Building Students step into real-life project 166 [academics] For a student to feel fully prepared as he or she entered the job field, many departments set up true-life situations for their students. Some had required internships while others had classes devoted to placing the students in the workplace.The social work department was no different. In 2007, one teacher encouraged her students to create, set up and maintain a special project that demanded many hours of work, dedication and concern for the community. In her common practice with organizations and communities course, social work instructor Kathy Helpenstill created the White County Child Advocacy Center with the direct involvement of the 30 students enrolled in the class.This center recognized the seriousness of the high rates of sexual abuse cases and low rates of prosecutions that took place as a result. “This is a place where children that are sexually abused can go and be processed in a safe environment,”Helpenstill said. “They get an interview. They get an examination, services, referrals and victim’s rights.” At the Advocacy Center, a nurse, medical examiner, forensic examiner and child advocate was always present.These experts helped the child from the moment of the interview with a trained and educated interviewer, up to the point of prosecution. “It helps the community by getting rid of sexual offenders, raising awareness, helping and supporting victims,” Helpenstill said. “It keeps children safer, it educates and it protects our children.” But this project not only benefited the community.The 30 students were pushed to work hard and give all their effort into the project. Rather than coming up with a plan that other people could execute, the students were involved in every step of the process. They looked for legal advisors and permits, contacted medical and forensic examiners,acquired donations which included the house donated by Harding University and equipped the center with every medical instrument and office supply that was needed. The group was divided into nine committees under the direction of senior classmates Mark Voyles, as the CEO, and Corwin Brown, as the COO. Voyles managed the operations committee, research and development, legal team and evaluations of the programs. Brown managed the fund raising committee, resource development, buildings and grounds, publicity, web site design and program implementation. All of these duties required both students to coordinate activities, be available to their classmates and act as a representative of Harding University to the community as well as review the reports sent to the board of directors for Searcy. “It’s a lot of work,” Brown said. “But it also means it’s a chance to do something while at school that will hopefully help little kids.” Working on this project was not only hard work and responsibility, but according to Brown, it was a satisfying experience in managing people and resources.The students received a glimpse of how a job in the real world would be like. “The whole point of the class is to teach community advocacy and how to serve communities,”Helpenstill said. Her high opinion of the students entrusted to her was easy to discover. This group of servant-oriented and hardworking students with support from an admired teacher set up a program that not only elevated the testimony of Harding but made a positive influence on the community. [Karol Figueroa]
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