SEARCH RESULTS

I have been on my placement for over two weeks now, and things are starting to fall into place. I am placed in the Aboriginal homelessness/housing crisis sector and spent the first few days trying to understand the policies, legislation and complexity of the housing system. Homelessness is much more than people sleeping rough, it has a background involving trauma, mental health concerns, domestic violence, isolation and at times, policies that largely suit the dominant population in Australia. In many Aboriginal communities, the concept of kinship and family unit is vastly different from the definition of the western family unit. People can come down to visit and stay with each other for months. For e.g. An Aboriginal family coming down from Northern Territory to their relatives in Adelaide during the summer months. This means that Aboriginal people are often at risk of losing their homes, or rentals because of overcrowding. I find this definition to be insensitive and biased against the Aboriginal communities because we have a similar system back in my home country, where a house extends its support to the extended family and community. When we say that colonisation continues to take place in Australia, it is referring to these policies which discriminate against Aboriginal communities. In my observation, I find that these matters are often hidden from the general public, who are still to learn so much more about the Aboriginal way of life. So, when the opportunity came up, I asked my supervisor whether I could attend “Closing the Gap Day” on 16th March 2023. The event was held at the Jubilee Pavilion at Adelaide Showgrounds, a space large enough to accommodate thousands of patrons. When I reached there, I was delighted to see a large number of Aboriginal and Non-Indigenous people waiting in line to experience and support the event. When I went inside, there were hundreds of stalls with infographics, statistics and brochures on health care, aged care, disability, employment, homelessness, youth services etc. Native geckos, snakes and other reptiles were showcased to make the event interesting to a large number of school students. That view instilled hope in me for future generations as they learn more about the land on which they live in. There were also many food stalls and freebies on offer, making it a complete carnival. I would recommend every social work student to attend such events, as it opens our eyes to the scale of work left to be done. For eg., One of the most common issues faced by the Aboriginal community today is the lack of access to adequate dental and eye care. This may sound completely unrelated to the work we do. But the more I learn, the more I find how interconnected so many of the issues are. Links for more information - https://www.facebook.com/closethegapcampaign/ https://closethegap.org.au/close-the-gap-day/ https://www.niaa.gov.au/resource-centre/indigenous-affairs/commonwealth-closing- gap-implementation-plan-2023 Aakaash Chiramal MSW Student @ Flinders University

We thought the best way to start the ball rolling was to include the range of Study Support Options available directly from Flinders. The information below is all available from the Student Support page located on https://students.flinders.edu.au/support. Brought to you by FUSWA

Congratulations on becoming a Social Work Student at Flinders University! The first year at Flinders can bring with it a mix of emotions. The excitement and jubilation of receiving your confirmation, knowing that you have been accepted as a university student, is often followed by the daunting reality that there is so much to do, before you even start your first lecture. It's usually at this point, many new students at the beginning of their academic journey can become overwhelmed. First year students may even start freaking out with the feeling that they have so much to do, have absolutely no idea what needs to be done, or even where to start. Whilst others may believe they are across everything, only to find a few weeks into the semester that they've missed something, only to find themselves in catch-up mode. Either way, as a student of Flinders University, you are not alone and you'll soon discover that 2nd, 3rd and even 4th year students can sometimes feel the same way at the beginning of a new year, as you do right now. But.....it's not all that scary! You will soon discover that university brings with it a whole world of support, be it from the College (including staff), your FUSWA Team, FUSA, or the student community (your peers). As a new student (or even if you are a returning student who just needs some guidance), we have put together a few things below to aid you in your academic journey. CEPSW Firstly, the best place to start is to reach out to the College of Education, Psychology and Social Work (CEPSW) and chat with the enrollments team about Study Plans. Study Plans are the road map to topics and what direction to take should you need to change you course structure, or just know what you need to do each semester. We highly recommend students send through an email at the end of each semester to get their Study Plan updated. Reach out to CEPSW and organise a meeting in person, or over the phone. They will be able to answer the majority of your questions and provide amazing support throughout your academic journey. CEPSW contact information - Email: ​courseadvice.epsw@flinders.edu.au ​Telephone: (08) 8201 7800 FUSWA Reach out to the Flinders University Social Work Association (FUSWA) and ask for help. The FUSWA Team are made up of students at different stages of their degree, and pathways (BSW & MSW), and have been exactly where you are right now. Connect with FUSWA - fuswa.team@gmail.com O'WEEK Come along to O'Week and make sure you visit the various stalls, and events. This fun week, starting at the beginning of every semester, provides you an opportunity to meet other students, the FUSWA Team, and attend events that give you a great kick start to your year. O'Week @ Flinders FUSA The Flinders University Student Association (FUSA) provides a range of support to all students. The Committee, made up of students from different disciplines, are always on hand to help. Connect with FUSWA STUDENT SOCIAL MEDIA You have a range of Facebook Pages, Messenger and Chats to join that can help you connect with other Social Work Students. FUSWA Facebook Page Flinders University Social Work Students Join the Social Work Students Messenger Community Chat Masters of Social Work at Flinders External Students BSW Online Discussion Forum Overheard At Flinders University FUSA Flinders University Student Association If you discover other things that help you, let the FUSWA Team know and we can include them on this Blog. But for now, we hope this helps, and you have an awesome experience at Flinders! The FUSWA Team

