By Alisha Meinen, MSW, CSW, Assistant Professor of Social Work at UW-Eau Claire
The Social Work Department at the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire is guided by the Code of Ethics and accreditation guidelines to incorporate education regarding social justice issues and teach students to think critically about the variety of ways that these issues can be addressed. Because JONAH’s values for addressing injustice and enhancing communities align well with social work values, JONAH is a popular internship choice for social work students.
Recently, two JONAH interns returned to courses they recently completed, but this time, as guest speakers with important messages to share. Brady Dehnke and Sydney Hake presented on topics they are passionate about to the Social Welfare Policies and Program course and the Practice with Communities and Organizations course.
In his presentation ‘Local Elections Matter,’ Brady complemented course material about voting as a social work intervention to elicit change. He shared information regarding the difference between voter turnout in spring versus fall elections and how elections can be decided by a very narrow margin. He walked students through the process of how to look up and understand their ballot. He focused on voting as advocacy, teaching students that voting is a powerful tool in shaping the social policies affecting our clients.
Sydney’s presentation, ‘Policy Solutions: BadgerCare Public Option,’ aligned with the course unit on health disparities and policy solutions. She provided powerful statistics about the healthcare needs of Wisconsinites, unaffordable costs, and shortages of healthcare options in the state. Sydney took a solution-focused approach to her presentation, sharing how the BadgerCare Public Option bill could address many of these issues, and improve the lives of citizens.
While college students may not always enjoy the times that they are required to practice public speaking, these students are proof that developing presentation skills are important. Both delivered engaging, data-informed presentations while keeping students interested in the topic and participating in discussion. This is no easy task even for experienced presenters.
Speaker impact can be measured by the level of student engagement. This impact was reflected not only during the presentations, but also in student feedback surveys.
Overall themes from students regarding what they learned from Brady include increased awareness around voting processes and accessibility, realization of the power of local elections and individual votes, greater awareness of local issues, and inspiration to make a difference with their vote.
Quotes from students:
‘I learned from Brady about the MyVote website. I did not know that this website existed. I also didn’t know that by using that website I could find my polling place that easily and see ballots before going to the polling place. I definitely will be using this website in the future!’
‘I knew that voter turnout in local elections tends to be much lower than that for primary elections. But it was shocking to see how there was such a small margin between which candidates win and lose. It goes to show how much impact you can have on your local government by voting.’
Overall themes from students regarding what they learned from Sydney included a greater understanding of the complexities of healthcare needs including coverage gaps, high costs, political barriers, and inequities. Students also expressed increased awareness on the need for advocacy and civic action to address these issues as they have a great impact on people’s health outcomes.
Quotes from students:
‘Sydney taught us that healthcare debt is a very large and prevalent issue for many people. Current insurance programs are simply not affordable and cause people to choose to be uncovered and in risk of debt if medical emergencies arise. BadgerCare Public Opinion would be a solution to this issue, offering people lower costs, universal buy ins, and basic healthcare plans.’
‘I really appreciated hearing from Sydney. I learned about BadgerCare Public Option, which would help to reach those individuals who exceed the Federal Poverty Line but do not qualify for marketplace subsidies. It was interesting to learn about alternatives to our current BadgerCare plan.’
The social work code of ethics states, ‘Social workers pursue social change, particularly with and on behalf of vulnerable and oppressed individuals and groups of people.’ By bringing internship experiences back into the classroom, Brady and Sydney demonstrated how to take meaningful action toward social change. Their presentations not only deepened students’ understanding of voting and healthcare policy, but also reinforced the importance of advocacy, civic engagement, and informed decision-making. They truly made a great impact in the classroom.