Field trips give GU students hands-on experiences helping people

Published: February 09, 2024

Author: Dave Bell

When Helo Oidjarv teaches a social work class, she’s not content with classroom instruction. She tries to ensure each class includes at least one experience outside the classroom.

“I want the students to see how things are done out in the field,” said Oidjarv, director of the Social Work program at Greenville University. “That’s where they can learn things about social work that they can’t fully experience in the classroom.”

For instance, students in her Policies & Agencies class last fall took a two-day trip to Chicago to learn about the Salvation Army and the Jesus People, two faith-based organizations ministering to low-income residents. But their visit went beyond just listening to ministry representatives talk about programs; the students were able to participate in some of the hands-on work those organizations are doing to help homeless and low-income individuals in the city. They spent part of one day distributing Salvation Army hygiene kits to people living in tents.

“Our guide for the Salvation Army tour (pictured above) came from a social work background,” Oidjarv said. “He was very excited to talk to our students about helping others in the name of Jesus.”

Then, just after Thanksgiving, Oidjarv’s Introduction to Social Work class traveled to St. Louis to visit the St. Louis International Institute, an agency that helps refugees (many from Afghanistan) who live in the city.

“We were also able to get some hands-on time there, too, helping sort clothes and other items that had been donated to the institute,” she said. “Those opportunities to volunteer are important because our social work majors need to have 400 hours of experiential work by the time they graduate.”

But aside from the program requirements, Oidjarv said the trips allow students to see social work in action.

“Many students choose social work because they have a desire to serve people,” she said. “These experiences provide opportunities to minister to people in the way Jesus did – meeting their needs and sharing the gospel at the same time. Students said that doing so strengthened their faith and helped them feel like they were putting their beliefs into practice.”

GU hopes that the benefits students gain from experiential learning opportunities will shape the kind of professionals and the kind of people they become.