We will have three time blocks of workshops, please choose one workshop from each time block:
Workshops A1)-A4): Tuesday, 1st, 10-12:30
Workshops B1)-B4): Wednesday, 2nd, 10-12:30
Workshops C1)-C4): Thursday, 3rd, 10-12:30
Tues 1st April 10-12:30
A1) Anne-Sophie Hedengran Vedel (UCL University College, Odense, Denmark): Forum Theatre Workshop: Dilemmas in Social Work Regarding Sustainability and Ecosocial Work - Room SI 358
In this workshop, participants will delve into the complex relationship between sustainability and social work, focusing on the ethical challenges and dilemmas that arise in relation to eco-social issues. The aim is to provide future social workers with skills and knowledge that can be used to address these challenges and promote social and environmental justice.Didactic method: Forum Theatre: Forum theatre, also known as ‘the theatre of the oppressed’, is a participatory and interactive method developed by Augusto Boal. It is used in educational contexts to explore and address social issues through training-based and participatory teaching. In forum theatre, participants are both spectators and actors, actively participating in the creation and resolution of the play's narrative.
Key elements of the workshop: 1. Participants are introduced to the principles and techniques of forum theatre, 2. In small groups, they create short plays depicting eco-social issues, 3. Forum theatre sessions with all participants:
Each play focuses on a specific challenge. It could be: balancing environmental sustainability with social justice or addressing the impact of climate change on the environment towards vulnerable people. Participants will propose alternative actions and solutions to the dilemmas presented. Through this process they will explore different perspectives and get ideas for practical strategies to tackle eco-social problems. Participants will continuously reflect and discuss perspectives. This workshop aims to create an engaging and reflective learning experience that enables social workers to navigate and deal with Eco social dilemmas with confidence and creativity.
A2) Eeva Mäntylä and Miki Mielonen (Humak University of Applied Sciences, Helsinki, Finland): Intersectionality, Privilege, and Accessibility as Part of Sustainability - Room SI 355
Climate change affects people in different ways and the vulnerability of groups of people to the impacts of climate change varies. Impacts are particularly concentrated in specific areas and in different ways for different age, social and ethnic groups. Incorporating intersectionality into sustainability education ensures that we address the multiple layers of identity—race, gender, class, ability—that shape how individuals experience climate change and environmental issues. This approach fosters empathy and awareness in students, encouraging them to recognize the varying impacts of climate crises across different communities. Intersectional thinking pushes students to see beyond their own circumstances and understand that not all people have equal access to resources or opportunities for adaptation and resilience. It also helps students understand the systemic inequalities that worsen climate impacts for marginalized groups.
How can social work promote the position and opportunities of vulnerable groups in particular in the context of climate change? How can we build hope for a more sustainable future in the field of social work? The workshop contains a brief introduction to the theme by lecturers, a working phase for the students in smaller groups, a sharing phase of the learning outcomes, and the summary of the workshop.
A3) Tim Vermeiren/Students (UCLL Leuven-Limburg, Leuven, Belgium): Towards Sustainable Social Work: Exploring SDGs in society and higher education - the case of Belgium - Room SI 352
We will shortly inform the participants about the Belgian policy on the implementation of the UN Social Development Goals (SDGs) and how UCLL tries to become a more sustainable higher education institution in the nearer future. In regard to the field of social work, students will present some good practices in Belgian social work and leave room for discussion. Through this way, we will try to inspire each other to become more sustainable social workers and to create an exchange with comparing perspectives.
A4) Prof. Dr. Christian Spatscheck (Hochschule Bremen, Bremen, Germany): Ecosocial Work and the Climate Crisis - Challenges and Approaches for Child and Youth Welfare - Room M 328
The current global climate crisis needs to be understood as a socio-ecological crisis. This new dimension also enlarges the scope of social work and urges the profession and discipline to find adequate concepts and forms of interventions. For this purpose, different models of Ecosocial Work or Green Social Work have been formulated along the concept of environmental justice.
This workshop starts with a short analysis of current eco-social crisis and its main impacts on the life conditions of children and adolescents. It then reflects this challenging structural and developmental situation within the scope and frameworks of social work and social pedagogy and introduces newer concepts of ecosocial work. After this input, we will start to identify the main threats and challenges for young people and how ecosocial work can address the needs and potentials of young people in concrete and innovative services.
Wed 2nd April 10-12:30
B1) Prof. Dr. Can Aybek/Prof. Dr. Christian Spatscheck/(Hochschule Bremen, Bremen, Germany)/Christoph Omann (St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences): Building Resilience: The Role of Social Work in Climate-Induced Migration and Crisis Recovery - Room SI 358
As climate change continues to disrupt ecosystems and communities worldwide, its profound impact on human mobility and displacement cannot be overstated. Communities affected by natural disasters face not only the physical loss of homes and livelihoods but also the psychological toll of disconnection and grief. This workshop is designed for students of social work to explore the intersection of climate change, migration, and community resilience.
The session focuses on outlining the key drivers of climate-induced migration, emphasizing the role of extreme weather events, resource scarcity, and sea-level rise. Participants will delve into the challenges faced by urban centres as they become destinations for displaced populations. Special attention will be given to the social and infrastructural gaps that exacerbate vulnerabilities for migrants and host communities. Participants will differentiate between different groups of people who are affected by climate-induced migration, but differ in their reaction to it.
The workshop highlights the critical role social workers play in fostering community resilience, from providing psychosocial support to advocating for inclusive rebuilding policies. Participants will also have the opportunity to discuss how collaboration between social workers and policymakers can work and how it could be possible to integrate local knowledge into the long-term planning efforts of the responsible authorities.
