2017/2018 Social Work Student Activism Competition - Joint First Prize Winners
JOINT FIRST PRIZE WINNER -- STAY HUMAN
By Anne Slutter, The Youth Company/Saxion University for Applied Science,
The Netherlands & Veerle Meijer, Leiden University, The Netherlands
Speaker 1:00:02Hi. We are Anne and Veerle, two of the creators of the Stay Human education program. We are Dutch students of social work. We found [inaudible 00:00:13] the community aspect and the focus on social justice. Since our formal education oft-often focuses on the micro level and clinical practice, we wanted to spice up our own learning by not only consuming knowledge, but creating it.
Speaker 1:00:28We are working within the framework of our organization, The Youth Company, which is based in the Netherlands. We were involved in initiating and designing the project, which is intended to raise awareness about vulnerable groups. Our dream was the development of a human rights program that stimulates engagements, horizontal and sustainable participation of young people, and allows us to learn from peers in other countries.
Speaker 1:00:58The Stay Human program invites social work students and other [inaudible 00:01:02] to become trainees. Groups of 10 trainees are invited to organize an education program about human rights, which is relevant to their local reality.
Speaker 1:01:12The youth exchange addresses s-structural problems, challenges stereotypes, and promotes social justice. With the activities, trainee make an impact on the lives of young people by taking them out of their comfort zone in the international experience, and within a safe learning environment. At the same time, the trainees improve their understanding of themselves as they have the full responsibility, learn how to deal with stress and being tired, and reflect at work in an international group for over six months.
Speaker 1:01:47We believe that playing equals learning, and it is important to have fun. As a basis to build a strong and international network, and to work together for six months.
Adam:02:10Hi, I'm Adam from the Netherlands. I am a youth leader or facilitator for this project. Um, I was in charge of doing the team-building activities and helping out my other facilitators wherever I can.
Adam:02:25Project Stay Human, it was, uh, promote human rights and to train participants into becoming advocates of human rights in their own local realities.
Martin:02:57I really wish this project, uh, brings awareness to people, and make local people share about this problem, and about migrants' issues, refugees' issues.
Group in unison:03:15Stay human.
Speaker 1:03:18The project challenges stereotypes by putting young people in direct contact with the vulnerable groups. It is in line with social work in the 21st century, as trainees are the entrepreneurs of their own projects, and they work on awareness raising and social justice topics, and how to mobilize people to advocate for human rights. Also, they learn to facilitate and empower young people.
Speaker 1:03:42Stay Human is more and more becoming a platform in which young people unite and give shape to their human right campaigns, advocacy, ed-educational activities, and so on. The only pillars of the project that students are invited to work with is to work according to non-formal education and experimental learning in human rights education.
Speaker 1:04:05The role of social work students is to design a youth exchange, set aims and goals, and organize and facilitate in an international group. During the youth exchange itself, they are the support of a group of their national young people.