STUDY BLOG Get Updated Be the first to find out about FUSWA, Flinders Uni, CEPSW, Social Work, and everything between. Subscribe to the FUSWA Student Study Blog! FAN Email Subscribe Thanks for Subscribing! All Posts FUSWA Flinders University CEPSW AASW Search Log in / Sign up - Mar 20, 2023 2 min Closing the Gap Day 2023 Rated 5 out of 5 stars. (1) I have been on my placement for over two weeks now, and things are starting to fall into place. I am placed in the Aboriginal... 25 1 comment 1 2 likes. Post not marked as liked 2 - Feb 28, 2023 3 min FUSWA First Year @ Flinders University? Support and first year study help - where to go and who to speak to. 19 0 comments 0 2 likes. Post not marked as liked 2 - Feb 28, 2023 1 min CEPSW Become an Inspire Mentor Inspire Change is a mentoring program 6 0 comments 0 2 likes. Post not marked as liked 2 BEFORE REPLYING and POSTING Please make sure you have read "The Student Study Blog and Student Forum - Posting Rules & Warnings" If you have any questions regarding what you should and should not post, please contact FUSWA. STUDENT FORUM EXPLORE

FUSWA SOCIAL MEDIA CLICK • VISIT • LIKE • FOLLOW • CONNECT • EXPLORE • SHARE • CHAT At Flinders, BSW & MSW Social Work Students have a wide range of social platforms to connect on, opening up a world of possibilities for everyone! LIKE & FOLLOW FUSWA FACEBOOK Our Official Facebook Page The official FUSWA Facebook page includes posts brought to you direct from the Flinders University Social Work Association (FUSWA) and its Team. Like and Follow to keep up to date on what's happening at FUSWA, including Events, Merchandise and more...​ FUSWA MESSENGER CHAT Official Facebook Community Chat FUSWA created a Facebook Messenger Community Chat for BSW and MSW Students at Flinders University. These chats, arranged by Degree (BSW / BSWH / MSW), Year and Semester, is our Official Chat platform, to supplement the FUSWA Discord Chat Server which provides individual BSW & MSW Topic Chats, and information. Help grow the Social Work Student Community by joining these Messenger Chats. START CHATTING LEARN MORE LEARN MORE FUSWA DISCORD SERVER Official Discord Chat Join the FUSWA Discord Chat Server and connect with other students based on your Semester Topics. This server provides students Chat, Voice and Video options - great for Study Groups! You will also find the server includes information, and downloads to help with your studies whether you are a BSW, BSWH or MSW student. START CHATTING FUSWA LINKEDIN PAGE Official Association's LinkedIn Page The Association's LinkedIn Page allows LinkedIn members to discover and connect with individual companies, and other social workers. It also provides students a chance to learn about the social work practice, the human services industry, its brands, products, services, career opportunities, and more. LINK UP FOLLOW US FUSWA LINKEDIN GROUP Our Official Groups Page The official FUSWA LinkedIn Groups page provides students and industry professional a powerful tool for sharing personal experiences and expertise. It provides the ability to connect with peers and potential mentors in the social work and human services industry, communicate with current practitioners, or prospect career opportunities. FUSWA INSTAGRAM Our Official Insta Posts Follow FUSWA on Intagram and be presented with a variety of inspirational memes, event photo's, updates, highlights, and funnies. FOLLOW US FOLLOW US FUSWA TWITTER Our Official Tweet's The official FUSWA Twitter provides students a platform to discover Tweets about news and events happening at FUSWA, Flinders University, and beyond. Follow us, and the people, providers, or companies we follow, and enjoy consuming content we endeavor to provide, or simply use it to communicate with other social work students, and friends. FUSWA YOUTUBE CHANNEL Our Official Video Channel Subscribe to the FUSWA YouTube Channel and discover video's produced by the Team, our activities, FUSWA social, career, and informational events. Missed out on the BSW and MSW Student Placement Sessions held on campus? We endeavour to record everything we do and pop it on our channel so you don't miss out! SUBSCRIBE FOLLOW US FUSWA TIKTOK Our Official TikTok The FUSWA TikTok is our outlet for students to express themselves through song, dance, music, comedy, lip-sync, or whatever they want to share across the Flinders Uni community. Watch us and social work students create and share the quirky, the notable, and other content that expresses them, and their lives, in some unique way. FUSWA QPAY Our Official Membership App Singup and become a Student Member of the Flinders University Social Work Association (FUSWA). Enjoy the benefits of FREE Membership with access to some great FUSWA Merchandise, prizes, events, and giveaways throughout the year. JOIN UP JOIN THE GROUP STUDENT FACEBOOK GROUP Flinders Uni Social Work Students This is the Flinders University Social Work Students PRIVATE Facebook group. Our Team here at FUSWA, along with other students, moderate the page and you will often see FUSWA posts across it so that the wider student community never miss out on what's happening at FUSWA, Flinders and worldwide. This group provides access to the FUSWA Community Messenger Chats. MSW FACEBOOK GROUP Master's of Social Work Facebook This PRIVATE Facebook Group is dedicated to students studying their Master's Degree, providing a platform to connect, share and discuss this pathway within Flinders University. Students here will also be members of the Flinders University Social Work Students Group, and you will sometimes see FUSWA posts shared on this page. JOIN THE GROUP STUDENT CHAT CONNECT

FUSWA EVENTS & ACTIVITIES The latest in Events and Activities FUSWA run are all located here. Come back and visit to see what we have on throughout the year. Remember to Like and Follow Facebook because we post there to! No events at the moment Messenger Chat COMMUNITY Questions? Email Us CONTACT US Follow, Like & Share