Taking a break from painting
Ten social work students (five graduate and five undergrad) traveled to San Juan, Puerto Rico, with Dr. Dee Sherwood, Grand Rapids MSW program coordinator, over spring break to complete a service learning course focused on developing cultural competence and achieving social, economic and environmental justice in the wake of Hurricane Maria.
"It's important that we recognize the shared trauma and resiliency of Puerto Ricans, as fellow Americans who are still struggling to recover from the destruction of Hurricane Maria," says Dr. Sherwood. "As social workers advocating for human rights and environmental justice, we realize that climate change and natural disasters have disparate impacts on vulnerable communities."
She added, "hurricane season will begin again in just a few months, and yet, more than half of the island is still without access to electricity and water."
During the trip, students learned about the culture, economics and history of the island of Puerto Rico. They also helped resurface and paint a community center building in a vulnerable community in San Juan. Because electricity and other public services remain somewhat sporadic in areas of the island, these community centers continue to serve as important locations for people to get resources, information, food, water and medicine.
"I had the privilege of experiencing Puerto Rico before and after the hurricane. It is invaluable to feel the pain of compassion while experiencing the hope of change," says Lillian Dempsey, MSW student who went on the trip. "This can translate into other aspects of your life by motivating your desire to connect with humanity in a quest for the common good of all."
In addition to completing the community service project, faculty and students participated in research documenting the experiences of fellow social workers in Puerto Rico in providing disaster relief in their communities.
