World Social Work Day, celebrated this year on 16th March, provides an opportunity for social work practitioners, academics and service users to come together to recognise the valuable work social workers play in the lives of some of the most vulnerable members and families within our communities.
It is also a time to acknowledge the many hardships and challenges faced by the people we work with, alongside their personal strengths and courage in seeking to overcome them.
In our commitment to social justice and human rights, we stand alongside service users to raise awareness of the multiple oppressions more marginalised people experience and we dedicate ourselves to working together in partnership for social change. Respecting our diverse identities and experiences, and recognising our collective responsibility towards each other, we work towards the empowerment and liberation of people and seek to build a more inclusive and cohesive society.
In previous years, social work students from the University of Birmingham have travelled to partner universities across Europe, spending a week learning about the way social work is practised in other countries. This year, despite the challenges of Brexit and Corona, our students will have the opportunity to work with social work students in Nuremburg, Germany, in a bilateral online World Social Work Day (WSWD) Conference.
The theme of WSWD this year is: ‘Ubuntu - I Am Because We Are’. This is a concept and philosophy that resonates with the social work perspective of the interconnectedness of all peoples and their environments. It speaks to the need for global solidarity and also highlights the knowledge and wisdom that comes from the lived experience of those we serve.
For further information please contact Dawn River, Department of Social Work and Social Care: d.h.river@bham.ac.uk