The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1942-12-11
SOCIAL WORK LABORATORY
COLLABORATES

lsee the wisdom of a positive philos
ophy on the part of the people, tn
value of leadership ability, the ecor
omy of prevention rather than cure
and the superiority of constructiv
reason and leadership over cynica
and negative fatalism and hopeless
ness? l hope so.
Lab Recognizes the Priority
OF Creative SkIIs
The Social Work Laboratory in 1T
governing philosophy accepts the bas
ic Importance of positive living, think
ing and acting. Its projects indicate
its ability to be generative, to launch
programs to meet both the develop
mental needs of students in training
and real needs in the community
They also indicate that budgets are
not necessarily preliminaries to the
existence of programs. The skill and
will to be positive is the necessary
preliminary. Since the Laboratory
was started in 1888, the number OF
students and people served has stead
| lily mounted. A complete statistical
estimate would challenge the cynics.
It's several service projects all exhibit
positive living, thinking and acting.
And the two case work training prof.
ects, one with the Family Welfare
Agency as previously described and
the other with the Missoula Depart
ment of Public Welfare have been ex-
cellent for their positive effectiveness.
wish to tell about the latter in this
article.
University and Public Welfare
Department Cooperate
Since 1889, the Laboratory has
maintained a case work training prof.
ect in cooperation with the Depart
ment of Public Welfare Mr.. Gerard
F. Price, then field supervisor of the
western district (seven counties) for
the state agency, secured it's estab-
lishment. He is at present director
of public assistance in the state Of
flee. Being professionally trained
and experienced in administration, he
understood the great need of training
in Montana to improve the services
of the agency. He naturally sup
ported training by direct contact with
the agency and it's problems. The
project was quickly launched in 1899,
and has persisted ever since.
Students Help a Public Agency
From three to five student every
quarter do their field work in the Mis-
soula Department of Public Welfare.
They are supervised by workers in
the agency who accept the respon-
sibility eagerly and with zest. The
seriousness of the students, the I'M
1erstanding by the staff that the need
for trained people is urgent in Mon
lana, and the attitude of Mr.. Price
hat helping group in training is a
good way to impress the staff with
genuine efforts at staff improvement
LII have contributed to the success
If the project. The students help
he agency In it's service to the COM
nunity. The agency helps the uni
yersity in it's service to the state. |
Both agencies help each other and the |
anger community at the same time.
And the degree of understanding by
Zach of the other is steadily devel- |
'ping.
of Field Work
Experience
The type of field work experience
provided by this agency is significant.
first, the students have the chance to
work. in an office where routines must
70 understood and followed Second,
he students must enter into a worker
relationship which must be
mooth and constructive. Third, the
tudents must do all in their power