Rural Immersion Camp at West Kameng
Rajiv Gandhi University, Arunachal Pradesh :: 6 to 12 November, 2022

Department of Social Work, RGU conducted Rural Immersion Camp for MASW Students at Khazalang Village in West Kameng

Department of Social Work, Rajiv Gandhi University conducted Rural Immersion Camp for Third Semester (2021-2023) Postgraduate Students at Khazalang village under Nafra block of West Kameng district from 6 to 12 November, 2022.

Rural Immersion Camp is a mandatory week-long programme of two years Master Degree Programme in Social Work. During the camp, the social work trainees are expected to inculcate the exposure to community living, indigenous knowledge, and day to day challenges of a distant locality. It is an integral part of practice learning.

It provides students an exposure to rural life, problems and issues related to rural life and enables them to plan, organize and implement relevant programmes. It also helps students evolve a pattern of participative, reflective and analytical learning. The students are guided through the process by faculty members who accompany them in the weeklong camp.

In this backdrop, a total of 21 students along with two faculty members namely Dr. Kaushalendra Pratap Singh and Dr. Rimi Tadu, and one PhD scholar namely Mr. Tame Ramjuk accompanied the students in the said camp. Students spent six days with the hardworking Shajolang community and learned about their rural ways of living and conducted an assessment of their socio-economic conditions through participatory approaches.

The students mobilized the community leaders such as Gram Chairperson, Gaonburas, and SHG members of Arunachal Pradesh State Livelihood Mission (ArSRLM) to carry out an awareness rally on Swachhta practice in the village.

Students conducted village level meeting and shared suggestive developmental plans for the village based on the assessment of community in the presence of Gram Chairperson, Gaon Buras, SHG members, and other community members.

The visit ended with a cultural exchange evening where students learned the traditional dance and songs and presented their own traditional dance and songs from different communities. Khazalang is a picturesque village and rich in natural resources, however, access to basic developmental facilities are the emerging challenges.

Dr. Ravi Ranjan Kumar
Assistant Professor,
Department of Social Work,
Rajiv Gandhi (Central) University.
Arunachal Pradesh