2012 Symposium:

Can global be meaningfully local and political? Social work, community development and the Global Agenda

Although the community is traditionally a place where social work has been established and developed it seems that in recent decades this tradition has faded away. Social workers are less involved in direct work with communities and community development is more a political phrase than a reality. Social workers have to rethink their role in the community, especially when it comes to the questions of solidarity, principles of participation, empowerment, respecting human rights and personal dignity. The aim of the course is to create an open place for discussions and expertise which can encourage social workers to reclaim ethical community work.

Global agenda on social work and social development was drafted during 2010, and stipulates engagement with local, national, regional and global bodies. However, the role of supranational bodies such as UN, World Bank, the international development organisations, national governments and local communities on social welfare is neither straightforward nor simple. The course invites papers that explore this complex relationship - particularly from the perspective of reclaiming social work as a political action, as stated in the draft Global Agenda. It will also explore the meaning of global initiatives and activism such as "Arab spring", "European Summer" or "Occupy"

movement for the role of social work in achieving community development and social justice.

This year course will run in a parallel manner with Social work and social policies course.

The participants are invited to read the Agenda:

http://www.globalsocialagenda.org/?page_id=16

2012 Organising director:

Reima Ana Maglajlić, Mental Disability Advocacy Centre, Hungary

Email: rea.mag@gmail.com

A SOCIAL WORK INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL Dialogue in Praxis can be found here.