Observer

Issue date: 5/5/09 Section: Page One

Media Credit: photo by Sarah Rahman / Observer photo by Sarah Rahman / Observer

Media Credit: photo by Sarah Rahman / Observer photo by Sarah Rahman / Observer

Dressed up in suits or matching T-shirts, each student presented projects for the Art of Change social work contest, vying for students and deans to vote for them as the best. From 9-5 in the Essex Room in Robeson Campus Center, the votes tallied up for a first place winner of LIFE, second place by Ready, Set Go and Strive to Survive, and a third place winner of Trans 8.

"The future of our children is in our hands, but we are not doing anything to help our children," said Marilyn Rojas, a senior majoring in social work about her project, LIFE. Along with her partners they designed a facility to provide healthcare and educational support for children diagnosed with HIV.

Strive to Survive was envisioned as temporary home for homeless children with locations in Bergen, Essex, and Passaic counties. The non-profit organization would work through an affiliation with St. Joseph's Hospital to tutor and counsel children and their families.

Trans 8 was a multi-faceted program that spoke to the needs of homeless men. Personal finance management courses and counseling targeted the two greatest factors that keep homeless men on the streets: poor financial habits and mental problems or drug abuse.

Once a man found employment, he would contribute 30% of the income to a program fee. This money would be saved in a personal account for each individual, which they could access once they left the program. In addition, they would be required by Trans 8 to give back to the community by volunteering two hours a week.

"To make a difference is an art form," said Professor Sloan-Power about the start of the Art of Change contest. It was opened to young students because Professor Sloan-Power said she noticed many of them were "really creative in their ideas for the very first time." Her goal is to open the contest even further as an interdisciplinary project.

Other projects focused on a diverse array of broad social issues: foster homes, those released from prison, the homeless, working families with children, and the elderly. Others focused on more specific issues: those with disabilities, foreclosures, runaways, and the genocide in Darfur.

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