Social Workers Accessing Group Support

Life as a Uni Student

2008-04-22T17:14:00.000-07:00

Partying, socialising, sleeping in, cramming for exams and skipping lectures; these words are often associated with uni students. However there is a lot more to uni than this. Being a uni student myself I often tell people that uni is hard work and to actually pass all your subjects you do have to work.

At James Cook University depending on the course you are studying, there will generally be 13 weeks of lectures and workshops, followed by a two week exam block. In between lectures and workshops, you have to find time to research, complete assignments, study for exams, prepare presentations and continue with your day to day life. There are times when I'll have four assignments all due in the same week and all I'm doing is assignment after assignment. So as much as people may think, uni is not just about the social life. It can be stressful and hectic at times. When I get stressed and overwhelmed by all the work and assignments I try to envisage the end goal and the great holidays that come with being a uni student is a bonus.

Neurological Movement Disorders Symposium

2008-04-19T22:29:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday the 16th of April, I attended the Far North Queensland Neurological Movement Disorders Symposium with Megan. This event was organised and presented by the Atherton Tableland and the Cairns Dystonia Support Group to raise awareness and support about different neurological movement disorders.

Professional guest speakers including Dr John O'Sullivan, Dr Steven Dommann, Ms Karen O'Maley and Ms Maree Brockie all presented informative speeches about a range of neurological movement disorders, focussing on Dystonia, Parkinson's Disease, Tremor and Multiple Sclerosis.

Gail Rogers a Speech Pathologist, Melanie Mirotsos a Physiotherapist and Kerry Stingel an Occupational Therapist discussed and exemplified how they would respond and work together as a team of local, Cairns health specialists to treat patients with neurological movement disorders.

Maureen Slocum and Sue Bayliss ended the evening by providing a pesonal insight into what it's like living with Spasmodic Dysphonia. This was a great learning experience for me as I had not heard much about the different forms of Dystonia and the affects it has on individuals. In their stories Maureen and Sue discussed how people will often avoid them or make excuses that they have to go somewhere because they find it difficult to understand what they are saying due to their Spasmodic Dysphonia. This made me conscious of how important it is to educate and raise societal awareness about neurological movement disorders.

Why Social Work?

2008-04-15T13:27:00.000-07:00

Why did you decide to study Social Work?
This is a question I constantly get asked by family and friends and when meeting new people in different social settings.

Being 22 years old people are often interested in why I decided to study social work. Instead of studying education, business or sport and exercise science like most of my friends at uni, my interests and instincts led me into the world of social work. So let me tell you what motivated me to undertake this degree.

Just recently I was reading over one of my Year eight assignments which asked us to consider where we would like to be in ten years time. I had written that I hoped I would be a social worker, so social work is something that has always interested me. Having such a carefree and happy childhood also motivated me to study this degree. I often reminisce with Mum about the great times I had growing up with my sister and brother. This personal, positive experience has particularly influenced my interest in working with children, as I believe that all children should have a safe and memorable childhood.

Over the last two years at uni, I have heard so many empowering stories, formed some great friendships and support and am looking forward to learning much more.

adding to technorati

2008-04-14T20:29:00.001-07:00

Technorati Profile

Cairns Social Workers

2008-04-13T22:01:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to the Social Workers Accessing Group Support blog. My name is Jenni, I'm a third year social work student at James Cook University in Cairns, starting my first 13 week placement.

One of my first tasks was to create a social work blog. After discussion with my supervisor we decided to start this SWAGS blog for all social work students, social workers and anyone else interested in social work action in Far North Queensland.

The aim of this blog is to raise awareness about social issues, form support and bring social workers together as peer and professional support.

One of my learning objectives while on placement is to develop an understanding of how technology can be used productively in social work so creating this social work blog is a great way to put my learning into practice.

If you are a social worker in Far North Queensland, we would love to hear from you. If you would like to be added to our links just drop me a comment. Fellow students on placement use this blog platform to share your learning experiences.