Rising professionals considering a career in social work already have a passion for helping others and working closely with individuals seeking assistance. There is a clear path for students to deepen their understanding of the challenges facing their future clients — pursuing community service opportunities beyond the classroom that connect them with the lives they aspire to help.
Avila University’s online Bachelor of Social Work program centers around the key skills graduates need to assess and recommend interventions for families, groups and communities. Students practice these skills in the community thanks to multiple courses, including hands-on experience with a local social work agency.
Building Leadership, Teamwork and Social Skills
Volunteer work, often referred to as service learning, provides numerous benefits to students across all academic fields, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers. For one, students have a chance to learn how to work effectively with fellow volunteers and community organization employees.
Students also learn crucial social skills, including the ability to communicate with people of different backgrounds and network with people who have similar passions. According to LinkedIn, students should focus on finding community service opportunities that align with their interests and values as much as possible.
Prospective social workers may also find new opportunities to apply their existing skills and apply them to their careers. Habitat for Humanity points to the practice of “skills-based volunteering,” which allows volunteers to take a specialty — such as web design or social media video editing — and apply it to their volunteer experience. Because many nonprofits lack an in-house web designer, they are eager to find people willing to donate a few hours to the cause. Bringing these in-demand skills as a volunteer helps students stand out and potentially return for a formal internship or full-time position.
Professional Benefits of Community Service
Serving as a long-term volunteer also gives prospective social workers an inside look at the workplace culture of organizations and companies that they are interested in working for in the future, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers. Students see the ins and outs of the operation while also forming relationships with employees who can share positive and negative aspects of their company culture.
Coursework offered through Avila University’s online Bachelor of Social Work program introduces students to generalist and individual social work practice. It also gives students a chance to apply the frameworks of empowerment, ecosystems and economic and social justice. For example, students complete a 20-hour service learning experience in a local social work agency where they gain a greater understanding of how issues of diversity, oppression and populations-at-risk affect social work practice and professional conduct.
Building upon that experience, students also expand their knowledge of how to make community-wide change through the Practice with Communities/Organizations course. The course explores global interventions that promote social and economic justice, providing aspiring social workers with the tools to develop a planned process for implementing change through their practice.
This crucial coursework helps students understand how community service can benefit society. When people of different backgrounds volunteer alongside each other for a common cause, they feel more connected to their community and build greater empathy, according to FrontStream. Creating a more compassionate worldview and understanding the societal forces that cause people to seek assistance through a social worker will follow students throughout their careers.
Discover Passion for Community Service With Avila University
Avila University’s online Bachelor of Social Work program provides graduates with the opportunity to deepen their understanding of community service and what it means to translate that passion into a career dedicated to social work. Upon graduation, they are equipped to pursue a variety of opportunities in family counseling, caregiving, nonprofit organizing, corrections and more.
Learn more about Avila University’s online Bachelor of Social Work program.
