Social Night Program for Working Students

Social Night Program for Working Students

 As it was said in the article Seven Dimensionsof Wellness, “Wellness is much more than merely physical health, exercise or nutrition”. The development of each of the four aspects of an individual contributes to the quality of life of a person. An individual is not a fully-developed person without a social life. Just as he/she has to improve his physical, mental, and spiritual life, he/she needs to grow socially as well. According to Hoeger (2011, p. 15), “social wellness involves a concern for oneself and also an interest in humanity and the environment as a whole.” “One of its hallmarks,” he further said, is the “ability to relate to others and to reach out to other people” (Hoeger 2011, p. 15). Social well-being refers to the capability to “perform social roles effectively, comfortably, and without harming others” (Edlin & Golanty, 2010, p.10). According to the National Wellness Institute 2007, social wellness includes:

• living in harmony with other people and your environment;
• preserving nature;
• recognizing the impact you have on your environment;
• developing friendships;
• improving personal relationships;
• living in harmony instead of conflict;
• thinking of others;
• contributing to your community (Gorrow, 2008, p. 53).

“Our ability to establish and maintain positive relationships with family, friends and co-workers contributes to our social wellness” (Seven Dimensions of Wellness). Therefore, it is important that we socialize. “Socialization makes it possible for us to fully function as human beings” (Barkan).

In adherence to this, the team endeavors to support the social life of the working students through a social night program. Many organizations, even individuals, neglect the importance of social wellness. More often than not, they focus more on the other needs, particularly the economical and physical needs, and unintentionally neglect the social needs. Due to this, we endeavor to provide ways to improve the social being of the working students. The three-hour social program is specially designed to enhance their social life.. At the same time, this is also a form of relaxation or rest from work and study for them.

Target Population

The social inadequacy of the working students is mainly attributable to time deficiency and also to other factors including personality differences. The program’s aim is to assist them in reducing these factors that prevent them from enhancing their social life. That is why they are chosen as subject of this social program. Specifically, the working students are chosen as the target population for this program due to these reasons:

1. Their time for enhancing their social life is limited compared to the other students.
2. More likely, they would not attend social programs because they will prioritize their work and studies.
3. Their enjoyment of the student life is different from other students since they are more focused on their work and study.

Objectives

The primary purpose of this program is to enhance the social life of the working students. Specifically this program endeavors to:

1. create awareness regarding social wellness
2. offer quality time for socialization
3. provide a different activity to discourage tediousness
4. sustain the social need of the working students

At the end of the program, the participants are expected to:

1. be more acquainted with other students and co-workers
2. increase their circle of friends

Benefits of the Program

This program will be beneficial to the working students because it can:

1. encourage sociability to one another;
2. give each working student a time for relaxation and socialization and, what is more, a time for rest from work and study;
3. encourage team building which will help the participants to have a healthier social life;
4. convey to the students an atmosphere of belongingness and companionship so that they won’t feel isolated and moreover, they will help each other.

The Cost or Budget Justification

The table below shows the estimated cost the project will need in its operation.

Methods

The project team will adopt strategies that will ensure behavioral and attitudinal changes among the target audience.

1. Announcement

The program will be announced at least one week before the date to make sure every working student will save the date for the said event.

1. Information

A ten-minute lecture on social wellness will be rendered at the beginning of the program to secure the participants knowledge about it.

1. Motivation

The participants and attendees will be given gifts and giveaways for their attendance and participation.

1. Program proper

The program proper will include acquaintance activities, social and team-building games, intermission numbers. The last part would be the informal dining.

Evaluative Criteria

To accomplish the objectives, the working students should attend the program and participate in every activity. A ten-minute lecture on the importance of having a healthy social life will provide the students awareness to maintain social wellness. They will be taught that they should give importance to their social life as much as they give importance to their work and their studies.

The evaluation of the project will be carried out in two levels:

1. Behavioral level

This level will determine whether or not the students applied their knowledge of the importance of having a healthy social life through a more lively behavior.

1. Results level

This level measures the long-term outcomes of the project. Students will have a more enhanced social life by having more friends.

Conclusion

Empowering the social life of the working students through social programs and interactions will help them grow socially. Moreover, the empowerment of people and the programs that encourage group participation aids in the emergence of the essence for change in the individual. People empowerment is a process that helps the students to discover their actual social situation and determine their social needs and priorities that are the constituents of the social wellness.