The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1942-12-04
WELFARE AGENCY In MSSOJLA
PROVIDES OUTSTANDING SERVICE

agency The students had to do tn,
sponsible for their work. The stu
dents had to launch into practical re
sponsibilities involving all sorts of hu
man needs from medical care, relief
employment, domestic discord, chile
care, budgeting, delinquency, nutri
ton, legal aid, etc. Their chief jot
was to connect the needs of the fam
lilies with the right resources avail
able in the community. Besides, il
had to be done with the full co-opera
ton Of the people concerned. There
was no room for crude treatment
here. 1t had to be done humanity and
well until the essential needs were
met.
Students Had to Develop
Group Initiative
Group conferences without this SUI
pervisor were held weekly to see what
the group could do under its own
steam to improve themselves as work
ers in the agency and also in the Lab
oratory. At first, students usually
wasted some time at this. With a
little encouragement and help, the
group usually discovered it was more
fun and cheaper to accomplish some
thing for themselves than to idle away
their time. They were free to decide
what would help most. Usually, they
selected tasks involving the study of
local resources in the county such as
the services of various local agencies
and groups of which there are many.
They also studied special problems
such as nutrition, special diets, budg-
citing, family difficulties, etc., or other
training programs of the Laboratory.
Students Dramatic Agency Programs
Once or twice each quarter, the
group would interpret its work to the
other students in the Laboratory. The
method used was usually the develop
ment of a hypothetical case to show
lowed to solve family problems. This
proved to have rather dramatic and
creative qualities Students tremen-
dously enjoyed these amateur illus
trative showings. So did the students
in the group. There was something |
genuine, serious, wholesome, natural
and vital about these presentations |
They were improving something
which was based on previous real ex-
periences. Human needs as viewed |
directly in the field were talked about
and analysed Poverty, distress, sick
ness, handicaps, domestic trouble, be-
havior difficulties of children, malnu
triton, mental disease, mental def
cheney, training and all sorts of hui
nan ills were seen at first hand and
% grapple with them. A practical job
aced them. They could apply all
hey knew to these problems and
more too. They could bring all they
lad previously learned and all their
PRACTICAL arts to bear on these prob
ems. They could at last organize
heir learning and skills and apply ]
hem with observable results. Good I
esults meant success. Poor results
meant failures. Both meant that they ;
lad something specific to accomplish
n the way of learning and in per- {
ormance. They could experience the
act that learning meant self-develop l.
1ent and as much as possible as soon
s possible. 1t naturally vitalized :
heir learning, their responsibility, r
heir courage, their willingness to
love ahead constructively their faith !
4 themselves, their knowledge of !
heir part in the community and their
They couldn't fail because +
they did, they would be considered :
Inadequate by their fellow students. ),