AASWG GROUP WORK CAMP IN LAKE GENEVA WISCONSIN

Six MSW students (Mayra Bagnoli, Daniella Riccelli, Sean Ryan, Lisa Salcedo, Kevin Schmidt, Diane Seeland), who attend Barry University's School of Social Work at its Palm Beach Gardens site, travelled to the Association of the Advancement of Social Work with Groups' Group Work Camp in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin in August 2011.  Dr. Mitch Rosenwald, Associate Professor of Social Work, accompanied the students to this camp.  The purpose of the camp was to provide an experiential opportunity for students, practitioners and faculty. Participants learned firsthand the power of groups by planning and participating in a range of team-building activities as well as sharpened their leadership skills by attending a variety of workshops on topics ranging from group work with seniors to group work with those who survived natural diaster and war.  Two students, Mr. Ryan and Ms. Salcedo, facilitated "Skill Swap" workshops on, respectively, stress management and sandtray therapy.  In sum, students had a terrific time and learned about group facilitation and experienced the power of groups.  A few quotes from the students:

"It was a breath of fresh air, an opportunity to experience the very reason why we are social workers which is because we want to make a difference and we believe in the immense potential for growth and change."

"This was one of the most inspiring experiences I've had in my professional career"

"This group camp weekend has been a life changing experience for me and I remain grateful to the School of Social Work for making this opportunity possible. It was the perfect culmination to an amazing master of social work education."

Dr. Rosenwald was very pleased with the students' participation in the Group Work Camp and looks forward to continuing the mentoring relationship with co-authoring a manuscript on the experience with the students.