Department of Social Work, St. Joseph University, conducted a week-long rural camp from July 12 to 19 for students of BSW III Semester and MA Rural Development III Semester in Benreu and Mezoma villages.
DIMAPUR, JULY 20 (MExN): The Department of Social Work, St Joseph University, conducted a week-long rural camp from July 12 to 19 for students of BSW III Semester and MA Rural Development III Semester in Benreu Tourist Village (Peren district) and Mezoma Village (Kohima district), respectively.
A total of 26 BSW students, guided by Dr Kevitsalie Jerome and Dr Oinam Anjali, camped at Benreu, while 23 MA Rural Development students, mentored by Dr Janet Gonmei and Kezhakhotuo Chalieu, carried out activities in Mezoma.
The camp aimed to foster participatory engagement, apply classroom learning to real-life contexts, and enhance students' skills in community development and rural outreach.
A key component of the programme was a door-to-door household survey covering demographics, education, occupation, sanitation, and income. The exercise helped build rapport with the villagers while offering students insights into rural socio-economic conditions.
Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) sessions were also conducted, involving tools such as social mapping, seasonal calendars and resource inventories. These interactive sessions enabled villagers to express developmental priorities and co-create action plans with the students.
Skill development workshops formed another central aspect of the camp. Training sessions on mushroom cultivation and paper bag making were held, introducing villagers to sustainable livelihoods. The mushroom workshop covered techniques from substrate preparation to maintenance and marketing, while the paper bag training, targeted at schoolchildren and youth, encouraged eco-friendly practices and entrepreneurship using recycled materials.
Students also undertook community service activities, including tree plantation drives and village cleanliness campaigns.
The Department of Social Work expressed gratitude to the village leaders of Benreu and Mezoma for their hospitality and support. It also acknowledged the support of the university management, Vice-Chancellor, Registrar and Deans for facilitating the rural camp.
