UConn School of Social Work
HBEL 5373 Leadership Development in Anti-violence Work:
The Susan Schechter Social Action Seminar
Co-instructors: Antonia Cordero, DSW & Catherine Havens, MSW Esq.
Meeting time: Spring semester, Tuesdays 4:15-6:15 PM
History and Context of Course
As a tribute to Susan Schechter’s legacy, a major founder of the domestic violence movement, in 2009 a Leadership Development in Anti-Violence seminar was introduced at the Simmons College School of Social Work and has become part of the school’s curriculum for the last three years. In 2010, the course was collaboratively sponsored by Futures Without Violence, The Susan Schechter Leadership Development Fellowship and University of Connecticut School of Social Work, has been taught for the last two years and become a permanent part of the school’s curriculum. This interdisciplinary seminar gives participants a structure for developing their analytic and social action abilities in the area of violence against women, children, in families, and its connection with race and poverty. The course also studies the movement to end violence against these populations and its relationship to other social change movements, such as civil rights and GLBT rights. Through the Futures Without Violence organization, course participants will have access to a network of national leaders in the anti-violence movement.
Goal and Leadership Approach of the Course
The seminar’s leadership approach is based on the work of Susan Schechter. The aim of the Schechter leadership approach is to assist participants develop anti-violence collaborative knowledge and skill by creating community action plans. Plans are developed by participants identifying emerging grass root issues, within their professional, community or sphere of interest that address violence against women, children or in families. Participants’ selection of emerging issues and design of the plan evolve from field interviews, literature searches and reviews, collaborative planning with a community, agency, or organization, and in consultation with a course instructor. At the end of the course participants exhibit their action plan in a poster presentation to Futures Without Violence personnel, UConn community members and other interested community guests.
Course Outcome
In the last three years there have been 28 course students. The first year’s class was comprised of 12 students: 22 MSWs, 1 doctoral MSW, 2 Law, 1 doctoral Psychology and 2 undergraduate students. All students successfully completed their action plans and poster presentations. The following are examples of past student’s action plans:
- Creation of Anti-Violence Prevention Training for a Local Christian Community Group
- Creation of an On-line State Domestic Violence Training for Professionals
- Creation of a Support Group Curriculum for Health Care Providers suffering from Compassionate Fatigue
- Creation of a Sex-Trafficking Workshop for UConn MSW students
- Creation of an University-Wide Anti-Violence Training for Storrs Campus Sororities and Fraternities
- Creation of an Anti-Violence Student Advisory Board for a local High School
- Creation of a Dating Violence Prevention Training for a local Adolescent Residential Facility
- Creation of a Department of Children Services Informational Guide on the Legal Rights of Immigrant Clients Affected by Domestic Violence
- Creation of Domestic Violence Advocacy Training for UConn Law Students
- Creation of a Healthy Dating Training for Boys at a Local Junior High School
- Creation of Domestic Violence Workshops for a Local Christian Ministry
- Creation of Domestic Violence Training Curriculum for Latency Age Children affected by Violence
For more information, contact: Antonia Cordero at antonia.cordero@uconn.edu