Progressive field education provides experiences and knowledge that will enable social work students to integrate a social justice orientation into their practice framework and develop an understanding of the links between private troubles and public issues. Some of the key elements of progressive field education are: social justice, human rights, inclusion, empowerment, and advocacy.
St. Thomas University’s School of Social Work supports progressive field education in all student placements. Specifically, SCWK 5053 Field Instruction I: Social Action field placement has been developed to provide an opportunity to learn about community-based practices that promote social change. The focus of the placement is usually an initiative or project related to a social issue such as poverty, homelessness, violence against women, bullying in the workplace and schools, racism, homophobia, discrimination, or inequality. As Martin (2007) explains, social action or activism is “action on behalf of a cause, action that goes beyond what is conventional or routine. The action might be door-to-door canvassing, alternative radio, public meetings, rallies or fasting. The cause might be women’s rights, opposition to a factory, or a gap in services.” It can also include “working behind the scenes” to secure support for an initiative through research, consensus building, grant applications, and public engagement. However, in all social action placements, there is a clear political goal for change and a public face to the social action.
One of the ways a social action field placement differs from our direct practice field placement is that its focus on social issues is broader, targeting community level interventions, rather than individual and family interventions. Another difference is the team-work focus where we match 2-4 students with each social action placement. Students are expected to practice the skills of team work with each other and agency staff in carrying out the initiative or project. We have an expectation that this project experience will allow them to learn more about sharing leadership skills and work responsibilities in a respectful and collaborative manner.
- Teacher: Charles Furlotte