Mandela Day Donations

Classroom Connections

683- Evaluation in Social Work- Janet Ray Friends of Valkenberg Trust •Learned basic evaluation concepts Supporting Recovery Internship Overview Cassandra Muro, MSW Candidate 612 002- Mental Health and Mental Disorders Field placement responsibilities: I had the of Children and Youth- Daniel Fischer Cooking Class , opportunity to engage in a variety of projects that •Learned about most prevalent Mental Health provide support to aid patient recovery, some Disorders, and diagnostic criteria-DSMV include: Cape Town is the second most populous city in South Africa and it is the provincial capital and primate city of -Cooking -Beauty Salon the . It is famous for its harbor, Cape -Arts and Crafts -Friendly Shop Thrift Store Lessons Learned Floral Kingdom, and . -Dance -Administrative Tasks -Fundraising -Organizing Events •Importance of working in a partnerships with Interesting Facts: -Volunteer Safety Protocol domestic agencies and colleagues Preparing for Sewing Class •It is home to the largest and fastest growing township- -Evaluation and Needs Assessment Project . •Flexibility in adjusting to patients needs and •Official unemployment rate is 25.2% but is as high as circumstances Evaluation and Needs Assessment 40%to 95% in impoverished communities (townships). •Address immediate concerns by following the •1 of 5 South Africans will suffer from mental illness Purpose: Gather patient feedback to increase agency appropriate chain of command without risking Elephant Sanctuary throughout the course of their life time. awareness about clients’ needs and the impact of the purpose of the project and patient well services offered by Friends of Valkenberg on being and trust. service user recovery.

Qualitative Themes Career Connections

N=72 •The opportunity to apply social work skills within a global context was vital as it has prepared me for my future endeavors of working in Mexico. “Psychiatric patients have been neglected by society at Friends of Valkenberg Trust •The evaluation project developed my expertise as large, and if we only make a difference to one patient on one day, then we’re doing something worthwhile and FoV works in conjunction with hospital staff to provide an evaluator and allowed me to gain skills that are making an important difference” a range of services designed to bring hope and comfort key to working in a mental health setting, another of my career goals. – Francoise Robertson, Founder of FoV to patients during their stay at Valkenberg .

Advice Through its 50+ volunteers, FoV provides a range of Skills Utilized/Developed Acknowledgements services meeting direct needs and helping over 458 •Applied evaluation and needs assessment skills that •Avoid high unrealistic expectations patients along the road to recovery. Generous Donors (ABG,IIIF, GASP) are client and culture specific Friends of Valkenberg Trust

•Take INITIATIVE!!! U of M Office of Global Activities •Increased skills in the field of mental health U of M School of Social Work ] •Practice cultural humility Patients of Valkenberg Hospital •Enhanced interviewing skills