Social Work Camp to Papinayakanahalli village of Dharmapuri district of Tamil Nadu
Date: 15th December, 2023- 20th December, 2023
Department of Social Work, Kristu Jayanti College, Bengaluru organised Social Work camp for the first year students of MSW from 15th December to 20th December, 2023 in Papinayakanahalli village of Dharmapuri district of TamilNadu.

The main aim of the camp was to have the potential social workers be familiar with the rural social system; apart from this, the other key objective was to provide the experience of group living to these emerging social workers. In the process of this camp, the social work trainees are given several opportunities to develop and to also refine skills like organising and managing, planning, team spirit, evaluation and appreciation and several others. Essentially it aimed at ensuring and providing the trainees a platform to develop themselves as potential social workers and more importantly as human beings. The camp was conducted on theme based issues of Society. The themes for the camp were Health and Hygiene, Women empowerment, Human Rights, Child Rights, Youth Development and Substance abuse and Sustainable Environment.

The camp was well organised by MSW I students with two faculties from Department of Social Work.

Social Work Camp 2023
The Department of Social Work, Kristu Jayanti College, Bangalore organised the Social Work Camp for the first-year students from the 23rd of April 2023 and ended on the 29th of April 2023 in Kadishanahalli Village, Chikkaballapura District.

The main aim of the camp was to have the potential social workers be familiar with the rural social system; apart from this, the other key objective was to provide the experience of group living to these emerging social workers. In the process of this camp, the social work trainees are given several opportunities to develop and to also refine skills like organising and managing, planning, team spirit, evaluation and appreciation and several others. Essentially it aimed at ensuring and providing the trainees a platform to develop themselves as potential social workers and more importantly as human beings.

The camp activities were carried out as per the below-mentioned themes
Day 1 – Inauguration and Rapport Building
The social work camp started with the Inauguration on the first day as the campers arrived at the campsite. Rev. Fr. Selvaraj, Kadishanahalli addressed the gathering and introduced the campers to the villagers. Rev. Fr. Valentine Antony Raj, Director, Socio-Pastoral Projects, Claretian Province gave the Inaugural address and emphasized the significance of the social work camp. Dr. Jonas Richard A, Camp Director and the Head of the Department of Social Work, at Kristu Jayanti College, explained to the villagers the importance of the social work camp as part of the curriculum and the activities that are to be carried out during the camp days in the village. The inauguration ended with a formal vote of thanks by the camp leader and felicitation of the guests.

After the Inauguration, the campers visited the streets of the village, built rapport with the villagers and identified the resources available in the village.

Day 2 - Empowerment through Education
On day 2 of the camp, the campers went out to the villagers and did a survey on the educational status and attitude of the villagers towards education. The collected data were analyzed. Based on the results of the analysis, programmes were planned for the evening in connection to the theme of the day. The campers carried out an awareness rally in the evening and conducted awareness programmes elucidating the importance of education and empowerment through it. The results of the data collected during the day were shared to the villagers and highlighted the significance of education to them.

Day 3 - Human Rights
On day 3 of the camp, the campers went out to the villagers and did a survey on awareness of Human Rights and the attitude of the villagers towards Human Rights. The collected data were analyzed. Based on the results of the analysis, programmes were planned for the evening in connection to the theme of the day. The campers carried out an awareness rally in the evening and conducted awareness programmes elucidating the importance of Human Rights and showcasing the various forms of human rights violations in society. The results of the data collected during the day were shared with the villagers and highlighted the significance of Human Rights.

Day 4 - Health and Hygiene
On day 4 of the camp, the campers went out to the villagers and did a survey on awareness of Health and Hygiene. The collected data were analyzed. Based on the results of the analysis, programmes were planned for the evening in connection to the theme of the day. The campers carried out an awareness rally in the evening and conducted awareness programmes elucidating the importance of Health and Hygiene. The campers further explained the significance of Health and Hygiene through dance and drama. The results of the data collected during the day were shared with the villagers and highlighted the significance of Health and Hygiene.

Day 5 - Family Wellbeing
On day 5 of the camp, the campers went out to the villagers and did a survey on awareness of Family well-being. The collected data were analyzed. Based on the results of the analysis, programmes were planned for the evening in connection to the theme of the day. The campers carried out an awareness rally in the evening and conducted awareness programmes expounding the importance of Family Wellbeing. The campers further explicated the significance of Family well-being through dance and drama. The results of the data collected during the day were shared with the villagers and highlighted the significance of Family Wellbeing.

