Social Work Association of Graduate Students (SWAGS)

It’s been a busy year for SWAGS!

They organised social catch-ups throughout the year to welcome and orientate new students and offer support throughout placement. They also secured funding for free Mental Health First Aid training and subsidised two rounds of Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training.

The AASW social work accreditation standards create some difficulties for students on their field education placements. SWAGS addressed these concerns in a letter co-signed by the social work student associations from RMIT and La Trobe universities, and with the support of our Department at Melbourne.

Committee members represented students at meetings with University staff, including the Dean, and recently authored a letter on behalf of the student body to the Prime Minister and the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, protesting the treatment of asylum seekers on Manus Island.

Finally, they topped off the year clad in lycra and boogied to ‘80s pop music at their annual SWAGS ball. What a way to farewell the 2017 SWAGS Committee and graduating students!  The 2018 Committee has been elected and is already looking forward to the challenges the new year will bring!