News & Articles About College & University

Brown School Students Give their Spring Break for Others' Sake

St. Louis, MO (PRWEB) April 27, 2008 -- A number of students at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work traded the beaches and beer for service and selflessness on this year's Spring Break. The passion and perseverance these three students demonstrated is remarkable and best understood through their only souvenirs: their memories.

After the Hurricane

Tina Lindstrom chose to spend her Spring Break in Waveland because of her personal attachment to that particular area devastated by Hurricane Katrina.

Last year, Lindstrom and her nine teammates served with AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC), where they spent time in Waveland doing disaster recovery work while organizing and building the City of Waveland's Volunteer Center. In fact, two of her former teammates now run the Volunteer Center, enabling Lindstrom to return and stay at the same Volunteer Center she had helped build.

"After living in the Gulf Coast for seven months with Americorps NCCC, it was a humbling experience to return a little under a year later and see how in spite of some significant developments, there is still much disaster recovery work to be done," she said.

Through a partnership between the Waveland Volunteer Center and Restoration Point Foundation, a non-profit which focuses on disaster response and recovery, she was able to work alongside a group of volunteers from Deloitte and United Way.

"At the Volunteer Center, it was rewarding to see how my AmeriCorps team's hard work was greatly appreciated by the spring break volunteers," said Lindstrom.

Lindstrom supervised the group, helping them finish a house and make it move-in ready. Together with her team, they poured a cement walkway, power-washed and stained the deck, landscaped, painted the interior, and caulked among other finishing touches.

"Processing our work in a disaster area through discussion enhanced our understanding and awareness about the Gulf Coast's long-term recovery," said Lindstrom.The week culminated in a typical Gulf Coast shrimp boil complete with potatoes, peppers, onions, and (as tradition dictates) bread pudding for dessert.

"Overall the week was both physically and emotionally demanding, but better than I could have imagined: visiting old friends, making new ones, and working in an area where I feel deeply connected," said Lindstrom. "I encourage everyone not to forget about the Gulf Coast and their need for volunteers and support."

Lindstrom hopes to organize an alternative spring break trip next year, so other social workers can be involved in what she calls "an extremely beneficial and rewarding service trip."

From Brown to Belize

Anna Floreen spent two weeks in Belize volunteering with an organization called AYUDA (American Youth Understanding Diabetes Abroad).Working with five volunteers and two staff members, Floreen collaborated with health educators, doctors, nurses, and youth to gain a better understanding of the needs and challenges that people with diabetes in Belize face everyday.

"We rented a car and traveled the country visiting hospital and homes, establishing connections in hopes of sustaining change and empowerment to the communities most affected by diabetes, said Floreen.

Floreen and her fellow volunteers met their goal of giving communities hope that diabetes is a manageable condition, as well as planning further education and empowerment of the Belizean population on a larger level.

"Having type I diabetes myself, this was quite an eye opening experience," said Floreen. "Many of the children, youth, and families lack the most basic education, resources, everyday supplies, and understanding of their illness that was presented to me nearly 20 years ago at my diagnosis."

AYUDA, with the help of volunteers like Anna Floreen, have been profoundly successful in teaching children with diabetes and their families that a lack of education about their disease can be just as dangerous as a lack of insulin.

The Path to Peace

Over Spring Break, Shantha Ready served as a United States delegate on the Youth Peace Leaders International Council at the 2008 Summit of the Global Peace Initiative of Women (GPIW) in Jaipur, India.

The Summit celebrates and continues the work of GPIW, making women's voices heard in international affairs. GPIW was born when a United Nations assembly of 150 faith leaders, only four of whom were women, came together to discuss the MDGs. Those four women and the gender-aware men agreed that a space for female religious and governmental leaders needed to be made. That space has since been realized through GPIW's set of conferences, dialogues, and summits.

At the 2008 Jaipur Summit, over 450 women and men from 45 countries met to articulate, embody, and offer communities "the missing resource of our time: the feminine."

"At the conference, we explored the nature of the feminine principles in the major world religions, engaged in dialogue with people from high-conflict parts of the world, and defined areas in which feminine values and resources can be amplified in public life," said Ready.

In what she calls one of the most powerful moments of her summit experience, Ready met with the former Iraqi minister of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and Refugees in her hotel room and together they looked through pictures of Iraqi IDP camps from the week previous.

"I am very grateful for the powerful relationships I have made with such a diverse group of people. I hope to live out the mission of GPIW in my work and spirituality," said Ready.

