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.
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.
UConn Lobby Day
In March of 2019, the Humphreys Institute and the UConn School of Social Work hosted the first UConn Lobby Day at the Connecticut Capitol Building/ Legislative Office Building. Students of all concentrations (IGFP, CORG, and POPR) and programs (BSW, MSW, and Ph.D.) came together 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.
Student Advocacy Day on the Hill and Social Work Day on the Hill
Each year, a group of MSW students from the University of Connecticut travel with the Humphreys Institute to attend these events hosted by the Congressional Research Institute for Social Work and Policy (CRISP). In 2019 we sponsored 14 students to attend, representing all three of our concentrations. Students lobbied the offices of Senator Chris Murphy, Senator Richard Blumenthal, Representative Jahana Hayes, and Representative Joe Courtney; toured the Capitol Building; attended panel presentations with professionals and students in social work; and met with social work students from across the country.
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.
