Social work students explore cultural differences on trip to Spain and nearby countries

A group of students and faculty from Liberty University’s Department of Social Work were immersed in multiple cultures while learning their unique approaches to social work during last month’s Spring Break trip to Portugal, Spain, Gibraltar, and Morocco through LU Send.

The group met with social service agencies throughout the trip, such as the Lisbon Project, an organization serving immigrants and refugees in Portugal; Guadalsalus, a substance misuse treatment center for women in Seville, Spain; Cross World, a missions organization aiding in refugee resettlement in Malaga, Spain; and a women’s empowerment organization and children’s cultural center in Morocco.

For the 13 students on the trip, who were a mix of residential and online students at both the undergraduate and graduate level, the experience was designed as an opportunity to explore international diversity within the social work field. Dr. Christine Fulmer, MSW Program Director and one of the faculty leaders on the trip, said students learned how to form connections with people across differences in culture, lifestyle, language, and more.

“The class is diversity focused, so we wanted to provide an opportunity for students to experience international diversity in a personal way,” she said. “Before the trip, there was a focus on prayer and cultural humility. Our students were culturally sensitive and learned to build bridges through listening and asking thoughtful questions. I think they became more secure in who they are in Christ and who they are as growing professionals.”

First-year online Master of Social Work student Savannah Schell came on the trip with previous experience working internationally, having lived and worked in Ethiopia at three different orphanages doing what she called “soul-filling work.” She saw the spring trip as an opportunity to introduce herself to multiple new cultures and communities.

“I think there’s a lot of things that you can only learn when you get outside of your own culture and experiences,” she said. “There’s just so much that you can’t really gain in practical knowledge until you get out of your comfort zone and go and spend time in some other places. I really believe deeply in the value of integrating in other cultures to understand things in a more personalized way.”

Kate Rhew, a junior earning her bachelor’s in social work, said the trip was a chance to witness how social work is done in other cultures.

“I have a big passion for cross-cultural social work and what that looks like in the United States but also what that looks like on an international level,” she said. “Liberty has so many connections abroad, which is incredible for a university. I wanted to get to see social work in the countries we went to, a glimpse of how they practice social work and what societal limitations they’re dealing with. It was something that I felt would benefit my professional career and personal development.”

The group took walking tours of the different cities before they began meeting with organizations.

“We got to interact with the culture enough to understand it at face value and then talk to social work practitioners with that (knowledge),” Rhew said. “We got to hear about the history as we were literally walking through the active culture.”

At the women’s addiction treatment center in Spain, Schell said she witnessed a foundational difference in how the professionals there approach substance abuse.

“I was fascinated to learn that the Spanish model of addiction is a very social model as opposed to America’s, which is a medical model,” she said. “That was really helpful … to just be reminded that being aware and knowledgeable of different cultures and how their perspectives will impact the work that we do as social workers.”

The visit with missionaries at Cross World stood out to Schell too, particularly how they orient their work around discipleship through authentic relationships. Cross World does a lot of work with Moroccan refugees who have come across the Strait of Gibraltar and are now living in Spain, and Schell noted how the workers overcome language and cultural differences to reach the hearts of those they meet, including those of the Muslim faith.

“Especially when you are doing more discipleship-oriented work, one of the big challenges, obviously, is languages. Another outstanding challenge is cultural differences,” Schell said. “I was really fascinated that Cross World mentioned that one of their biggest focuses is relationships, not the performative metrics that we might orient towards more naturally in the West. They really focus on language skills, having people live in those cultures, hearing the input of the people who are on the ground in these different countries who have the cultural nuance and perspective.”

Fulmer said the students had opportunities to share their faith on the trip.

“We thought that there would be a little bit of a coldness toward us (in Morocco) because it’s an Islamic state; my biases were shattered and there were wonderful conversations. People asked us questions; we were asking them questions. Our students were so culturally humble, and they had the opportunity to share their reason why they believe in Christianity. Scripture says to always be ready with an answer, and it was beautiful to see how God used our students.”