Day 6 - Child Rights
On day 6 of the camp, the campers went out to the villagers and did a survey on awareness of Child Rights. The collected data were analyzed. Based on the results of the analysis, programmes were planned for the evening in connection to the theme of the day. The campers carried out an awareness rally in the evening and conducted awareness programmes expounding the importance of Child Rights. The campers further explicated the significance of Child Rights and violations of Child Rights through dance and drama. The results of the data collected during the day were shared with the villagers and highlighted the significance of the protection of Child Rights.

Organized Veterinary Camp
On the same day, the campers organized a veterinary camp for the villagers in collaboration with the government veterinary hospital, in Chikkaballapura District. Around 200 cattle and poultry birds got vaccinated and treated through the camp.

Visit to Child Welfare Committee
The campers later in the evening visited the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) in the village and gained insight into the functioning of the committee at the national and regional levels. The campers also had a chance to interact with the children rescued by the CWC and conducted games for them.

Day 7 - Cultural Exhibition and Valediction
On day 7, during the day time, the campers practised for the cultural programme that they happened to give in the evening. Around 6 pm in the evening, the cultural programme started with the welcoming of the villagers and the guests. The campers showcased various cultures in the form of songs, dance, mime and skits. Kids from the village also actively participated in the cultural programme and delighted the audience with their performances.

Day seven and the camp ended with the valedictory address by Dr Jonas Richard A, Camp Director and the Head of the Department of Social Work, Kristu Jayanti College and a formal vote of thanks by the camp leader.

Every day after the dinner, the campers had a valuation meeting with the camp coordinator and co-coordinator. Students had an enriching experience of learning, as they implemented their theoretical knowledge in the field and learned through practice.

Social Work Camp 2022
The Department of Social Work, Kristu Jayanti College, Bangalore organised the Social Work Camp for the first-year students in close collaboration with the Ashalaya Trust Vidya Nagar, Central Telecom Society, Bengaluru, Karnataka. The camp commenced from the 23rd of May 2022 and ended on the 29th of May 2022; it was held in the village of Hutthanahalli.

The main aim of the camp was to have the potential social workers be familiar with the rural social system, apart from this the other key objective was to provide the experience of group living to these emerging social workers. In the process of this camp the social work trainees are given several opportunities to develop and to also refine skills like organising and managing, planning, team spirit, evaluation and appreciation and several others. Essentially it aimed at ensuring and providing the trainees a platform to develop themselves as potential social workers and more importantly as human beings.

Day 1 - Inauguration and Rapport Building
The social work camp 2022 was inaugurated with at Hutthanahalli village with the presence of dignitaries for the ceremony included, the sarpanch Mr. Dodda Baswaraj, the other panch members, Sr Bhindu from the Ashalaya Trust and the Head of the department. Dr. Jonas Richard A. (Head, Department of Social Work) addressed the gathering on how important the camp is in building and exploring ourselves and those around us. Mr. Dodda Baswaraj spoke about the significances of the village and welcomed the students to have a fruitful social work camp. Sis. Bindhu highlighted the importance of social work camp and its benefits to the community people. Day one was scheduled to explore the village, identify the reources available and build rapport with village people

Day 2 – Baseline Survey and Preventive Health Sensitization
The students conducted a baseline survey in the community, collecting information on the demographics of it, and to get a general overview of the village. The collected data were analysed and presented. The survey that was prepared by the programme committee was circulated and pairs were formed; these were temporary and were bound to change every day. After this everyone was taught on how to pronounce certain words and other important basic sentences in Kannada were also shared as most were not fluent in the language. Towards the evening half of the day, an intercultural programme was held with an action dance, songs, and a short film screened to sensitize the village members on issues like prevention of spread of covid 19 and preventive health.

Day 3 - Women Empowerment and Women Health
The day began with a survey being carried out by pairs once again on the theme Women Empowerment and health and hygiene amongst women. Upon distributing themselves in order to cover the village area, the data was collected and was later analysed by a group of social work campers. One of the major findings was that a majority of the women failed to give importance to self-care and put family needs above their own. Dr. Jonas Richard visited the campsite in the afternoon to monitor the ongoing activities of the camp. The campers organized a role play, regional dance and song and also a screening of a short film in the evening for the villagers on the day’s theme.

