Disaster Resilience Leadership Academy joins School of Social Work on July 1

The Tulane School of Social Work is pleased to announce that the Disaster Resilience Leadership Academy (DRLA), which has been a unit within the Tulane University Law School through its Payson Center for International Development, will be moving to the School of Social Work effective July 1, 2012.

The Academy was established with a grant from the U.S. Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance in 2009 that called for establishing a center for excellence in disaster management with special emphasis on leadership toward community resilience and sustainability. Following a research and development program in collaboration with seven major universities and five international humanitarian organizations, the Academy established a set of 50 competencies in disaster resilience leadership as a framework for disaster preparedness, response, and recovery. This framework was first tested in Haiti in response to the January 2010 earthquake that got the attention of the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation that led first to a planning grant and then, late last year, to one of largest disaster grants funded by the Gates Foundation. The Academy was awarded a $5 million grant from the Gates Foundation to strengthen disaster resilience leadership capacity in or near disaster-prone regions in Africa, the Caribbean, and Asia through local universities. The Academy will establish a network of education and development programs in disaster resilience and leadership.
 
DRLA joins the School of Social Work following the completion of a 3-year start-up grant from the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance. Within this three year period the DRLA has met or exceeded its goals, culminating in joining the School of Social Work. More information about this exciting new partnership will be released in the coming months.

For more information about DRLA activities or for admissions information, please visit http://www.drlatulane.org/.

When the pressures of classes and exams abound, a yoga class can be the perfect way to relax and clear the mind. Students from the School of Social Work head under the trees outside the school for an afternoon yoga break. The event was sponsored by the Student Government Association as part of its on-going self-care offering to students.

Book offers multilingual help for Haitian children

When December social work graduates Lucy Bromer and Caroline Crowley saw the ongoing mental health struggles of children in Haiti due to the 2010 earthquake, they decided to offer a solution — in three languages.

The duo wrote and illustrated a 52-page children’s book The Big Shake in Haiti’s three main languages — Haitian Creole, French, and English — as their professional project, which is a key graduation requirement in the Tulane School of Social Work. The book is intended to help children process the trauma they experienced.

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Passion for social work guides work of recent graduate in South Africa

Leah Krandel’s passion for addressing issues of diversity rings true in every word she speaks. For three months this fall, she took that passion to South Africa as part of her global field placement. Krandel is one of 91 students who graduated from the Tulane School of Social Work on Friday (Dec. 9).

Krandel worked with Child Welfare South Africa, the country’s oldest non-governmental organization that works closely with the government to provide social services for children.

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School of Social Work Rocks the World

The cover story of the Fall issue of the Tulanian is titled “175 Ways Tulane Has Rocked the World.” The article identifies individuals who have been affiliated with Tulane over this period of time who have made a real difference in their own unique ways. I’am delighted to report that the School of Social Work is noted six times among the 175 listings.  Following are the six entries with a brief update for each.

Click here to view the six entries and where those TSSW graduates are today.

Do Work That Matters.
 

Now more than ever before, New Orleans is a living laboratory, with social work front and center in the recovery of one of America’s greatest cities. Tulane School of Social Work, the first program for social workers in the deep South, is on the ground working in partnership with numerous non-profit organizations to rebuild our city. Join Tulane School of Social Work, and do work that matters.