B2) Shahram Moradi (University of South-Eastern Norway, Porsgrunn, Norway): A Sustainable Approach to Inclusion of Students with Disabilities in Higher Education - Room SI 355
Sustainability in higher education is not only about environmental and economic resilience but also about promoting inclusive and sustainable learning environments for all students. This workshop explores how universities can adopt sustainable approaches to ensure the inclusion of students with disabilities in academic and social life within the framwork of sustainability.
Participants will actively engage in collaborative discussions to identify challenges and opportunities for creating sustainable and inclusive educational environments for all students, irrespective of their functional abilities. Drawing on recent research and practical examples, the workshop will cover key strategies such as "universal design" in promoting sustainable/inclusive learning environments for all students.
The session is designed to be highly interactive, allowing participants to share experiences and exchange their ideas for advancing inclusion as part of a sustainable vision for higher education.
B3) Bas Stuurwold (Hanzehogeschool Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands): Homo Ludens - The Playing Human as a Concept and Approach to Meet New Challenges - Room SI 352
The discussions about new and innovative concepts in social work that aim to address pressing societal issues are hardly being conducted from a new paradigm. In my contribution, I make a case for the playing human. I will start with a brief introduction to social work in the Dutch context and discuss the local agenda of social workers. We will then start to explore the figure of the Homo Ludens as the playing human and reflect on its relevance and potentials for innovative and playful social work.
B4) Miriam Weinzierl (Hochschule Emden-Leer, Emden, Germany): Theatre Workshop: "Challenge Social Inequality" - Room M 328
This workshop wants to open a creative dialogue about the topic “social inequality” and its societal mechanisms within different European countries. It aims to play with the topic creatively through theater. In a mixture of expression through theater scenes, movement and (creative) discussion, we want to approach and investigate the topic in order to find new solutions and approaches to existing problems.
The workshop uses mainly the method of the “Theatre of the Oppressed” which is a format that originated from theater work with marginalized groups in order to empower, educate and politicize themselves. All levels of theatre experience (from “never even been to a theatre” to “I am an expert”) are very welcome and appreciated!
Thurs 3rd April 10-12:30
C1) Holger Kühl (Hochschule Bremen, Bremen, Germany): Ecosocial work - What Does that Mean for Me as a Social Worker? - Room SI 358
Social work is one of the few professions with a universal professional definition, the Global Definition of Social Work. According to this document, human rights are the unalterable basis of our profession. At the same time, the goal of social work is clearly stated: self-determination, autonomy and well-being of our clients. All social work interventions must fundamentally meet this requirement of the definition.
Man-made climate change, economic globalisation, authoritarian political developments, dramatic migration movements and much more have increased awareness that the previous ethical consensus of social work may not be sufficient to reflect the complexity of current reality. Ecological, and thus also social developments, should therefore be explicitly included more strongly in the value basis and action orientation of social work. This is captured with the term Ecosocial Work. In view of these important findings, we as social workers are faced with the question of how we can implement this in our daily practice. Big goals should not overwhelm us; they should inspire us in our work.
In this workshop, we will take a new look on the Global Definition and consider how it covers an eco-social approach. The main point is that we can act accordingly at the various levels - micro, meso, macro. Based on the practical situations that we know or can imagine, we will discuss which aspects we can work on and which approach we can use. This workshop is less about lectures than about lively discussions in small groups and plenary sessions.
C2) Eila Prats Brugat (University of Girona, Girona, Spain/Catalonia): Intersectionality - An Enlarged Perspeictve on Climate Change - Room SI 355
Climate change has the effect of creating inequalities between people in more favourable or more vulnerable socio-economic situations. Social justice aims to ensure that societal resources are distributed fairly, thereby promoting the elimination of inequalities between people. Our aim is to link these two contexts with the fight against the effects of climate change. The proposed activity will consist of different areas where participants will reflect on examples of social and environmental inequalities.
C3) Prof. Dr. Gabriele Schäfer (Hochschule Bremen, Bremen, Germany): Cognitive Processes that Create Barriers to a Sustainable Future - Room SI 352
Psychologists have argued that accurate perceptions of the self, the world and the future are essential for mental health. From this perspective, the well-adjusted person is thought to engage in accurate reality testing, whereas the individual whose vision is clouded by illusion is regarded as vulnerable to, if not already a victim of, mental illness. However, considerable psychological research evidence suggests that certain cognitive patterns and filters can potentially create an illusory perception of reality that can prevent sustainable behaviour both on an individual and on a societal level. Examples of such illusory perceptions are overly positive self-evaluations, exaggerated perceptions of control and unrealistic optimism. In this workshop, I will critically evaluate the research and introduce some ideas that may help to develop more self-awareness with respect to illusory perceptions that can pose barriers to behaving more sustainably in our daily lives.
C4) Bert Nijssen (PXL, Hasselt, Belgium): Creating a Lifeline with Material from Nature - Method Working - Room M 328
In this workshop we invite students, participants to reflect on there own life. Using the lifeline method, we would like that every individual takes a moment to reflect on key events that occurred during their life from birth until now. This can be happy moments and also tragic, learning moments. After this reflection, we invite everyone to go into (urban) nature to collect items which can present several key moments and then they are encouraged to create their own lifeline with these materials. Finally, we invite the participants of this experimental workshop to go and explore each others' lifeline, within the boundaries of safety and willingness of sharing, listening and caring.