Day 4 - Youth Conditions/Involvement and Prevalence of Alcoholism
The day began with a survey being carried out by pairs again on a different theme which was Youth conditions/involvement and alcohol consumption in the village. Upon distributing themselves in order to cover the village area, the data was collected and was later analysed by a group of social work campers. The analysis showed that the consumption of alcohol was indeed present at a high level. The campers played regional dance and songs to sensitize the crowd. There was also a role play enacted to highlight the drawbacks of alcohol consumption.

Day 5 - Child Rights
Unlike the other days, the fifth day of the social work camp was focused on children in making them aware of their rights and also conducting several activities for them. The preparation for it began for the programme and activities and upon reaching the Vidhyanagar government school in Huttanahalli, different sort events such as running race, three-legged race, lemon and spoon race and so on. Following this all the female campers were invited to a separate space along with a few female students of class 6 to let the campers have a discussion with the girls on menstruation, good touch bad touch and other important issues. Later a cultural programme was conducted with various songs, action songs, short talk on child rights, art and craft activities and other sorts of activities were conducted.

Day 6 - Environment
The sixth day was a unique one as it focuses on the environment. The day initiated with a drive of planting trees across different parts of the village. This drive was in collaboration with the Ashalaya Trust and the Head of the department as well as the directress of the trust were present. One of the few plants planted were the Jamun tree, which according to the Hindu mythology is called the fruit of God, it was ironical since this sampling was planted within the premises of the nearby temple itself. Following the drive in the latter half of the day a cleaning drive was conducted in the vicinity of the temple that was close to the campsite, all the campers actively participated in clearing the weeds and other unnecessary plants that surrounded the plants purposefully grown there. The cleaning went on for a couple of hours and also to the formal end of the day's activities.

Day 7 – Valedictory
The seventh day marked the final day of the camp and the end of the exposure the campers would have in the village. In order to bid farewell and express their gratitude to the villagers, the campers moved around the village thanking everyone for their support and involvement in the activities and surveys that were carried out. The trainees also began to gather all their luggage and other belongings, simultaneously preparation for the valedictory session were also being done. During the valedictory the chief guest was Shree Srinivas who was accompanied by his wife and daughter, apart from him two representatives namely Mr Patrick and Mrs Geeta from Ashalaya Trust were also present. The head of the department was also a part of the valedictory. Another person who played a major role during the stay of the trainee was also present, this person was none other than Mr Devaraj the person who provided the sustenance in the form of food to the trainees from time to time during the camp.

Each day ended with an evaluation of students by the faculty members present at the campsite.

Social work camp was an opportunity for the Social Work students to have a better experience of community life & improve their professional skills by organizing need based programs & awareness campaigns with the support of local people. It was truly a learning experience for the social work trainee in terms of group living and in understanding the community.

Social Work Camp 2021
The students of the department of Social Work, Kristu Jayanti College Autonomous Bangalore, along with 2 faculty members conducted the "Social Work Camp 2021" for 38 MSW students of 2020-2022 batch from 18th to 24th November 2021 at RICE-MMS, Mathakondapalli, Hosur, Tamil Nadu.

Objectives:
To provide rural community exposure to students.
To practice working in group.
To develop social work skills in the field.
To understand the dynamics of the rural community and the socio economic systems.
To enhance experiential learning for the students.

The camp was carried for 7 days with specific objectives and plans for each day. During the camp, the students were trained to carry out baseline survey on various social topics among the community people in villages surrounding Mathagondapalli, Hosur. The students with the guidance of the camp coordinator carried out sensitization programmes for the village people through cultural activities. Visits to government agencies have helped the students to understand various schemes and programmes for the welfare of the people and development of community. Session on Panchayat Raj has enlightened the students about the decentralization of governance and its significance in rural India. The camp ended with formal valedictory session on the 7th day.