The George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis aims to create positive social change through its path-breaking research and educational excellence. The Brown School's international community of faculty, students, and graduates works throughout St. Louis, across the country, and worldwide to apply new knowledge and use the best available evidence to impact policy, practice, and service delivery. The Brown School, which offers a doctoral degree, a master of social work degree, as well as seven dual-degree programs, is home to five research centers:

The Center for Latino Family Research

The Center for Mental Health Services Research

The Center for Social Development

The Kathryn M. Buder Center for American Indian Studies

The Martha N. Ozawa Center for Social Policy Studies

For more information call 314-935-6676 or gwbweb.wustl.edu.

###

Other Article Sites

findabook.com  moneycd.info  a-mortgage.info   about-lemon-laws.info  aboutstudentloans.info
all-about-publishing.info  auctions-articles.info  bestcollege-university.com  bestispconnection.com
biblefolder.com  blogger-website.com  books-used.info  brokers-guide.info  buywindows.info  cable-dsl.info
career-miner.com  carpel-tunnel.info  cashinaflash.info  cashloanreviews.info  casinobell.com  chat-house.info
clearmycredit.info  collegeloantips.info  crones.info  depression-articles.info   dirnic.net  dishguides.info
divers-below.com  expodog.info   financewizz.com  fire-insurance.info  getgood.info  handleit.net   it-idea.info
health-supplies.info  hosting-right.com  insidealert.com  insurance-facts.info  jobs-employment.info
justgood.info  lookgold.net   lowcost-travel.info  money-source.info  myhostzone.info  numisblog.com
peoplesearchfinder.info  pr-articles.info  realeas.com   refinancing-guides.info  spyware-remove.info
telelot.info  the-law.info   toppaid.info  travel-deals.info  travelcorrect.com  wedding-guide-site.com
your-blog.info  your-credit.info

Premium Pearl Offers Online Education, Free Shipping to Military Personnel Overseas
This Christmas, Online Pearl Jewelry Company www.PremiumPearl.com Offers Wonderful Services to Military Personnel Overseas

Yes, You Can Survive Your Adolescent's Challenging Years and Still Support Success in School
It is one of the most understated comments that parents can make when they say, "Adolescence and the middles school years are a challenging time." Oh, really.

Top 5 School Fund Raiser Ideas
Schools often look for ways to make money. Sometimes, new playground equipment is needed, or perhaps band equipment and uniforms, it might be that the football team is in need of uniforms, or that the debate team needs money to travel to a meet.

Shoplet.com Goes Green for Back to School with it's Launch of Shop Green
Coupled with its Back to School campaign, Shoplet.com, one of the leading office supply companies, has launched its new Shop Green section on its website, featuring recycled office supplies and eco-friendly office products, including a full selection of recycled back to school supplies for all students from kindergarten through college.

Deep Look at a College Credit Card
Each person has different financial requirements and hence credit card companies have devised various kinds of credit cards, so that they suit individual financial requisites For instance, for businesspersons, there are business credit cards, similarly for self-employed people there are personal credit cards

Permanent Art Display Fosters Healing at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC)
New state-of-the-art hospital houses largest collection of contemporary South Carolina art.

John Robert Powers Offers iPOP! Las Vegas Convention Winner College Scholarship
Ron Patterson, chairman and owner of the John Robert Powers Acting and Modeling School, establishes scholarship for college for Russian orphan.

Kick Off A Stress Free School Year
Sylvan Learning Center offers back-to-school tips.

u:create Gives Parents 10 Essential Skills to Shop Smart for Back to School
u:create, a leading supplier of fashion school and office products, offers 10 essential skills for back-to-school shopping success.

How Continuing Education Can Improve Your Future
The phrase "continuing education" means different things to different people. For many people, it means returning to the classroom to receive their GED. For others, it means returning to college to obtain a graduate degree. Whatever the phrase means to you, it's worth your time to consider the possibilities.

Back to School Fashion For Kids
Going back to school is nothing fun but your kids still want to impress the crowds with the latest shoes, and clothes The school supplies isn't that important but you should still get quality notebooks and folders that are affordable

Irvine Company's Donald Bren Pledges $8.5 Million to THINK Together After-School Program
Passionately Committed to Education Philanthropy, Irvine Company's Donald Bren Announces Significant Contribution to Southern California After-School Program THINK Together.

Teaching Golf Will Turn Avocation Into A Career
If you wake up each day dreading the thought of going to work, but looking forward to those sunny Saturdays when you are able to play a round of golf, then maybe you should re-think your objectives. Looking into a career teaching golf will not only allow you to partake in your favorite pastime, but it will also allow you to draw a paycheck.

Parenting College Students: Teaching Financial Responsibility - A Parents Toughest Task
Parenting college students is a never ending responsibility While there are many areas in which parents can assist these emerging adults, it is in the arena of finances that parents can often make a huge difference in the lives of their children