Get Involved

As social workers, we have a duty and a calling to "enhance human well-being and help meet the basic human needs of all people, with particular attention to the needs and empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty" (NASW, code of ethics). There are several ways that you can make a difference in the lives of those around you, beyond the realm of your classes, your job, our your community.

1. Register to vote

Learn about actions to help inform and organize our community around civic representation.

2. Get active with groups that support issues related to social justice.

The ACLU is our nation's guardian of liberty working daily in courts, legislatures and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country.
NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Inc., America's premier legal organization fighting for racial justice.
The Southern Poverty Law Center is dedicated to fighting hate and bigotry, and to seeking justice for the most vulnerable members of our society. Using litigation, education and other forms of advocacy, we work toward the day when the ideals of equal justice and equal opportunity will be a reality.

3. Stand up for international and immigration rights.

Rutgers Global creates connections without borders between people, ideas, and resources.
CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations) is dedicated to enhancing the understanding of Islam, encouraging dialogue, protecting civil liberties, empowering American Muslims, and building coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.
Muslim Advocates is a national legal advocacy and educational organization that works on the front lines of civil rights to guarantee freedom and justice for Americans of all faiths.
Sisters of Salaam-Shalom, a Jewish-Muslim women's interfaith group, co-founded in Central NJ by RU Law adjunct lecturer, Atiya Aftab.
International Refugee Assistance Project organizes law students and lawyers to develop and enforce a set of legal and human rights for refugees and displaced persons.
International Rescue Committee helps people whose lives and livelihood are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover, and regain control of their futures.field sites and refugee resettlement agency.
Church World Service has 34 refugee and immigration offices spread across 21 different states. These offices provide services to newly arrived refugees and immigrants, helping them to integrate into local communities, find jobs and learn the necessary skills to support their new life in the United States.
Interfaith Refugee Resettlement Coalition of Highland Park and New Brunswick is a proud participant in The Take Ten Campaign, a project of the Interfaith Refugee Resettlement Coalition of Highland Park and New Brunswick, has been created to help tackle the growing global refugee crisis by starting at the local level.
MASGD advocates for LGBTQ from Muslim backgrounds, including refugees and asylees.
Scholars at Risk () protects scholars suffering grave threats to their lives, liberty and well-being by arranging temporary research and teaching positions at institutions in our network as well as by providing advisory and referral services.

4. Volunteer. Plenty of organizations need your time, energy, and enthusiasm.

Combat racism with Showing Up For Racial Justice.
Help your community with AmeriCorps.
End police violence at Campaign Zero.
Support your Muslim family and friends at the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
Give women the opportunities for proper healthcare, education, and activism through Planned Parenthood.
Help the young people of America fulfill their potential with The Future Project.
Join the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence to help stop domestic violence.
Assist the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) in combating sexual violence, aiding victims, and ensuring that perpetrators are caught.

5. Join an organization on campus that you feel passionate about.

Go here to learn about the opportunities specifically for Rutgers students. Visit Ready to Run®, a national network of non-partisan campaign training programs committed to electing more women to public office sponsored by the Rutgers Eagleton Institute of Politics.

6. Sign up for an internship or a job related to social activism.

Idealist.org connects you to tens of thousands of nonprofit and community organizations in 165 countries; also has an excellent nonprofit career center, with hundreds of job and internship listings
United Nations offers information about working for the U.N.
Amnesty International and listing of jobs and internships
Moving Ideas links to progressive websites including job and internship listings
Peace and World Security Studies locally-based site that helps you find jobs and internships in peace studies
Human Rights Watch jobs and internships

7. Reach out to one of our six centers and one institute at the School and offer your help.

Institute for Families | Supporting and strengthening families and communities by increasing the capacity of human service professionals and organizations.
Center for Gambling Studies | Dedicated to driving global decision-making on gambling-related issues by conducting strategic, non-partisan research and policymaking that is international and multidisciplinary, and to benefit individuals and families adversely affected by gambling problems by initiating innovative training and intervention programs.
Center for Leadership and Management | Bridging the discipline of social work with the fields of leadership and management from both academic and practice perspectives.
Center for Research on Ending Violence | Working to eliminate physical, sexual, and other forms of violence against women and children and the power imbalances that permit them through a collaborative approach that focuses on multidisciplinary research, education, and community engagement.
Huamin Research Center | Developing and disseminating knowledge through research and exchange that promotes professional development of nonprofit organizations and strengthens individual, family, and community well-being in China.
The Center for Prevention Science | Developing and disseminating knowledge through research that builds the capacity of community-based organizations to create changes in public policy or environmental conditions that cause social and health disparities.

8. Contact your senator and other elected officials in your state.

You can also share your story with a House of Representative member in your area.

9. Create Your Pledge.

Join the United State of Women (https://www.theunitedstateofwomen.org/) by uploading your photo and either choosing a pledge or creating your own. Then, download and share it with the world and change the #StateofWomen everywhere.