Social work camp was an opportunity for the Social Work students to have a better experience of community life & improve their professional skills by organizing need based programs & awareness campaigns with the support of local people. It was truly a learning experience for the social work students in terms of group living and in understanding the community

Social Work Camp
The Social Work Camp was organized by the II Semester MSW students (2017-2019 batch) of the Department of Social Work, Kristu Jayanti College, Bangalore, in collaboration with Claret Mission, a Non-Profitable Organization, Karahalli, commenced on 04th April 2018 and ended on 13th April 2018. The camp was conducted at Doddasagarahalli which is around 40 kilometers from Bangalore city and 12 kilometers away from Nandhi Hills. The major languages spoken are Kannada and Telugu.

The Camp Director was Dr. Jonas Richard A., and the Camp Coordinators were Dr. I. Jerry Richards and Dr. Winnie Joyce A. The camp preparations started with the pilot study by the students on 03 April, 2018. Students gathered the socio-economic data and other pertinent information about the village.

The campers began their journey on the 04 April afternoon along with the faculty members of the Department of Social Work. Fr. Valentine Antony Raj, Director, Claret Mission, helped the campers in arranging for their stay at the camp site. The formal inauguration for the camp was held at St. Joseph’s church campus at 4.30 pm which was presided over by the Dairy President Mr. Sonappa, Fr. George Kannadhanam, Mr. Srinivas the Gram Panchayat member, Mr.Vicky Suman, Head of the Youth Association and Sr. Sicily and Sr. Rosy, Claret Mission along with the faculty members of Kristu Jayanti College, Department of Social Work.

Different themes were planned for each day. The following are the activities performed according to the respective themes.

Environmental Protection: The campers were split into various groups and were set out to understand the livelihood of the people and the importance of agriculture and by working with them in their cultivation fields. The work basically consisted of manual labor in the vineyard, rose plantation, clearing pests, construction work etc. In the evening, a rally was organized by the campers where the significance of nature and ecosystem were emphasized.

Women Empowerment and the meeting with SHG: The main aim of this theme was to make the people aware about the rights of women and the interactive session with the Self Help Groups of the village. The meeting was held with 35 women belonging to various SHGs like Nyana Bharti Swaasraya Sangha, Sneha Sanjeevani Sangha, Gangothri Swaasraya Sangha etc. This was followed by the rally in the evening and the main objective was to make the community aware of the importance of women in the society. In the evening the campers organized a cultural program highlighting the problems faced by women in today’s context.

Child Rights: The campers conducted an awareness program on child rights, its helpline number, menstruation, good touch and bad touch, importance of nutritious food and personal hygiene. This was followed by games for the children and action songs based on child rights. The boys group taught the kids self-defense, basic morning exercises.

Youth Empowerment: The objective of this theme was to alert the youth of the community about the various opportunities provided by the Government through schemes and policies thereby helping them to be independent in the society and also make them understand about the needs of the society and how they can serve to the society for their development.

Health and Hygiene: The campers were divided into 3 groups. The first group was allotted the work of painting the newly constructed public water tank; the second group was allotted to clean the 7 public water tanks of the village. The third group went for a cleanliness drive along the streets of the village. The activities carried out by the campers with respect to the theme were rally, and cultural program. The campers went for the rally by shouting slogans on health and hygiene and the theme based cultural program commenced in the evening. The campers depicted the 7 stages of hand washing, an action play, a group song on the importance of hygiene and also entertainment programs.

Evil Effects of Alcoholism: The community was made aware of the evil effects of alcoholism and the measures to prevent it through the rally and the cultural programs conducted by the campers.

Superstitious Beliefs and its Social Impacts: The community was informed about the concept of superstition and its evil impacts on the society. To highlight the ill effects of the same, a skit was played that depicted how the so-called professional foretellers deceit people for money and how their actions have a bearing on the society. In addition to the skit, the campers also delivered a talk on the stupidity of those superstitious beliefs and the major provisions of the Karnataka Ant-Superstition bill was discussed elaborately.

Elderly Care and Protection: Campers were conducted rally in the evening where the main motive was to make the community aware of the elderly rights and the way the elders in the house were treated. Subsequently, the campers were on home visits in order to honour the elderly people of the village and to invite them for the evening cultural program. During the cultural program campers honored the elders with the shawl.

