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Students in an introductory social work course learned about political advocacy and community organizing while planning a Sandy Hook Promise fundraising event.

ÍâÍøÁÔÆæ sophomore Megan Lipka ’27 is passionate about ending gun violence. She was in second grade when the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting occurred. Like many of her peers, she grew up knowing that she could be a victim and felt powerless to affect change. That is, until she enrolled in "Introduction to Social Work," a course in which she and her classmates learned about and practiced community organizing and political advocacy.

The class is taught by Kim Oliver, PhD, assistant professor of the practice and director of the undergraduate Social Work program in the Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies. After years of helping the Social Work Club plan Start With Hello 5K fundraisers, Dr. Oliver integrated the event into her introductory course.

“I have woven into the curriculum so that students can learn about political advocacy, community organizing, and overall macro practice, as well as important social work values, such as service and social justice,” said Dr. Oliver.

The Start With Hello 5K is held in support of the Sandy Hook Promise campaign to educate and empower youth and adults to prevent violence. Co-sponsored this year by the Social Work Club and Phi Alpha Honor Society, the event raises money to help local school communities build cultures of empathy and inclusivity.

One strategy for highlighting their message was for Lipka and her classmates to leave inspirational sticky notes around campus. In the week leading up to the 5K, student organizers decorated windows, doors, walls, and vending machines with the pastel notes, all proclaiming the worth of passersby: “You are enough,” “The world needs you,” “You are loved.” Insofar as they lifted the spirts of those they reached, the notes reinforced the positive social impact of small kindnesses.

The curriculum and course activities taught Lipka that social work can be done anywhere. “Many people associate social workers with hospitals, schools, and counseling centers, but their work is not limited to these locations,” she said. “Social workers are active participants in the world, advocating for and driving social and political change.”

Social work major Grace Nieszczezewski ’26 took Dr. Oliver’s class last year and was instrumental in planning this year’s 5K fundraiser. She credits the course with helping her learn to work alongside professionals in other disciplines to enact change, and she was eager to put those skills to use again.

Nieszczezewski is proud of how she and her classmates have grown the event over the last three years. “Overall,” she said, “the social work course empowered me to take an active role in this group project and create a legacy of support for Sandy Hook Promise and ending gun violence in school systems.”

This year’s Start With Hello 5K fundraiser collected more than $1,600, which was donated to East Hampton Middle School and High School. The funds will support travel for delegates to attend the in Philadelphia. The East Hampton student representatives will attend workshops and presentations “designed to encourage, educate, engage, and empower youth to look out for one another and prevent violence.”

For Lipka, donating the funds to the East Hampton schools was the most memorable and rewarding part of the experience. “It showed us that our efforts actively made a change by working toward educating the next generation,” she said. “It is the first step to moving forward and working to change our world in a positive way.”

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