(Don Bosco College Itanagar, Jollang) – A week-long Rural Immersion Camp was held under the theme “Strengthening Social Connectedness” from 5-10 February, 2023 at Jote Village, Arunachal Pradesh for BSW IV and VI Semesters. The students were accompanied by two faculty members of the Department of Social Work.
Objectives of Rural Immersion Camp were:
1. To acquaint the students with the aims and objectives of the Coordinating Agency.2. To understand the socio-cultural aspects of rural life.
3. To conduct a rapid survey of the village with a view to identify the problems, the felt needs of the villagers through Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) and Rapid Rural Appraisal (RRA) techniques.
4. To plan social work intervention strategies in the area.
During the Rural Immersion Camp, students conducted activities such as transect walk, community mobilization, cleanliness drive, practiced participatory rural appraisal(PRA) and also learnt many aspects from the indigenous village community. The Rural Camp at Jote Village was a huge learning experience for all the students. They interacted amicably and professionally with the local people as well as adjusted admirably to the rural setting.
The most important benefit of the camp was that the students of Don Bosco College Itanagar learnt to work as a team in a different surrounding and adapt to the weather and food. Students did a commendable job in mobilizing the community people, youth and children.
The students also performed awareness programmes on cleanliness, and substance abuse and drug abuse. The rural camp was a very good option for the students to exercise their social work principles and skills. Exposures like Rural Immersion Camp helps to capacitate young social workers professionally in addressing the concerns of the society and emerge as committed social work practitioners.
Source: Don Bosco College Intanagar