives of the oppressed, and conversely, the high cost of indifference to genocide and injustice, now or in the past."

Rev. Jerry Streets Interviewed on NY1

NY1 recently aired a program about how members of the Haitian Community in Brooklyn and Queens were dealing with their grief over the Earthquake in their homeland of Haiti. Brookdale Family Care Center, and the mental health clinics at Brookdale and Jamaica hospitals have been reaching out to New York's Haitian communities to provide grief counseling.

Among those interviewed is the Rev. Jerry Streets, PhD, a professor at Wurzweiler and an authority on helping people cope with loss

Click here to watch, "Grief Counselors Reach out to Haitian Community"(Rev. Streets' appears at about 1 min, 30 secs into the video.)

WSSW Students Visit New Orleans

During winter break, a group of WSSW students from all three methods (case work, group work, and community organization) visited New Orleans with professors Saul Andron and Jonathan Fast. While there they met with community leaders and agency directors to better understand how residents of the city coped with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. They spent two days remediating mold in a house that was being restored by the St. Bernard's Project. More about the trip to New orleans in future posts, but for now enjoy a slide-show of some of the pictures the group members took.

Jewish Communal Service Students Attend GA, Hear Netanyahu, Ehud Barak, and Ram Emanuel, and Others

Sixteen Wurzweiler students attended the annual General Assembly of the Jewish Federation of North America in Washington, D.C. in mid-November alongside over 3,000 lay leaders and professionals from the US and around the world. The students heard prominent political figures from Israel and community leaders of Jewish organization, large and small, addressing issues vital to the Jewish community. Forum topics included:

• Creative new fundraising techniques,


• effective management of nonprofit agencies in an economic crisis,


• advocacy strategies for Israel and human rights, service learning opportunities,


• support for at-risk Jewish communities around the world,


• and entrepreneurship and innovation in the Jewish community.

All these topics were filtered through the lens of the challenging economic realities facing the Jewish federation system today.

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, speak about the Middle East peace process and his commitment to revive negotiations with Israel’s Arab neighbors and the Palestinians. Netanyahu emphasized three themes: creating a lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians, disarming Iran’s nuclear capabilities and reducing Israel’s oil dependency.

The delegates were also privileged to hear Foreign Minister Ehud Barak, Natan Sharansky, the recently elected Chairman of the Jewish Agency, and Ram Emanual, President Obama’s Chief of Staff. Each emphasized themes of Jewish unity, support for a secure and flourishing Israel, and the importance of the Jewish Federation in meeting the needs of Jewish communities locally, in Israel and around the world.

One of the most moving moments of the conference was the presentation by Torah for Troops, an organization dedicated to getting Torah scrolls to American soldiers on the front lines. Several members of the armed forces joined a sofer, a scribe, to recite a blessing and then complete a letter in the Torah scroll. This kosher Torah scroll is specially designed to be small, light-weight and portable so military chaplains are able to bring it to serve the religious needs of Jews serving in the armed forces in far-off bases around the world.

Thanks to Dr. Andron's planning, the students attended several private networking sessions including a lunch meeting with Wurzweiler alumni, who spoke about their Wurzweiler education and their careers in the Jewish Federation system.

Second year students incorporated their experiences at the General Assembly into their classroom learning through a unique learning collaboration with the Greater Washington DC Jewish Federation’s Leadership Development Department. They met with professional and lay leaders from the Federation to learn about the demographic profiles, interests, and needs of young Jewish adults. These students will analyze the data in order to to create a needs assessment questionnaire for the Jewish young adults in the Washington DC area.

The GA conference exceeded the expectations of many of the students and served as an invaluable learning and networking experience.

Thanks to Alizah David, guest editor, photograph by Robert A. Cumins

WSSW Prof Joan Beder is Indianapolis Star!

Dr. Joan Beder was quoted in an Indianapolis Star article about doctors forming partnershi[ps with lawyers in order to address patients' social and economic issues without impacting negatively on their health.

Read the article...

WSSW Prof, Rev Jerry Street Named 2010 Fellow by Connecticut Health Foundation

The Connecticut Health Foundation the state’s largest independent health philanthropy association, has announced its 2010 Health Leadership Fellows, and Rev. Jerry Street is one of the 22 Connecticut residents to recive this honor. According to Patricia Baker, the President and CEO of the foundation, each of the the Fellows possesses the qualities and experience necessary to effect changes in Connecticut's health systems that will improve the health of our state's residents.