Gram Panchayat Visit: The campers went to the gram panchayat in order to get a clarification about the village. Mr. Girish Kumar, the president of the gram panchayat gave the details about the village where the population, the number of wards and the number of members were discussed. The tax system of the village was also enlightened upon and the various schemes provided by the government were also discussed in the meeting. Later on Mr. Srinivas the panchayat member presided over the meeting and he gave the campers the inputs about the drainage facilities, the online verification of accounts to curb corruption, bio gas plants, women empowerment by giving 50% of the seats, grants given under the women of the family and the practicality behind the power cuts were also discussed. He also mentioned the amount of meetings that happen in a month and its focuses. The people below the poverty line were given houses under the name of the female member of the family. He also said the gram panchayat provides job opportunities of people with no job, priced at 246 rupees/day.

Cultural programs based on the respective themes were held each day in the evening hours where the campers performed through skits, mimes, documentaries, songs, dances, puppetry, video presentations and theme based talks. The youth and children were also given the opportunities to perform during the program.

The valediction program held on12th April and the program commenced at 7pm by welcoming the village people and the representatives of each community leaders, the Zilla president and Gram Panchayat members of the village. They were honored with memento and shawl as a sigh of gratitude. The program ended with the feedback from all the second semester MSW students who thanked and shared their experiences of living in Doddasagarahalli along with the other villagers.

The 14th of April was the final day of the camp. The departure began at 11:30 AM and the campers reached the college around 2:30 PM.

The Social Work Camp was an enlightening experience as it provided the emerging social workers a unique opportunity to experience the rural life and to understand the socio-economic situation of the village. The members of the community were hospitable and supportive because of which the campers had a comfortable stay throughout the camp. Through this, the trainees got a better chance to connect with each other and experienced group living with the community by sharing their resources. The Social Work Camp created the opportunities to every student to understanding the social functioning of the village and the psycho-social problems of the villagers. Many of the campers felt that their level of self-esteem, peer relationships, friendship skills and social comfort has improved a lot after the camp. It also helped the campers to appreciate the benefits of team work to realize their full potentials. And more importantly, it gave an opportunity for the social work students to think of application of social case work and social group work methods to resolve individual and group issues of the community members. Thus, all the campers understood the camp as a social work intervention to understand the psycho-social functioning of the villagers and the means to resolve the issues of the same. The Social Work Camp was organized by the II Semester MSW students (2017-2019 batch) of the Department of Social Work, Kristu Jayanti College, Bangalore, in collaboration with Claret Mission, a Non-Profitable Organization, Karahalli, commenced on 04th April 2018 and ended on 13th April 2018. The camp was conducted at Doddasagarahalli which is around 40 kilometers from Bangalore city and 12 kilometers away from Nandhi Hills. The major languages spoken are Kannada and Telugu.

The Camp Director was Dr. Jonas Richard A., and the Camp Coordinators were Dr. I. Jerry Richards and Dr. Winnie Joyce A. The camp preparations started with the pilot study by the students on 03 April, 2018. Students gathered the socio-economic data and other pertinent information about the village.

The campers began their journey on the 04 April afternoon along with the faculty members of the Department of Social Work. Fr. Valentine Antony Raj, Director, Claret Mission, helped the campers in arranging for their stay at the camp site. The formal inauguration for the camp was held at St. Joseph’s church campus at 4.30 pm which was presided over by the Dairy President Mr. Sonappa, Fr. George Kannadhanam, Mr. Srinivas the Gram Panchayat member, Mr.Vicky Suman, Head of the Youth Association and Sr. Sicily and Sr. Rosy, Claret Mission along with the faculty members of Kristu Jayanti College, Department of Social Work.

Different themes were planned for each day. The following are the activities performed according to the respective themes.

Environmental Protection: The campers were split into various groups and were set out to understand the livelihood of the people and the importance of agriculture and by working with them in their cultivation fields. The work basically consisted of manual labor in the vineyard, rose plantation, clearing pests, construction work etc. In the evening, a rally was organized by the campers where the significance of nature and ecosystem were emphasized.

Women Empowerment and the meeting with SHG: The main aim of this theme was to make the people aware about the rights of women and the interactive session with the Self Help Groups of the village. The meeting was held with 35 women belonging to various SHGs like Nyana Bharti Swaasraya Sangha, Sneha Sanjeevani Sangha, Gangothri Swaasraya Sangha etc. This was followed by the rally in the evening and the main objective was to make the community aware of the importance of women in the society. In the evening the campers organized a cultural program highlighting the problems faced by women in today’s context.

