UW and RUPP Students Rave About Their Study Abroad/Together Experience
DSW Hosts International Conference on Children and Youth
The DSW joined with the Asian & Pacific Islands Social Work Educators Association from the United States, along with the UW/RUPP Partnership to host the conference where 250 participants from ten different countries convened to share evidence and stimulate dialogue focused on issues related to children and youth in the region. Jon Matsuoka, former Dean from the University of Hawaii and current president and CEO of Consuelo Foundation and Alastair Hilton, founder of First Steps Cambodia offered key note presentations, respectively, on the pathways to social impact and identifying local solutions to the issue of sexual abuse of boys.
The conference received a lot of Khmer and English language media attention
UW Cambodia Social Work Study Abroad Kicks Off
Graduate and undergraduate students arrived just in time to join the conference and kick off their 4 week intensive course. This course includes UW and RUPP students who join together in inquiry based learning that centers on a group project with MoPoTsyo, a NGO focused on supporting individuals with diabetes and hypertension.
6th RUPP Faculty Graduates June 2013
Saveun Nhim is excited to return home to his family and to join the other faculty at RUPP. Congratulations on his graduation.
RUPP Students on Field Trip to Mondul Kiri Province
Year 3 and 4 students went with their instructors to NE Cambodia to learn more about indigenous communities.
Official Graduation Ceremony for 1st Graduating Cohort
The official graduation ceremony took place on April 2, 2013 with caps, gowns, relatives and many smiling faces. Go Class of 2013!
DSW Hosts Visit by Russian Association of Social Workers
Dr. Antonina Dashkina, President of the Russian Association of Social Workers, member of the advisory Body for the Russian Ministry of Labour and Social Development, and Vice-President of the INGO Committee for the Council of Europe visited the Department along with Tony Widmer, UK Director of the Russian European Trust to learn more about the new Social Work Program.
UW/RUPP Partnership to Co-Sponsor International Conference in June
Asian & Pacific Islands Social Work Educators Association (APISWEA) in the United States, in collaboration with the University of Washington-Royal University of Phnom Penh Social Work Partnership, announces the upcoming “International Social Work Conference on Children and Youth,” to be held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on June 24 & 25, 2013.
Fourth Annual International Social Work Day Event
Sam Inn, Director of the NGO Living With Dignity, was the invited speaker to this year’s ISW Event. Ms. Kim Kakada was the recipient of this year’s Sil Sineng award for outstanding field learning supervisor for Year 3 students. The event was attended by the majority of the field partners and other friends of the DSW.
DSW Instructors Invited to Embassy Reception on Intra-Country Adoptions
A few instructors were invited to a reception hosted by the U.S. Embassy with congressional representatives interested to learn more about child protection in Cambodia. The Cambodia intra-country adoption law passed and technically adoptions may not occur again though the State Department continues to embargo the process.
DSW Hosts Visit from Columbia University Dean Emeritus Dr. Ronald A. Feldman
The DSW was thrilled to host a visit by Dr. Ron Feldman, Ruth Harris Ottman Centennial Professor for the Advancement of Social Work Education and Dean Emeritus of Columbia University’s School of Social Work and his wife who wanted to learn more about social work education in Cambodia.
Nancy Hooyman Returns to Phnom Penh
This marks the third mentoring visit by Dean Emeritus Nancy Hooyman to support organization and curricular development. Thanks to donor support our mentors are able to provide on-site technical assistance in between regular email and Skype communications. Her visit was also marked by the historic cremation ceremony of King Norodom Sihanouk.
Nancy Hooyman Returns to Phnom Penh This marks the third mentoring visit by Dean Emeritus Nancy Hooyman to support organization and curricular development. Thanks to donor support our mentors are able to provide on-site technical assistance in between regular email and Skype communications. Her visit was also marked by the historic cremation ceremony of King Norodom Sihanouk.
Faculty during this visit spent time updating the department’s vision, mission and goals.
Sharon Berlin Returns to Phnom Penh
Dr. Berlin continues to be instrumental in supporting the faculty who are teaching the interpersonal skills, mental health and trauma practice courses. She was able to conduct her 3rdonsite technical assistance visit and to meet instructors over a series of meetings. Faculty took advantage of her visit to also have her facilitate a follow up to their summer retreats in which they continued to examine ways to enhance their abilities to work effectively as a team.
