CU Jammu Organized Weeklong Camp SAGG Eco Village Kashmir

Jammu, 1^st May 2024: Department of Social Work, Central University of Jammu under the aegis of its fieldwork unit organized a week long Social Work Camp at SAGG Eco Village, Watlar Ganderbal in collaboration with Human Welfare Voluntary Organisation. This initiative as part of the compulsory fieldwork immersion training aimed to provide students with practical exposure and learning opportunities in diverse areas of social work practice.

The success of this event was made possible through the invaluable patronage and leadership of Hon’ble Vice Chancellor Prof. Sanjeev Jain whose principle of learning by ensuring that students are being brought out of their classrooms and immersed into the real world settings. The social work camp was attended by 23 students of the postgraduate programme of social work along with three research scholars and three field members.

The camp was coordinated by Dr. Bhat Iqball Majeed, Director Fieldwork, department of social work under the supervision of HoD, Dr. Nancy Mengi. Apart from introducing the students to the rural settings, the social work camp ensured that students are trained through in-house sessions at the camp place. The two sessions on capacity building were held for the students besides arranging the rural on site field visits in various groups to different sites of practice. The students were divided into three groups which were first briefed about the child protection mechanism by the UNICEF officials at the HWVO office and then taken for a grassroots visit. Two groups visited the village settings to witness the child protection groups’ formed in those villages and one group visited the child care institutions. Apart from this the whole team of social work also visited the department of social work, university of Kashmir.

The students from Central University of Jammu and social work students from University of Kashmir had thorough interactions and shared their ideas regarding the fieldwork undertaken in their respective locales. The Social work camp concluded with a brief visit to the Meer Behri, a fisherman community located in the interiors of Dal Lake, Srinagar. Throughout the camp, students engaged in a variety of enriching activities designed to broaden their understanding of social issues and enhance their practical skills. Sessions included orientation programs led by department faculty and scholars, capacity-building workshops on social entrepreneurship, livelihood, and leadership conducted by SAGG Eco Village, as well as exposure sessions on pertinent topics such as “The Period Talk” facilitated by Zahida and Shahbaz from SKY Trust Kashmir. Culminating with cultural activities and certificate distribution, the camp was a resounding success, providing students with invaluable exposure and learning experiences. The Department of Social Work extends its heartfelt gratitude to all supporting organizations, including SAGG Eco Village, SKY Trust, Human Welfare Volunteer Organisation, and the University of Kashmir, whose contributions were instrumental in making this event possible.