The Humphreys Institutes collaborates with faculty at UConn and around the country to study the political participation of social workers and communities and develop training models to build civic skills and voter engagement.
Social Work Lobby Days
The Humphreys Institute and the UConn School of Social Work have been involved in Lobby Day at the Connecticut Capitol Building/ Legislative Office Building since 2019. These days encourage students of all concentrations (IGFP, CORG, and POPR) and programs (BSW, MSW, and Ph.D.) to meet with social workers who currently hold elected office, lobby legislators, and attend public hearings to bring the full power of our profession to the political realm.
In 2026, the Institute and UConn SSW are collaborating with NASW-CT and other schools of social work for the March 30 Social Work Lobby Day at the state capitol. We are also working to bring students in the Political Advocacy class to the capitol. We are supporting BSW students to participate in Health Equity Week at the Capitol in April.
Student Advocacy Day on the Hill and Social Work Day on the Hill
The Humphreys Institute has been a proud collaborator in Student Advocacy Day on the Hill and Social Work Day on the Hill since the inception of these events, hosted by the Congressional Research Institute for Social Work and Policy (CRISP). Students meet with their federal elected officials; tour the Capitol Building; attend panel presentations with professionals and students in social work; and meet with social work students from across the country. Humphreys Institute directors Tanya Rhodes Smith and Shannon Lane have also been featured speakers and panelists at these events.
Hartford Power Voting Corps
Funded by a Hartford Foundation for Public Giving grant, the UConn Hartford Power Voting Corps worked throughout 2020 to get out the vote for the historic 2020 presidential election. Led by adjunct professor and doctoral candidate Angela Bellas and Humphreys Institute interns Meg Wolfe and Taylor Tucker, students ran voter registration drives at Wheeler Clinic community health center, mobilized voters through Connecticut Students for a Dream phone banks, texted voters through an effort led by doctoral candidate Alberto Cifuentes Jr., visited undergraduate classrooms at UConn Hartford to encourage students to vote, and participated in election protection trainings. On Election Day, volunteers spent hours at the city's busiest polling location, answering questions, looked up polling sites for unsure voters, and ensured individuals with disabilities had accommodations to vote. They provided hot chocolate, coffee, snacks, crayons, hand warmers, and stickers to the hundreds of Hartford voters who in some cases waited hours to vote in the cold. Read more at UConn Today.
Advocacy
Students and faculty at the UConn School of Social Work have a rich history of advocating for the rights and needs of all people in our state, including those most underserved and historically oppressed.