DSW Invited to ASEAN Social Work Consortium 2nd Annual Meeting
Bora Chun represented RUPP at the ASEAN Social Work Consortium which brought together delegates from each country (academia, professional practice and Senior Officials Meeting on Social Welfare and Development Focal Point) to share updates on major developments in social welfare policy, SW education and practice in member states.
DSW Presents at Social Work in ASEAN
Bora Chun presented a paper “Promoting Social Justice, Social Work Practice and Education in Cambodia” in Bangkok and continued to expand the DSW’s network of colleagues.
2012 CSWE Partners for International Education Award Recipients
The Council on Social Work Education presented the Partners for International Education award on behalf of both institutions for its work via the Partnership. Kanika Ung and Tracy Harachi represented RUPP and the UW at the ceremony.
Cross-National Research Project
Lo Leang and Nika Nguon traveled to Japan where they met with the other 4 SW university programs participating in the cross-country research project focused on defining professional social work within their country context and their functional alternatives ie non-professionals doing SW. The other countries include: Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Indonesia, consortium of Melanesian island states. The project is sponsored by the Asian Pacific Association of Social Work Education (regional entity within IASSW).
Class of 2016 Joins the Department
Twenty-seven students were enrolled this fall to become the 5th class of admitted students into the Social Work major.
IASSW Features DSW
The International Association of Schools of Social Work Social Dialogue Magazine features the Department.
Article LInk:http://data.axmag.com/data/201210/U42483_F151463/index.html Page 22
The Missing Link - The Kingdom's Long Overdue First Generation of Social Workers are on a Mission to Right Society's Wrongs
Link to Article in SEA Globe, September 2012
What did you do this summer?
RUPP students and faculty along with the 4 UW MSW students conducted a number of workshops focused on various research skills and then hit the field to implement four different studies focused on:
- Exploring the role of social workers in hospitals
- Evaluating the sustainability of community development efforts in 4 villages
- Examining social land concession programs and the benefits to vulnerable populations
- Examining the impact of family conflict and parental drinking on youth
President of the Asian and Pacific Association for Social Work Education Visits RUPP
Dr. Tatsuru Akimoto, President of APASWE made his second visit to the RUPP SW Department. The SW Department received exciting news that its proposal "Professional Social Work and Its Functional Alternatives in Cambodia" had been accepted for a research project sponsored by APASWE. RUPP joins with faculty in Fiji, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka for this cross-country project. A joint meeting is planned for November, 2012.
RUPP Graduates the 1st Cohort of Undergrad Students in Cambodia
July 7's celebration marked a major milestone for the UW/RUPP Partnership. The first cohort of students successfully completed their studies and are going out into the world as professionally trained social workers and change agents. Already several of the students have secured employment with non-governmental organizations. We were fortunate to have several long time UW/RUPP Partnership supporters attend the festivities including, Mara Schneiders, former AVI volunteer posted at RUPP, Jim and Marianne LoGerfo, and Dori Cahn.
RUPP undergraduates with Sothida Tan and Shelby Feliciano, UW MSW students
Phnom Penh Post Publishes About RUPP Social Work Students
One of the English newspapers in Cambodia ran this article on June 25, 2012 to celebrate the first graduating class of Social Work undergraduate students. Article
Welcoming UW MSW Students to Cambodia
Four MSW students traveled over in June to spend summer quarter working with RUPP faculty and students on a variety of research projects. Borpha Phay had been awarded the Chester Fritz Fellowship; Michael Light and Shelby Feliciano received GO Health Fellowships and will be completing capstone projects for their Dept. of Global Health certificate programs.
RUPP Mentor Supports Academic Skills Workshops
Dori Cahn, who has been an active Partnership volunteer when the cohorts were at the UW, took time this summer to work with faculty at RUPP. She shared her extensive experience working with ELL and college students to collaborate with the SWD faculty and create a series of workshops to support academic skills for the students.
"Working with the SWD faculty and students in Phnom Penh was a real joy. It's very satisfying to see all that has been accomplished in a short time, as well as to meet the graduating class, and to be part of a new model of learning and promoting social justice in Cambodia. Thanks to all!"
RUPP Presents at SW Conference in Vietnam
Kanika Ung and Vornthyroth Chhim presented at the International Conference on Social Work and Social Policy in Hanoi, Vietnam, June 2012. Their paper "The Challenges of Developing a Field Program in a Country Where Social Work as an Identity and Profession Are New: The Cambodian Experience" was well received and they enjoyed meeting colleagues from multiple countries.