Read more about the program.

Visit Rev. Streets' blog

Samuel Bronfman Foundation Hosts Seminar for JCS Students

On Wednesday, October 14, ten students from the Jewish Communal Service program attended a unique seminar on startups, innovation and social entrepreneurship in the Jewish community, hosted by the Samuel Bronfman Foundation and facilitated by a panel of experts in startups, innovations, social entrepreneurship and new giving in the Jewish community.

Students were joined by Dean Sheldon Gelman, Dr. Saul Andron, and Professor Lynn Levy, who teach in the Jewish Communal program, and board member, Joel Daner.

Speakers highlighted the growth of an array of small Jewish startups including innovative prayer and spirituality groups, cutting-edge cultural initiatives, and creative educational approaches.

Shawn Landres, Co-founder and CEO of Jumpstart, a Los Angeles based think tank, began the evening with a presentation called The Innovation Ecosystem: Emergence of a New Jewish Landscape (2009) a ground breaking report on grassroots Jewish philanthropic innovation, metrics for success, and partnerships to reduce cost.

Dana Raucher, Executive Director of the Samuel Bronfman Foundation, spoke about the foundation’s position on innovation in Jewish life and the strengthening of the Jewish not-for-profit sector. She presented a case example of the Foundation's funding of an innovative program initiative.

The final presentation of the evening was given by Maya Bernstein, Director of Education and Leadership Initiatives at Upstart Bay Area in San Francisco, California. Ms. Bernstein noted that the majority of Jews in the Bay area are not affiliated with traditional Jewish organizations like synagogues or JCCs. Young Jews in particular are seeking new, more intimate and creative ways to connect with different aspects of Jewish life. Her startup is providing technical assistance to the growing number of startup groups which have emerged in the San Francisco Bay area.

Thanks to guest editor, block student David English!

WSSW Gets Grant to Fund Financial Literacy Curriculum

In response to the economic recession and high levels of unemployment and economic displacement, The New York Community Trust has provided a 20-month grant of $214,000 to six schools of social work which are part of the New York City Social Work Education Consortium.

The grant is to be used to train social workers to better assist families in economic distress. Specifically, the six schools of social work at Hunter College, Fordham University, Lehman College, Long Island University, Touro College, and Yeshiva University will collaboratively develop, test, and implement a financial literacy curriculum as part of their education of social work students.

The new knowledge and skills will be applied in field work settings throughout the metropolitan area. Professor Joanna Mellor will serve as Wurzweiler’s liaison to the project. Funds for the Trust’s grant are from the Harriett M. Bartlett Fund, the New York Critical Needs Fund, and the Oakey and Ethel Witherspoon Alexander Fund.

Strug & LaPorte to Discuss Research on "Pedro Pan" Refugees

Dr. David Strug, a professor at WSSW and Dr. Heidi Heft LaPorte, an associate professor at Lehman College, are conducting research on the Child Welfare Cuban Refugee Service Program, better known as Operation Peter Pan, or more commonly Operation Pedro Pan.

Operation Pedro Pan, run by the US Department of Health, Education and Welfare, sent more than 14,000 Cuban children to the United States as unaccompanied minors in 1961 and 1962. Among them were 400 Jewish children. Doctors Strug and LaPorte have interviewed close to 50 of these Jewish Cuban-American children, now in their fifties and sixties and living mostly in South Florida, to learn how this uprooting has affected their lives.

Strug and LaPorte will be talking about their research and interviews with former Peter Pan children at a conference sponsored by the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research on November 2, 2009. The conference, entitled “New York and the American Jewish Experience,” will take place at the Center for Jewish History in NYC, at 15 W. 16th St. Click here for map and directions.

The conference is free and open to the public.

Deans Gelman & Hendricks Picked as "Pioneers of Social Work" by NASW

Wurzweiler's Dean Sheldon R. Gelman, and Associate Dean, Carmen Ortiz Hendricks have been named “Social Work Pioneers” by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW).

NASW Pioneers are social workers who have explored new territories and built outposts for human services on many frontiers. Some are well known; others less famous outside their immediate colleagues and the region where they live and work. But each has made an important contribution to the social work profession and to social policies through service, teaching, writing, research, program development, administration, or legislation. (Read more about NASW Pioneers)

During his 19 years of service at Wurzweiler, Dean Gelman has hired prestigious faculty, strengthened academic standards, embraced new technology, and encouraged research-oriented practice. The results are evident in our top 50 ranking in US News and World Report, our recognition as having one of the most productive faculties of any social work school, and, most recently, our 2009 re-accreditation study by the Council on Social Work Education, where every aspect of the program received enthusiastic praise.

