Social work as a career for students

Images of youth participating in volunteering activities flood social media every day. Some images evoke feelings of sympathy, others inspire, some even bring out the harsh realities of society. Regardless, one often wonders about the story behind the picture.

Today, social work is no longer just a ‘feel-good’ activity one occasionally does on the side.

With new social issues coming into focus and with evolving social complexities, the need for active professional social work is more than ever now — and the role of youth is crucial in this.

With this in mind, a Delhi-based NGO conducted research to explore the different facets of youth’s perception about charity and social work, and their understanding of it. The study, with a sample size of more than 500 people between the ages of 14 and 20 had some interesting findings.

To begin with, the study found that academic discourse does not directly influence the youth’s interest in social work and charity. Irrespective of different academic backgrounds, most respondents showed interest in the field.

Exploring why youth are interested in social work, it finds two deciding factors — students' deep interest in social work and influence from peers and family.

About their perception of social work, the findings present that the majority of youth believe that NGOs are integral to social work.

Over 50% of the youth rate NGOs with four and above (on a scale of 1-5) in qualities like transparency, accountability, and credibility.

This confirms that many young people believe in NGOs as institutions but are sceptical too. This scepticism is reflected in the next set of findings which show that youth are interested in social work activities but would not choose it as a full-time profession.

Commonly misunderstood

Social work is commonly misunderstood. It is a viable career path that can offer meaning and purpose.

Social work is perceived as short-term activities that one does in free time. In actuality, social work as a profession benefits both the target groups and the workers.

The profession offers youth a journey of achieving both personal and professional growth goals while helping others.

Today, the profession has come to flourish and offers more than just compulsory community hours. It allows a deeper understanding of systemic problems and a chance to contribute to bringing change across national borders.

The findings of the study establish how the lack of awareness about the profession has led to a lack of motivation.

It is an eye-opener for both current social workers and young students — about the need for a change in perception towards the sector.

Young people who are more involved in social work tend to become more socially aware and responsible.

The task now is to sustain this impact and spread the word. This calls for collective effort in spreading more information and awareness about the significance of social work — especially among the youth.