Increasing the number of visible minority students in the field of social work begins with providing meaningful conversations and a supportive environment
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If you’re interested in working with people, McGill University’s School of Social Work wants to meet you, according to Carole Sandy, a clinical counsellor and graduate student of the School of Social Work at the university.
“Visible minority students who are in the process of completing or have completed their DEC and are interested in pursuing an undergraduate degree in social work are wanted to participate in the Generational Gap Project,” a McGill University’s School of Social Work initiative, which aims to get more diversity in the field. It comes on the heels of research that increasingly shows “that diversity within the workplace leads to stronger organizations, greater insight, and better problem solving. The Project hopes to do that by “helping students explore, strengthen, and broaden their understanding of life experiences,” according to Sandy, the Couple and Family Therapy Candidate 2017 at the university.
“I believe that the Generation Gap Project will help participants learn how to identify on-going issues that create barriers, how to effectively interpret and reflect on those issues, and how to provide support for marginalized populations,” she says.
A six-week training program is now in place, which will walk interested students through the application process and support them as they decide on potential social work schools of interest within Canada. Upon completion of the training program they will have access to personalized academic and career coaching until mid-December.
A maximum of six committed and dedicated students are asked to apply, all of who will complete an application form. Only selected candidates will be invited for an interview with the committee.
This GGP initiative is underlined by our belief that increasing the number of visible minority students in the field of social work begins with providing meaningful conversations and a supportive environment. “The field of social work, like many other health care professions, flourishes when diversity is strongly represented,” according to Sandy.
Interested individuals are invited to a Generational Gap Project information session on Thursday, September 8th at 5:00 p.m. at the McGill University School of Social Work (Wilson Hall, Wendy Patrick Room), 3506 University St. in downtown Montreal. For info, call 514-983-7810. Or email: carole.sandy@mail.mcgill.ca