Child Rights: The campers conducted an awareness program on child rights, its helpline number, menstruation, good touch and bad touch, importance of nutritious food and personal hygiene. This was followed by games for the children and action songs based on child rights. The boys group taught the kids self-defense, basic morning exercises.

Youth Empowerment: The objective of this theme was to alert the youth of the community about the various opportunities provided by the Government through schemes and policies thereby helping them to be independent in the society and also make them understand about the needs of the society and how they can serve to the society for their development.

Health and Hygiene: The campers were divided into 3 groups. The first group was allotted the work of painting the newly constructed public water tank; the second group was allotted to clean the 7 public water tanks of the village. The third group went for a cleanliness drive along the streets of the village. The activities carried out by the campers with respect to the theme were rally, and cultural program. The campers went for the rally by shouting slogans on health and hygiene and the theme based cultural program commenced in the evening. The campers depicted the 7 stages of hand washing, an action play, a group song on the importance of hygiene and also entertainment programs.

Evil Effects of Alcoholism: The community was made aware of the evil effects of alcoholism and the measures to prevent it through the rally and the cultural programs conducted by the campers.

Superstitious Beliefs and its Social Impacts: The community was informed about the concept of superstition and its evil impacts on the society. To highlight the ill effects of the same, a skit was played that depicted how the so-called professional foretellers deceit people for money and how their actions have a bearing on the society. In addition to the skit, the campers also delivered a talk on the stupidity of those superstitious beliefs and the major provisions of the Karnataka Ant-Superstition bill was discussed elaborately.

Elderly Care and Protection: Campers were conducted rally in the evening where the main motive was to make the community aware of the elderly rights and the way the elders in the house were treated. Subsequently, the campers were on home visits in order to honour the elderly people of the village and to invite them for the evening cultural program. During the cultural program campers honored the elders with the shawl.

Gram Panchayat Visit: The campers went to the gram panchayat in order to get a clarification about the village. Mr. Girish Kumar, the president of the gram panchayat gave the details about the village where the population, the number of wards and the number of members were discussed. The tax system of the village was also enlightened upon and the various schemes provided by the government were also discussed in the meeting. Later on Mr. Srinivas the panchayat member presided over the meeting and he gave the campers the inputs about the drainage facilities, the online verification of accounts to curb corruption, bio gas plants, women empowerment by giving 50% of the seats, grants given under the women of the family and the practicality behind the power cuts were also discussed. He also mentioned the amount of meetings that happen in a month and its focuses. The people below the poverty line were given houses under the name of the female member of the family. He also said the gram panchayat provides job opportunities of people with no job, priced at 246 rupees/day.

Cultural programs based on the respective themes were held each day in the evening hours where the campers performed through skits, mimes, documentaries, songs, dances, puppetry, video presentations and theme based talks. The youth and children were also given the opportunities to perform during the program.

The valediction program held on12th April and the program commenced at 7pm by welcoming the village people and the representatives of each community leaders, the Zilla president and Gram Panchayat members of the village. They were honored with memento and shawl as a sigh of gratitude. The program ended with the feedback from all the second semester MSW students who thanked and shared their experiences of living in Doddasagarahalli along with the other villagers.

The 14th of April was the final day of the camp. The departure began at 11:30 AM and the campers reached the college around 2:30 PM.

The Social Work Camp was an enlightening experience as it provided the emerging social workers a unique opportunity to experience the rural life and to understand the socio-economic situation of the village. The members of the community were hospitable and supportive because of which the campers had a comfortable stay throughout the camp. Through this, the trainees got a better chance to connect with each other and experienced group living with the community by sharing their resources. The Social Work Camp created the opportunities to every student to understanding the social functioning of the village and the psycho-social problems of the villagers. Many of the campers felt that their level of self-esteem, peer relationships, friendship skills and social comfort has improved a lot after the camp. It also helped the campers to appreciate the benefits of team work to realize their full potentials. And more importantly, it gave an opportunity for the social work students to think of application of social case work and social group work methods to resolve individual and group issues of the community members. Thus, all the campers understood the camp as a social work intervention to understand the psycho-social functioning of the villagers and the means to resolve the issues of the same.