Strengthening Intergenerational Solidarity for Enduring Wellbeing’: Department of Social Work, JMI celebrates World Social Work Week
TNN News : The Department of Social Work at Jamia Millia Islamia celebrated World Social Work week on the global theme for 2025, ‘Strengthening Intergenerational Solidarity for Enduring Wellbeing’ with a series of activities fostering creative expression.
The celebrations began on World Social Work Day 18 March 2024, with an Art Meet, ‘Creating a Better World Through Art’. This collaboration between the Department of Social Work and Department of Painting, Faculty of Fine Arts, JMI saw the coming together of students of the two Departments in 6 teams (each comprising 4–6 participants). The students were given an orientation about the World Social Work Day by Prof. Neelam Sukhramani, Head, Department of Social Work This was followed by a short introductory exercise by Dr. Hem Borker, student advisor who explained the purpose of the art meet and encouraged the students to choose a theme from amongst the Sustainable Development Goals, ideate and co- create. The themes chosen by the students included: No Poverty (SDG 1), Zero Hunger (SDG 2), Gender Equality (SDG 5), Climate Action (SDG 13), Life Below Water (SDG 14), Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions (SDG 16). The teams worked for over 4 hours to create their art pieces and later presented their creation and explained how this resonated with the World Social Work Day and SDGs. Mr. Kaushal Kumar, Head, Department of Painting, Faculty of Fine Arts was the co-creator of this workshop and a mentor for the participating teams. He along with his team of faculty members facilitated the planning and were a constant source of support for the students. The legwork and support of student coordinators from the Department of Social Work, Ms. Sankenma Rai and Ms. Rushda Kamal ensured that the workshop was conducted successfully and created a unique environment of interdisciplinary learning and advocacy. Through the power of art, students communicated their commitment to social change and sustainable development.
On March 22, 2025 the Department organised a Story Writing Workshop ‘Inking Empathy’. Mr. Jamshed Qamar Siddique, a distinguished storyteller and Senior Editor at Aaj Tak Podcasts, and Ms. Anna Priyadarshini, a Journalist and Senior Multimedia Producer at Business Standard were the resource persons for this workshop. The session provided students with deep insights into the art of fiction and non-fiction storytelling, emphasizing the importance of effective narrative structures and impactful storytelling techniques.
Mr. Jamshed explained the fundamental elements of fictional storytelling – character, conflict, and resolution. Stories, he elaborated, could be either plot-driven, emphasizing events and external conflicts, or character-driven, highlighting internal conflicts and personal journeys. He also discussed the two critical components of story writing: idea (the theme) and craft (the technique). The craft encompasses plot, characterization, and the pacing of the story. To enable the participants to gain a feel of story writing, Mr. Jamshed played the story “Missed Call” aligning with the theme of the World Social Work Day. The story revolves around loneliness of elders and a gap between the generations. The story reflects the power of observation and how a stranger’s life story can change perspective. A powerful statement by Mr. Jamshed resonated deeply with the participants, ‘A writer’s job is not to change the world, but to show why the world needs to change’.
Ms. Anna discussed the importance of non-fictional stories particularly in journalism. She focused on the principle “show, don’t tell”, a writing technique that helps bring stories to life by engaging the reader’s senses and emotions. While covering news reports or case reports in social work, participants were also introduced to various writing elements, including the Five W’s and One H (Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How) of writing. The participants were also introduced to the concept of ‘Narrative Arc’, the framework that gives structure to a story. Anna shared her experience of investigating and writing a story on a crime report titled “Contradictions and media mistrust: investigating Rinku Sharma’s death in Mangolpuri.”
The workshop also included hands-on session, where participants were encouraged to write their own fiction or non-fiction stories. Some participants presented their work, engaging in discussions to refine their ideas and storytelling techniques. The workshop aimed to enhance the creative and communicative capacities of students, equipping them to understand the grammar of story writing and skills of narrative making. The event concluded with the distribution of certificates to all participants by both the resource persons. The story writing workshop was organised with the support of Head of the Department Prof. Neelam Sukhramani, Faculty Coordinator Dr. Hem Borker and Convener Mr. Asrarul Haque Jeelani, with the support from student volunteers Ms. Imrose Darakhshan, Ms. Mohsina Siddiqui, Ms. Bushra Meraj and Ms. Tanuja.
Both events underscored the importance of creative arts and literature as mediums of social advocacy. Integrating creativity with social consciousness, the Department of Social Work at JMI reaffirmed its commitment to fostering a new generation of socially responsible individuals. The World Social Work Week 2025 celebrations at JMI served as a testament to the university’s dedication to interdisciplinary learning and social impact, empowering students to use their voices and talents to contribute meaningfully to society.
