Social Work Expands it Wings in Thailand
Photos: Students at community service sites
March 2010
Under the direction of Jean Schuldberg, Ed.D., LCSW, CSU, Chico's School of Social Work aims to increase international collaboration and volunteer opportunities for social work students and faculty. In January 2010, four faculty members and nine Masters of Social Work (MSW) students took the first step in making this goal a reality. Thailand was a particularly meaningful destination for the group as many of the community members served by California social service agencies are Mien and Hmong, two ethnic groups from Thailand and SouthEast Asia.
During their two-week stay, the group combined volunteer service and field trips to gather information from social service agencies and to learn more about the culture. Holly Shouse, an MSW student, worked in a preschool/daycare helping students and teachers with their English skills. The group was surprised to learn that within the school comprehensive services including medical care, bathing, and mending clothes were provided for the children.
All volunteers participated in an English camp for underprivileged fifth graders, teaching four different groups various topics such as English, Health, and Geography. Although initially nervous about the language barrier, Shouse found the experience of teaching to be very rewarding and was gratified that the she was able to communicate and the children were able to comprehend the lessons. At the end of the camp, a huge assembly featuring students doing Thai dance routines was enjoyed by everyone. The Chico volunteers found the Thai people to be generous, kind, warm, and eager to share their culture.
Student Eric Stratton and two others worked in an elder care home that interfaced with the community to keep older people connected to others and prevent feelings of isolation. The facility also goes into the community and does in-home services such as educating people about nutrition and taking blood pressures. The most surprising part of the trip for Stratton was discovering how much value Thai people place on the older generation and their efforts to keep them involved and feeling productive.
When not working at one of the volunteer sites , the group found time to visit many places of interest including the School of Social Work in Bangkok at Thammasat University where they talked with faculty about possible future internships. The group also visited social service agencies where they compared the types of social issues they address to those of the U.S., and the public health administration where they learned how the Thai people got a national health care system.
They were also able to take some field trips, according to Dr. Schuldberg, including a wonderful trip down canals in rural Bangkok to see a rice cooperative, lotus farm, and orchid nursery. They also visited huge markets, the Grand Palace, and spoke to a famous Monk and professor about Buddhism, the religion of 98 percent of those living in Thailand. Shouse felt that one of the most interesting of the many cultural experiences was learning how religion (Buddhism) is so much a part of everyday life.
The trip, according to Shouse, was amazing and so much more than she expected. This enthusiasm was shared by all the volunteers, whom Dr. Schuldberg described as a great group who were positive and flexible. However, if they could change one thing, all would agree that the next trip should be much longer than two weeks. In order to get truly settled and immersed in the culture, to overcome language barriers, and to develop relationships with the clients of the social service agencies, volunteers would have to be on location anywhere from a month to a year.
The students on this trip were strictly volunteers, but some of them are also analyzing data they gathered and presenting at conferences and working on publishing an article. The group reported that the program was an incredible learning experience, in which every day was exciting and challenging. They were pushed outside their comfort zones, learning about their future profession and exploring their capacity to connect across cultures.