Summary

Students in the intercultural social work course in the BSW program at MacEwan University in Canada took part in experiential learning of another culture through virtual collaboration with social work students in India. The international exposure gave the students an opportunity to learn about social work in another country. Each student team consisting of social work students from Canada and India studied a cultural topic and prepared a digital story. Students used social media platforms to connect with their counterparts in India.  This collaboration helped in developing a detailed understanding of another culture and contributed to their cultural competency. However, there were challenges in the process like differences in time and barriers in language. The virtual international collaborations open opportunities for connecting innovative pedagogy in intercultural learning and practice. This presentation will share this collaboration's process, experiences, and challenges. 

Keywords (separate with commas)

virtual, international collaboration, culture, learning 

Summary

Throughout the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic the vulnerability of Black and other racialized communities in Canada emerged as a key concern for health and social services providers, policymakers and researchers. A compounding of structurally generated inequalities impacting income, employment, access to health and social services and susceptibility to contracting COVID-19, highlighted Black communities as a focal point evidencing the disproportionate impact of the pandemic. This paper presents findings of a constructivist grounded theory study of 20 frontline staff who provide social services at Toronto-based agency. The study agency provides on-site and mobile housing support services to adults who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. The study aimed to understand how social service provision to Black communities were understood and implemented and what the prospects are for future preparedness. Conceptually, a Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) logic and a systemic resilience lens were utilized to examine the agency’s capacity for developing sustainable partnerships with vulnerable communities as framed by SDG 11 - Sustainable Cities and (Inclusive and Resilient) Communities, and SDG 17 – Sustainable Partnerships). The framework allowed the researchers to examine agency responses to the pandemic in relation to Black communities and its ability to integrate its micro-level service goals, policies and outcomes with larger broader macro-level goals such as achieving country-level sustainability targets. Findings illustrate that supporting Black communities remains a sustainability challenge and that the application of a practical systems logic in social service agencies can result in meaningful interventions that support collaboration, inclusivity and resilience.  

Keywords (separate with commas)

Post-Disaster Resilience, Sustainable Development Goals, Black Communities, Social Services, Canada  

Summary

Inter-linkages between the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and pandemic-related vulnerabilities have not received adequate attention at the level of the community. The ability of vulnerable populations to navigate challenges associated with accessing good health, food security and safe, inclusive communities frame the local contexts of the SDGs to which Canada is a signatory. Thus, the efficacy of the SDGs is also hinged on what happens on the social services frontlines from which data is later funnelled to policymakers. This paper presents the findings of a grounded theory study of 20 social service providers and 20 service users at a community-based social service agency in Toronto. The study agency provides on-site and mobile housing support services to adults who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Drawing on a systemic resilience lens, the study aimed to understand how the pandemic has and continues to impact how these populations negotiate their access to nutrition (SDG 2 - Zero Hunger) and to good health and well-being (SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being). Findings illustrate that social service provision and utilization during the pandemic were framed by the social services agency’s broader social development goals and risk management strategies. The data also pointed to a need for explicit strategies that can enhance post-pandemic systemic resilience. The paper fosters an understanding of the integrated nature of risk management and systemic resilience strategies in social services agencies’ support of vulnerable populations and by extension, their advancing of sustainability goals at the community level.  

Keywords (separate with commas)

UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Resilience, COVID-19, Community-Based Social Services, Canada

Summary

"BackgroundWhile 1 in 7 sub-Saharan African children faces significant psychological challenges, access to mental health services for children is limited. The My FRIENDS Youth Program, a universal cognitive-behavioural intervention for anxiety prevention and resilience enhancement, has demonstrated effectiveness across cultures in children and adolescents. This study explored whether the program’s effectiveness extends to Zambian children.MethodsParticipants were 71 children aged 10 to 15 attending schools in low-income communities in Zambia. Four schools were randomly assigned to an intervention (N = 41) or waitlist control group (N =30). Researchers, blind to condition, collected data at 3 waves for the treatment group: baseline (T0), immediately post-intervention (T1), and at 3-month follow-up (T2), and 4 waves for the control group, which included a second baseline (conducted simultaneously with the treatment group’s post-comparison assessment). Data were analyzed using longitudinal multilevel modeling and controlled for child and parent sociodemographic characteristics.ResultsWe found no statistically significant reduction in symptoms of the treatment group, compared to the control group (Anxiety: b = 0.45, p = .696; Depression: b = 0.15, p = .876). However, the treatment group showed a reduction in anxiety symptoms between post-treatment and 3-month follow-up (b = -2.14, p = .004), but not depression symptoms (b = 0.20, p = .785). The control group experienced a reduction in both anxiety and depression symptoms between post-treatment and 3-month follow-up (Anxiety: b = -1.89, p \< .001; Depression: b = -1.22, p = .010).ConclusionsResults from this rigorously designed trial suggest that the My FRIENDS Youth Program was not effective in reducing anxiety and depression symptoms between pre- and post-treatment. However, results do suggest potentially delayed effects of the intervention. Future research may need to further adapt this intervention to better meet the needs of children in Zambia."\ 

Keywords (separate with commas)

Anxiety, Depression, Children, Zambia, My FRIENDS Youth, sub-Saharan Africa, Resilience\