PG Common News

On January 24, 2024, 59 first-year MSW students, accompanied by three faculty members - Dr. Sebastin KV, Prof. Anuradha Shetty, and Prof. Angline, embarked on a rural experience at Shimoga Multipurpose Social Service Society, Shimoga.

The inaugural day began at the institute's auditorium, where Fr. Roshan Pinto, the director, highlighted the institute's focus areas: women empowerment, education, environmental conservation, and capacity building. Mr. Jagadish, the Animator, shared insights into loans and schemes. The students were then divided into three groups and assigned to different communities - Mallapura, Harnahalli and Ayanur.

The first day focused on Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) practice. Students facilitated Focus Group Discussions (FGD) with the women self help groups who established first women banking in their villages. Learners clarified doubts through a FGD checklist. Thereafter, learners explored the villages and their socio economic and political status via door-to-door surveys and invited the community for a cultural program. The learners did put up a well organised cultural cum awareness programme on various social issues like alcohol/drug abuse, suicide, women empowerment, impact of social media, etc in Aayanur village. About 75 people participated and thus building good rapport and interaction.

The second day, January 26, students implemented PRA methods - timeline, social mapping, resource mapping, seasonal mapping, Venn diagram, and discussions with community members. Valuable feedback was received, and in the evening, Most Rev Dr. Francis Sherao spoke on ‘Social Analyses’ which forms the basis for community evaluation.

The final day, January 27, involved a comprehensive evaluation of the camp and students' opinions. The camp concluded with a visit to the house of National Poet Kuvempu at Kuppali. This rural exposure provided significant learning experiences, offering insights into diverse aspects of life, community issues, and fostering meaningful connections between students and the local community.