Social Work Service Learning and Field Education

Explore local service-learning and internship opportunities for Skidmore social work students.

Social work connects to the community

Our department depends on students’ connections to the community outside of Skidmore College. Students intern with nonprofit agencies throughout Saratoga County and in Albany to gain real-world experience in their field before graduation.  

Each community placement is approved by our professors as a valuable aspect of our students’ education. These engagements provide context for students to apply the theory they have learned on ethical social work practice.

Internships 

Our students frequently participate in internships with these organizations, all near campus or within the region: 

• Baywood Center, Outpatient Clinic 

• Frederick Allen Lodge, Program Development, Community Outreach 

• Wait House, Adolescent Shelter/Community Outreach 

• C.R.E.A.T.E. Studios, Arts-Based Supports and Programing 

• LifeWorks, Immigrant Services 

• Wesley Community, Elder Care 

• Saratoga Pride, LGBTQIA+ Advocacy and Programming 

• Saratoga County Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services, Case Management 

• American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Reproductive Health Advocacy 

• Planned Parenthood, Reproductive Health Advocacy 

Bridges to Skidmore 

Bridges to Skidmore College has been a collaboration between Saratoga Bridges and Skidmore College since 2010, in which Bridges participants and Skidmore students attend brief, accessible lectures delivered by Skidmore faculty on the college campus on a biweekly basis. After the presentation, Bridges participants and Skidmore students form small groups to discuss presentation content and their reactions. In the weeks following the lectures, Bridges and Skidmore students complete homework assignments together related to the previous week’s lecture. 

Approximately 15 Bridges participants attend each semester. After four semesters, Bridges participants graduate from the program and a new cohort from Bridges begins their college journey. The objectives of this project include increasing Skidmore students’ exposure to diverse groups; providing a rigorous and meaningful learning experience for Bridges participants; enhancing Skidmore students’ ability to communicate with people with disabilities; and raising awareness of issues related to disabilities among students and faculty.

Intergenerational events 

The Social Work Department works closely with the Saratoga Vital Aging Network and the Adult and Senior Center of Saratoga on events that bring the community’s elders together with Skidmore students. Students in SW 333 Social Work Practice with Individuals and Families may practice with seniors in the Adult and Senior Center of Saratoga, with special needs children at BOCES, or with populations of every age at Shelters of Saratoga.