October 7, 2009

Can Social Work Shape a Nation?

BU Visitors Think So

“Our time in Bethlehem was SO intense, inspiring, and life-changing,” writes Dr. Eddie Uehara, Dean of the School of Social Work at the University of Washington (UW).

Dr. Eddie joined Nelson, Suzanne and Nelson Del Rio Jr and her colleague Dr. Ratnesh Nagda, an Associate Professor in the School of Social Work, for an August 2009 visit to Bethlehem University. They came to get a taste of the situation our community lives and the ways a social work program partnership might change things for the better.

The visit began as a suggestion by long-time BU friends Frank and Julie Jungers. The Jungers, who know the Del Rios through UW alumni leadership, most recently visited BU a little more than a year ago. When Frank heard that Nelson was bringing his family to the Middle East, he of course encouraged Nelson to include a visit to the University.

That idea would become a 10-day visit for the Del Rio family and the UW faculty, meeting BU Sociology and Social Work faculty, students and alumni and witnessing the roles that BU-trained social workers play in the Palestinian community. With the leadership and hospitality of the Dr. Norma Masriyyeh Hazboun, Chairperson of Social Sciences; Ms. Nabila Daqqaq, Social Work Instructor; and the BU Brothers Community, our visitors were able to see first-hand Israeli-Palestinian “facts on the ground” and to explore the potential of a BU/UW social work partnership.

The visit convinced them that the discipline of social work has a unique role to play here, not only in serving individuals and families but also in building the fabric of a nation. “Having the wonderful conversations with our new-found kindred spirits and colleagues, and being able to take in some of the experiences in the larger community,” says Dr. Ratnesh, “have convinced me about the important work of nation-building that we have to do together.”

“Our visitors understood immediately our reality as Palestinians,” Dr. Norma explains. “One could sense it in their words, gestures and full support for further development of our students and our University.”

The Del Rio family and the UW School of Social Work already have significant experience supporting education in the developing world, having helped establish the first Cambodian bachelor's degree program in social work at the Royal University of Phnom Phen (RUPP). The Cambodian program was designed not only to train clinical social workers but also to cultivate social workers as broader change agents prepared to lobby for more just social systems.

In that spirit, the Del Rio Family Foundation has generously agreed to fund the growth of a BU/UW Social Work partnership, one we are convinced will have incredibly positive results. Potential outcomes of this initiative include enhancing the undergraduate social work curriculum, facilitating BU faculty participation in graduate degree programs in the U.S., and developing a Master of Social Work degree at BU.

A master’s program, based on the success of BU’s MICAD, would incorporate both social work practice and development theory to provide programming rooted in the Palestinian experience. Palestine-specific concentrations might include “nation building” and “institutional policy development” as a complement to more global foci like “advanced clinical social work skills.”

Besides their support for these important academic developments, the Del Rio family is also interested in exporting the Palestinian story. Fascinated by storytelling projects he encountered in Europe, Nelson Jr. wants to partner with BU students and alumni to create a collection of Palestinian stories by children, giving voice to their present realities and to their dreams for the future. Nelson Jr., who celebrated his 12th birthday at Dr. Norma’s home, believes in personalizing the Palestinian story to give it broader appeal.

Ultimately, the Del Rio family and UW faculty visit inspired a passionate commitment to the Palestinian people and to the BU community: “What amazing work you are all doing!” writes Nelson Sr. “You have a small but dedicated group of supporters in the Del Rio family, and you will always have advocates in America willing to do whatever we can to help.

“The time Nelson Jr. spent with you and the Brothers is the first significant amount of time he has spent with men of faith committed to education and it has set a wonderful impression in his mind of what commitment, faith, and love can do. He really does see the Brothers as a group of Super Heroes like the Fantastic Four plus a few more.”

Likewise, the commitment of our friends continues to inspire us. Thank you Frank and Julie; Nelson, Suzanne, and Nelson Jr; Dr Eddie and Dr Ratnesh! Your partnership and support are truly a blessing.