Sensitivity to others, empathy and willingness to help – these are qualities that a person who decides to study Social Work must have. It is thanks to these qualities that UITM students volunteer to help the charges of the Association of ZUPEŁNE DOBRO. Students of the Social Work major also take part in many other social initiatives.
Social work is about supporting people in need, organising help for them, giving advice, referring them to the right institutions, cooperating with organisations. A social worker brings help to people in difficult situations, not only related to material problems, but also mental or emotional ones. Nowadays, this help increasingly includes culturally and ethnically diverse people. This is what the UITM Social Work degree programme is designed to address, as part of its curriculum it also offers content related to helping refugees and migrants.
Social Work students are predisposed to help the local community, to get involved in the aid initiatives of social institutions and non-governmental organisations. Students in the third semester are now doing internships, but students in the first and second semesters have also asked about the possibility of volunteering, says Dr Monika Struck-Peregończyk, Vice-Dean of the College of Media and Social Communication for Social Work.
With this aim, UITM organised a series of meetings held as part of the ‘Business Lodge’. Representatives of various NGOs were invited to these meetings to explain what they do and to present internship and volunteering opportunities in their organisations.
The meeting with the Association of ZUPEŁNE DOBRO attracted a lot of interest from the students, who became wonderfully involved in the initiative to help people in the crisis of homelessness. A group of Zimbabwean students came on duty, helped to cook soups, make sandwiches, sort and give out clothes. Despite the language difficulties, as our students are English-speaking and speak little Polish, they are very happy to volunteer at the Association and very much appreciate being able to get involved in such activities, says Dr Monika Struck-Peregończyk.
We were surprised by the interest from UITM students. In the first two weeks, 12 people contacted us. We were not able to accept more people. For the time being, we have worked out a shift system with them. Students help out in groups of about three during Monday’s ‘Soup on the Square’ or Thursday’s duty shifts. You can see that they are eager to get involved and are doing a good job, says Bartosz Konar from the Association ZUPEŁNE DOBRO – The students are very communicative and sociable. From the very first meeting, they went to the square to serve soup. This is admirable because not every of our Polish volunteers is ready for such a trip from the start. We speak to them in English. It is a great opportunity for us, in every way, and I think for them too. We learn about each other, our cultures, behaviours and habits. Importantly, the people in need who benefit from our help also give the UITM volunteers respect and friendliness. Some of them even get along very well in English, he adds.
Students give out food, toiletries and clothes to the Association’s beneficiaries.
The association caters for the homeless people through giving food in the form of soup, tea, sandwiches and they also offer them with clothes and first aid only to mention a fews. It feels good to be part of them to be honest. They are very caring ,welcoming goal-oriented group. Personally for me I really feel great working at ZUPEŁNE DOBRO it’s such an amazing experience because I get a chance to exercise my social work passion which is to help those who are in need, playing a significant role if uplifting the lives if the needy in the society, and give love to the community. We have managed to go to the square every Monday’s where we meet the homeless people and give them food then every Thursdays we meet them at the organizational place where we offer food again, give toiletries to those who want to wash, and treat those who are sick – says Dionne Mangoro, Social Work student.
Volunteering with this organization has been incredibly fulfilling for me. It’s heartwarming to see the positive impact we can make to the community. Through this work, I have learned the importance of empathy, teamwork, and resilience. Every day brings new lessons and opportunities for personal growth. Language is still a challenge for me, but I found that patience and practice will help me overcome it. Additionally, everyone here is very supportive. With a few English speaking members they still find means to help us understand what’s being said and we communicate quite well. As for my future, I hope to continue working in roles that allow me to contribute to society. I’m passionate about community service and would love to pursue a career in social work or non-profit organization – says Rachel Sibanda Social Work student.
The experience at ZUPEŁNE DOBRO is phenomenal, and I feel it’s an arena for me to learn the Polish language and generally the culture. I haven’t encountered any issues so far except that I am learning more about the plight of the homeless and how to assist them by giving them food, shelter, and clothing. Initially, when I began to study Social work my intension was to work with children or youth because I had a similar experience with them in Zimbabwe and South Africa. My volunteering experience has triggered in me the need to work with the homeless persons. I know it may sound like a fluke, but I feel like it is my volition to work with them. Before I am a social worker, I am a human being and I feel like from these people we can learn a lot about life experiences from their life trajectories and their perceptions of it – says Butholethu Ngwenya, Social Work student.
I started volunteering this organization in June and my first day they taught us how their organization functions and the roles that we will be performing for instance cooking and giving food to the homeless. l really felt more sense of empathy during my first day as l was interacting with the homeless giving them food and l felt warmth in my heart as l saw joy inside them while giving them food. Although language barrier complicated few things, however l managed to deal with it as l am slowly learning polish some of things they say l could really understand them. Moreso this organization helps me gain more experience in relation to my field of study and in future it will help me how to respond to the needs of people . I am looking forward to keep working with them as l am learning new ways of helping the need and it is actually instilling passion towards my field in the future – says Panashe Tiki, Social Work student.
UITM Social work students are also involved in many other initiatives.
We have a large group of students at Space for Youth, organised by the Podkarpackie Stowarzyszenie dla Aktywnych Rodzin (PSAR), who do their internships there. Our students also volunteered at the Refugee Day organised by UNHCR. Students are also doing their internships at the PRO SPE Foundation and Social Welfare Centre. As most of them are students from Africa, especially from Zimbabwe, this is an opportunity for intercultural integration and for the inhabitants of Rzeszów to see that someone coming from afar is not necessarily an illegal immigrant, but e.g. a student who joins in such initiatives and helps others, sums up Dr. Monika Struck-Peregończyk
