In an effort to promote student involvement in Indiana public policy, Ball State social work students gathered in Indianapolis Wednesday to recognize the state's 5th annual Legislative, Education and Advocacy Day.
The purpose of LEAD is to encourage students and Indiana social workers to play an active role in the legislative process, said Dwight Hymans, assistant professor of social work.
"They need to understand how policies affect what they do as social workers," Hymans said. "It's a very important part of social work training."
Hymans said 30 Ball State students gathered with 500 social work practitioners, faculty and students from throughout Indiana. The LEAD recognition included a breakfast at the Indianapolis Radisson City Centre Hotel and general sessions in which professional social workers discussed how college students could become active participants in the state's political process.
Smaller break-out sessions later allowed students to discuss issues including child welfare, state funding for social welfare services and civil rights for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities, Hymans said. Other sessions focused on professional issues ranging from licensing to professional accreditation, he said.
Social work practitioners, students and educators later marched around the State House toward the North Atrium, where they participated in a rally with several state legislators including Rep. Tiny Adams and Sen. Vi Simpson. The LEAD rally allowed social workers to discuss issues of concern related to their profession, Hymans said.
LEAD, established in 1999, is sponsored by the Indiana Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, PACE, the Indiana Association for Social Work Education and the National Association of Black Social Workers.
Since Indiana established LEAD five years ago, Hymans said he has served on the activities planning committee and has enjoyed collaborating with students and social work professionals each year.
He said he especially appreciates the number of Ball State social work students who were willing to recognize LEAD this year and hopes the students better understand their roles in the legislative process.
"They should have some idea of how they might be able to influence public policy, " Hymans said.
Junior Rusti Schnelle said she was glad she decided to participate in LEAD activities for the first time.
Being able to travel to Indianapolis with fellow social work majors demonstrates that college students do care about legislative matters, she said.
"It was empowering because we got our voices out," Schnelle said. "We let legislators know we are concerned about important issues."
Like Schnelle, junior Sarah King said she enjoyed playing an active role in LEAD and is looking forward to participating in similar activities next year.
The most important lesson King learned Wednesday was that the average student can make a difference in public policy, she said.
"The legislative process is intimidating to most people," King said. "But even as students, we can still do (big) things."
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