Michael Kral and Karen Marrero from the Department of History are organizing the Wayne State University Indigenous Studies Group. “We ran this idea by a number of people working with Indigenous peoples and they were very excited about getting a group together,” Kral said. “We anticipate discussing the integration of Indigenous studies into undergraduate and graduate courses and sharing resources, having a culturally sensitive collection and management of materials pertaining to Indigenous peoples, discussion of processes and results of research pertaining to, with and in tribal communities (brown bag series/colloquium presentations), and other pertinent matters as they arise.” If anyone is interested in joining, contact Dr. Kral at michael.kral@wayne.edu.

Jerry Brandell was the first recipient of AAPCSW's Selma Fraiberg Award, for his contributions to the field of child and adolescent psychoanalysis and psychotherapy, given on March 24 at the Biennial National Conference of the American Association for Psychoanalysis in Clinical Social Work in Baltimore.

Kids-TALK Children's Advocacy Center and the WSU School of Social Work partnered to display a pinwheel garden in the central courtyard and front entrance drive planter of the School of Social Work building in honor of National Child Abuse Prevention month this April. A big thanks to all staff and students who came out to assist with the installation! View our event photo album here.

Congratulations to the NASW-MI 2017 Students of the Year! Wayne State M.S.W. student Nadine Marshall (below, far left) and B.S.W. student Dena Schwartz (far right), pictured with Shirley Thomas and Joy Ernst, were honored at the NASW-MI ceremony on March 21st. View this event photo album here.

A bill written by Angelique Day has been introduced in the House of Representatives. H.R.1757 was written “To address the psychological, developmental, social, and emotional needs of children, youth, and families who have experienced trauma, and for other purposes.”

Shelly Tucker, an alumna of the School of Social Work doctoral program, was a judge for the second annual 3-Minute Thesis competition, held at the 2017 Graduate and Postdoctoral Research Symposium on March 8. Doctoral student Laurel Hicks and M.S.W. student Lester J. Kern III did not place but worked very hard in preparation with coaching from Shirley Thomas, Liz Agius, and Faith Hopp. Dr. Hopp (on right, with Hicks and Kern) called the day “a great event for our students that helped increase our visibility.”

The Transition to Independence Program in partnership with LIVE Bea-U-Tifully will host the Young Women InPowerED Expo on May 27 from noon to 4 p.m. at the Student Center Ballroom. The free event is a way for our community to InPower (empower) young girls from at-risk populations (foster youth, homeless, victims of human trafficking, juvenile justice, low SES) with information, resources, speakers, and entertainment. Topics of focus include beauty, health, identity, finances, and most importantly education. TIP is asking for volunteers to host a vendor table, donate items for swag bags and/or raffle items, spread the word to agencies serving these populations, and serve as “hype girls” to answer questions and motivate the young women to take advantage of resources and opportunities available at the event. A complete list of vendors, speakers, and breakout sessions, as well as a link to register, is available here. For more information, please contact Airika Buford, Communications and Outreach Coordinator at ar2584@wayne.edu or 313-577-0433.

The School of Social Work will be hosting a Social Justice Seder on Thursday, April 20 at 5:30 p.m. It will be a multi-culture event with a traditional service and dinner. The location is the Mondry Conference Center located at 15000 W. Ten Mile Rd. in Oak Park, MI 48237. All are welcome but seating is limited to 50. Please contact Sandra Silver at sandra.silver@wayne.edu for additional information.