MSU Migrant Student Services, the MSU School of Social Work and the MSU Department of Community Sustainability are hosting representatives of Mexico’s National System for Integral Family Development and from four different Mexican states – Puebla, Oaxaca, Yucatan and Campeche – in an effort to introduce them to the American social welfare system and to open up international dialogue about community needs.
This is in conjunction with the Julian Samora Research Institute 25th anniversary celebration, “Latinos in 2050: Restoring the Public Good.”
For many years, DIF has hosted MSU students through various study abroad programs. Through this meeting, MSU Migrant Student Services, the MSU School of Social Work and the MSU Department of Community Sustainability seek to develop programming, education, and resources that empower underprivileged communities in the U.S. and Mexico, as well as support self-sustainable living, and reduce the need for aide.
JSRI has invited the DIF representatives to participate in a panel presentation on Nov. 1. Some of the topics that will be covered during the panel presentation include: social welfare in Mexico; transnational implications between Mexico and the United States; DIF practices and delivery of services; the pressures DIF faces, both internationally from Mexico and externally from the United States; and implications of international policies on the welfare of the Mexican population.
Highlights of the DIF visit, which will take place prior to the JSRI panel discussion, include:
- Visit to a migrant farm in West Michigan on Oct. 30.
- Meetings with the Michigan Department of Human Services and the Michigan Coalition Against Homelessness on Oct. 31.