Summary

At the University of Michigan School of Social Work (U-M SSW), the Global Social Work Pathway prepares Master of Social Work students to critically engage with local and global communities and institutions. Incorporating a global perspective is an essential component of social work education as forces of globalization continue to create new complexities for social workers to navigate locally and globally.To prepare students for this work, the UM-SSW is dedicated to moving global social work education beyond teaching cultural competence and providing “parachuting-in” experiences common in traditional Western education contexts. In the interest of providing future social workers the skills to engage in meaningful dialogue with global communities, the program has developed a two-part global engagement course on human rights and social justice. The course includes both a classroom-based component, An Introduction to Human Rights, and an experience-based travel component, Human Rights and Social Justice: Global Course Extension, where students have the opportunity to engage with organizations and leading professionals working in the field of human rights.\ For the past two years, the Global Course Extension has provided the opportunity for MSW students to travel to New York City to engage with professionals working in the global sphere regarding migrant rights, women’s and reproductive rights, climate justice, and children’s rights. \ The week-long course has been successful in transforming students’ experiences of global social work education by incorporating diverse voices into their learning and providing a platform to explore issues such as global power dynamics, culture, and social work values and ethics.This oral presentation will focus on sharing how this experience-based course emerged as a part of our global social work curriculum, the value for students entering the professional realm of global social work, and possibilities for replication and expansion of experience-based coursework in global social work education.

Keywords (separate with commas)

social work education, human rights, experiential learning, experience-based education, social justice education, global social work

Summary

In post-conflict settings, the confluence of mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) with peace education programs (PEP) is paramount for sustainable peace. In contexts like Dadaab refugee camp, Kenya, where prolonged refugee situations intersect with acute disasters and ongoing regional crises—evident with Somali refugees—this connection becomes vital. Using a cross-sectional study design, this paper examines PEP outcomes for youth in Dadaab, Kenya. This study employed semi-structured interviews and surveys to evaluate the peace education program, collecting data from 455 participants. Subsequently, a hybrid thematic analysis was conducted on focus group discussions with PE teachers and community facilitators. Findings reveals how peace education not only fosters a culture of peace and prosperity but also nurtures mental health. Emphasized findings include peace education's transformative role in bolstering social relations, problem-solving, and instilling hope. The study also delineates the synergy between individual mental health and communal peace, spotlighting the importance of grassroots and intermediary peacebuilding efforts. Yet, challenges abound, from cultural dissonances to systemic inequalities, which hamper the seamless integration of PEP and MHPSS. Amidst these challenges, communities often prioritize immediate survival over mental well-being. Insights gathered from PEP recipients and community leaders underscore the need for tailored strategies that address these unique challenges, aiming to enhance the impact of PE and MHPSS initiatives. The study also accentuates the importance of equipping social service professionals and front-line responders with skills in culturally-informed peacebuilding and psychosocial support, advocating for a comprehensive approach that champions long-term community resilience and growth. Ultimately, this research endeavors to craft a future where peace and mental well-being are harmoniously intertwined, paving the way for sustainable social development.

Keywords (separate with commas)

Peace Education, Mental Health and Psychosocial Support, Somali Refugees, Post-Conflict Recovery, Psychosocial Support, Refugee Camps

Summary

The need for democracy, upholding human rights, engaging in peace-building and striving for eco-social justice, should more than ever be at the core of social work education and service delivery. Human rights can however be seen as the common denominator between these concepts. It is therefore imperative that social work curricula at schools of social work have a strong focus on human rights and how it links to democracy, peace-building and eco-social justice. After studying Dembour’s four schools of thought on human rights, I discovered that it can contribute toward the development of a stronger theoretical foundation for human rights education in social work, and related concepts. Although social work has always been seen as a human rights profession, research and writing on human rights in this field, are mainly practice-based, with theorizing centred in the natural and deliberative schools where human rights are perceived as a given, on account of being human. This view of human rights poses a dilemma for social work in the sense that it does not account for the views of the discourse school, which claims human rights only exist in as much as they are talked about. I argue that social work needs all four schools to enable a multifaceted, pluralistic view of human rights that allows for the acknowledgement that views on human rights are in essence deeply personal, but also multicultural and universal. This workshop offers attendees an opportunity to assess the extent to which their social work curriculum reflects the integration of different facets of human rights content and related concepts, by applying the Four Schools Curricular Integration Inventory (FSIC), that I have developed through my study of human rights literature.\ \ 

Keywords (separate with commas)

Human Rights, Human Rights Education, Social Work Education, Curriculum