The DC Advocacy Immersion at Ohio State University is a special opportunity for students in the College of Social Work. Each spring, the group receives advocacy training and travels to Washington to meet with members of Congress and learn about government advocacy. Students will have the opportunity to share their personal experiences from their work in the social work field with current Ohio senators and representatives.
steve davidThe University Advocacy Director will coordinate the trip.
“This is what I see happening when students are exposed to the legislative process first-hand,” he says. “It really gives them a sense of validity and also a sense that they belong in this space.”
Rochelle Sparks is currently pursuing a master’s degree in social work with a focus on mental health and substance abuse. Her focus on mental health was inspired by her daughter’s struggles, and she decided to travel to learn more about her options.
“She is the first person in my family to be diagnosed with this disease. [with a mental health condition]” Sparks said of her daughter. “I had no idea what that would be like or how to help and support her girlfriend.”
The goal of this program is for individuals to see themselves in a new professional field. To that end, David said, students choose the issues they want to explore during their trip.
“We ask them, ‘What issues are you interested in?’ and we place them in advocacy groups based on what they want to talk about,” David said. “We plan to provide the structure and scaffolding to enable them to do that work effectively. Their interests drive the issues we choose.”
Once in Washington, the group will meet with the offices of at least three Ohio elected officials. All in all, at his DC fly-in this year, he was able to meet both of Ohio’s senators and 14 of his 15 Ohio representatives.
In addition to time with legislators, the program also focuses on professional development. The college hosts receptions for students to meet and network with other college alumni in the area, as well as DC Career Panels, which introduce students to careers in government and advocacy.
“One of the coolest things for me is that this is the first year that people who have previously traveled with us are now working in some of these legislative offices,” David said. said.
For Sparks, the trip helped her better understand what she wanted to do with her education. She now has a better understanding of how the legislative process works and her options going forward.
“I took this trip and learned and was excited about what I was doing in this field and at the federal level,” she said.
This program is impactful and continues to encourage students to do what they are passionate about. Sparks encourages all students interested in social work to participate.
“The coaching of this team puts us in an area that I don’t think a lot of people are very familiar with, but where we can make a difference,” Sparks said.
David said this program is what Ohio State is all about.
“this [is] “Education for Citizenship.” “This way, we educate our students by giving them the opportunity to actually interact with these systems,” he said. “This is how we teach: We take something that students care about and let them talk about it directly.”