The Students for Social Welfare (SFSW) are a student organization associated with the UW-Madison Sandra Rosenbaum School of Social Work. They are a service-learning organization with a desire to spread social awareness on campus. Over the past few months, the organization has been putting on some great events:
In November they hosted an event in honor of Alzheimer’s Awareness Month where members explained the importance of Alzheimer’s care. There also was a guest speaker, BSW student Kye, who shared experiences working with the Alzheimer’s & Dementia Alliance of Wisconsin for their current field placement. Posters with statistics and resources about aging were created and displayed in the student lounge.
In December, Justin Roby, Director of HIV Prevention, Care, and Empowerment Services at the Milwaukee nonprofit Diverse & Resilient visited as a guest speaker. He shared his experiences working with individuals with HIV/AIDS and educated the group on how to be an advocate for those impacted by HIV/AIDS.
On Valentine’s Day, the group made valentines for the MSC LGBTQ 50+ Alliance. The Alliance promotes activities for LGBTQ older adults to create a better quality of life, provide advocacy, and reduce isolation. SFSW co-chairs Jenelle and Hannah presented about unique difficulties that LGBTQ older adults may face and then there was discussion about how to be better advocates and enact allyship as social workers and professionals.
In March, the organization worked with another student group: Badger Caring Closet. Together they discussed the challenges that low-income students face and how other students can help. They then placed a donation box for clothes, cleaning supplies, and personal care items in the Social Work student lounge. Last month they also partnered with the Wisconsin Union Directorate’s Society and Politics Committee to hold a supply drive for Domestic Abuse Intervention Services – the domestic violence and resource shelter in Madison.
Students for Social Welfare is a student service learning organization open to all students with the desire to spread social awareness on campus through volunteer opportunities, discussions, guest speakers, and other events based. It is based at the Sandra Rosenbaum School of Social Work, but students of any major are welcome! The best way to stay connected is by following the Instagram @students_for_sw
Thanks to Jenelle Devries and Hannah Thurau for providing this information.