Social Work Class Hosts Genocide Survivor
Social work program hosts genocide survivor during annual community night event
Tom Balazire, a native of Bukavu, in the south Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo, will share his personal experience with genocide during the social work program’s annual community night on Thursday, April 20 from 6-8 p.m. in the Stevens Student Center event rooms on the campus of Cedarville University.
The “Exposing Genocide” event will also feature Marissa Sandgren, the educational outreach associate at the Enough Project, which seeks to end genocide and crimes against humanity. She will discuss the history of genocide, current genocides and action steps against future genocides.
“The goal of the event is primarily to educate,” said Jesse Childress, senior social work major from Yorktown, Virginia. “We hope to educate students, social workers and community members about the causes of genocide and what we can do to help.”
Junior and senior students in the Social Work Practice with Communities and Organizations class organized the event to foster discussion about a difficult topic. Previous classes have organized events to discuss child brides and fair-trade practices.
“The students have been working hard on this project all year long, and we are excited to see it come to fruition,” said Melissa Brown, assistant professor of social work who teaches the class. “Tom Balazire has a powerful story, and we are thankful he has agreed to share it with us.”
Light refreshments will be served as part of the event, and licensed social workers who attend are eligible to earn two free continuing education units.
Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is an accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enrollment of 3,760 undergraduate, graduate, and online students in more than 100 areas of study. Founded in 1887, Cedarville is recognized nationally for its authentic Christian community, rigorous academic programs, strong graduation and retention rates, accredited professional and health science offerings, and leading student satisfaction ratings. For more information about the University, visit www.cedarville.edu.
The “Exposing Genocide” event will also feature Marissa Sandgren, the educational outreach associate at the Enough Project, which seeks to end genocide and crimes against humanity. She will discuss the history of genocide, current genocides and action steps against future genocides.
“The goal of the event is primarily to educate,” said Jesse Childress, senior social work major from Yorktown, Virginia. “We hope to educate students, social workers and community members about the causes of genocide and what we can do to help.”
Junior and senior students in the Social Work Practice with Communities and Organizations class organized the event to foster discussion about a difficult topic. Previous classes have organized events to discuss child brides and fair-trade practices.
“The students have been working hard on this project all year long, and we are excited to see it come to fruition,” said Melissa Brown, assistant professor of social work who teaches the class. “Tom Balazire has a powerful story, and we are thankful he has agreed to share it with us.”
Light refreshments will be served as part of the event, and licensed social workers who attend are eligible to earn two free continuing education units.
Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is an accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enrollment of 3,760 undergraduate, graduate, and online students in more than 100 areas of study. Founded in 1887, Cedarville is recognized nationally for its authentic Christian community, rigorous academic programs, strong graduation and retention rates, accredited professional and health science offerings, and leading student satisfaction ratings. For more information about the University, visit www.cedarville.edu.