In addition to his outstanding work at Wurzweiler, Dean Gelman has published numerous articles in social work and social welfare policy journals and has contributed to The Encyclopedia of Social Work, The Social Workers’ Desk Reference and The Handbook of Human Services Management. Dean Gelman holds advanced degrees from the Heller School at Brandeis University and from Yale Law School.

Associate Dean Carmen Hendricks joined the Wurzweiler administration and faculty in July of 2005. She is a former president of the New York City Chapter of National Association of Social Workers, and is well-known for her in work culturally competent social work education and practice. As a member of NASW’s National Committee on Racial and Ethnic Diversity, she helped develop the Standards for Cultural Competence in the Social Work Practice. She is a founding member of the Latino Social Work Task Force. She has co-authored and edited seminal books in social worked education including, Learning to Teach—Teaching to Learn: A Guide to Social Work Field Education, Intersecting Child Welfare, Substance Abuse and Family Violence: Culturally Competent Approaches and Women of Color as Social Work Educators: Strengths and Survival.

New Book by Mason, Strug & Beder Examines Health Care in Cuba

Interest in the Cuban health care model has grown over the years and despite ongoing changes in Cuban society, the pride and satisfaction Cuban citizens take in their
health care system suggest that it will likely prevail in post-Castro Cuba. Susan E. Mason, David L. Strug, and Joan Beder have edited this collection of essays by contributors who are respected professionals in Cuba and the United States. Community Health Care in Cuba examines this closely integrated system in which community representatives, nurses, doctors, social workers, and other health care specialists work together to meet the health care needs of all Cuba's citizens. The collection features a first-hand look into the country's highly successful, integrated, and prevention-oriented health care model and includes interviews with the director of Cuba's National Medical Sciences Information Center (INFOMED) and the president of the Cuban Society of Social Workers in Health Care. Placing Cuba at the forefront as a model of international health care, this book illustrates how Cuba, despite its economic constraints, is able to deliver high-quality care to its citizens from a local to national level. (From the Lyceum website)

Click here for more about Community Health Care in Cuba
Click here to buy the book at Amazon.com

Click here to hear author David Strug on the radio show, Against the Grain, discussing how older Cubans feel about Castro's revolution.

Pimpare to Receive Harrington Award for Latest Book

Stephen Pimpare, who teaches political science at Wurzweiler School of Social Work and Yeshiva College, will receive the Michael Harrington Book Award given by the New Political Science section of the American Political Science Association for his latest book, A People's History of Poverty in America. The Awards Committee wrote:

The future of the American welfare state has been an important topic for decades. Pimpare's work is an outstanding addition to the literature. The committee was impressed by the author's historically-grounded scholarship, the novelty of his approach and use of sources, and the eloquence of his exposition. Driven by deep commitments to social equality and justice, Pimpare's book contributes to the Michael Harrington tradition in powerful ways.

Dr. Pimpare will be presented the award on the evening of Saturday, September 5, in Toronto as part of the APSA conference.

Watch Dr. Pimpare being interviewed by Amy Goodman on the current state of poverty in America (a transcript is also provided.)

14 WSSW Students Graduate With Certificate in Jewish Communal Service

This spring 15 graduating students (May, 2009) completed the Certificate in Jewish Communal Services. Professors Saul Andron (program director) and Lynn Levy stand at the left and right of the group. Click here to learn more about this exciting program (pdf file).

WSSW Doctoral Student, Strauss, Honored by NY Academy of Medicine

The New York Academy of Medicine Section on Social Work held its first annual Student Night in April. The event honored students from 5 NYC schools of social work for their work in community health care. Wurzweiler’s doctoral student, Judy Strauss, was recognized for her research on Baby Boomers’ roles and attitudes towards menopause.

Judy Strauss, who successfully defended her dissertation this spring, joined students from NYU, Columbia, Fordham, and Lehman College in displaying posters of their work at a reception preceding the awards. The reception was followed by formal presentations by the honorees of their work to a crowd of deans, faculty, students, families and friends, and presentation of certificates. The students were also given a year’s free membership in the Social Work Fellows’ section of the Academy.