Conveners: Carol S. Cohen, Sagrario Segado Sanchez-Cabezudo and Linda Ducca Cisneros EASSW-UNAFORIS 2017 European Conference 29 June 2017, Paris, France. Click Here for more information: Report 2017 July Workshop at the EASSW Paris France
Session Abstract
Group participation appears central to human experience,
well-being and the promotion of social justice. However,
while the power of groupwork is indisputable, social work
educators and practitioners identify critical reductions in the
quality and scope of groupwork education, training and
services. Groupworkers rarely have opportunities to join
across borders to talk about successful approaches and
challenges they encounter.
This session’s purpose is to:
– Bring us together to share experiences and research;
– Develop strategies to strengthen groupwork in social
work education.
Resumen de la sesión
La participación grupal es central a la experiencia humana,
al bienestar y a la promoción de la justicia social. Sin
embargo, aunque el poder del trabajo grupal no se discuta,
profesores y profesionales del trabajo social identifican una
disminución de la calidad en el alcance de la educación, la
formación y los servicios de trabajo grupal.Las trabajadoras
de grupo, tienen pocas oportunidades para compartir, más
allá de las fronteras, los enfoques exitosos y desafios con
los que se encuentran.
El propósito de la sesión es:
– Unirnos para compartir experiencias e
investigaciones;
– Desarrollar estrategias para fortalecer el trabajo
grupal en la formación en trabajo social.
Proposed Session Outline
• Welcome and Introduction to Our Session Today
• Introductions by Participants (Please Sign the Attendance Roster)
– Names, affiliations, and share a groupwork highlight
• Discussion of Groupwork Opportunities and Challenges
– Issues we face in our practice and education in groupwork
• Building and Sustaining our Connections
– Networking strategies for communication
– Resource sharing
– Research, practice and teaching collaborations
– Planning for 2018 World Conference in Dublin, Ireland and
other conferences and venues.
• Closing and Next Steps (Time For Our Photo)
– How did we come together today?
– What are our next steps for moving forward?
Propuesta de sesión
• Bienvenida y presentaciones de la sesión de hoy.
• Presentaciones de los participantes (Por favor firmar la lista)
– Nombre, institución, y compartir algún aspecto importante de grupos.
• Discusión acerca de las oportunidades y desafíos del trabajo
grupal
– Cuestiones a las que nos enfrentamos en la práctica y en la formación
en trabajo grupal.
• Crear y mantener conexiones.
– Estrategias de redes para la comunicación
– Intercambio de recursos.
– Colaboraciones en la investigación, la enseñanza y la práctica.
– Planificar la Conferencia Mundial en Dublin (2018, asi como otras
conferencias y eventos.
• Cierre y próximos pasos (Hora para nuestra foto)
– ¿Cómo fue la reunión de hoy?
– ¿Cuáles son los siguientes pasos para seguir adelante?
What are we Doing? How do we Connect?
As we share experiences and discuss local and
international perspectives on group work in social
work and social development:
• Are there themes emerging from our discussion?
• What opportunities and challenges appear in group
work across geographic boundaries and fields of
practice?
How Can We Support and Sustain our
Work Together?
• Are there emerging collaborations and ways to
sustain participants’ connections after the session?
• Are there possible resources and linkage with
existing networks that can be identified and
discussed?
• Are there opportunities for partnerships in
education, practice and research?
Moving Forward with Group Work: How
Will Our Work Today Inform Our Future
Collaboration?
• How can we summarize workshop content,
commitments, and next steps going forward?
• Can we identify possible venues for continuing
discussion, including upcoming conferences?
Upcoming Conferences
• International Association for Social Work with Groups
(IASWG): June 2018, Kruger National Park, South Africa:
• International Association for Social Work with Groups
(IASWG): June 2019, New York City, US: http://www.iaswg.org
• IFSW, IASSW, ICSW Joint World Conference on Social
Work, Eduation and Social Development July 2018, Dublin,
Ireland http://www.swsd2018.org
• IASWG Group Work Camps 2017, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin,
USA AND Quebec, Canada: http://www.iaswg.org
OTHER LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL VENUES AND
CONFERENCES?
POSSIBILITIES FOR OTHER SPECIAL INTEREST
GROUPS IN OTHER VENUES? WHAT IS NEXT?
History of This Type of Session
Since 2004, similar sessions have been convened by
social work educators who are affiliated with the
International Association for Social Work with Groups
(www.IASWG.org).
Previous Interest Groups included discussion of ways
to enhance organizational and educational support for
groupwork, explorations of cross-national and crosscultural
practice and education, and development of
issue focused teams.
International research partnerships, including some
presenting at IFSW, IASSW, IASWG and EASSW
conferences, were incubated through Special Interest
Group on Groupwork conversations.
Adelaide, Australia
(World Conference 2004)
Adelaide 2004
Munich, Germany (IFSW) 2006
Durban, South Africa
(World Conference 2008)
Chicago, 2009 – Global Groupwork Project’s
partners were invited as the Plenary Speakers
at the International Symposium of the IASWG
Stockholm, Sweden
(World Conference 2014)
Melbourne, 2016
Convened by Carol S. Cohen (United States), Sharima Ruwaida Abbas
(Malaysia), and Carol Irizarry (Australia), over 30 Joint World Conference
attendees participated in a Special Interest Group on Groupwork .
Participants from: Australia, Austria, Canada/Quebec, China, Hong Kong,
Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, New Zealand, South Africa,
United Kingdom, United States, and Vietnam.
Additional Special Interests
Group in Social Groupwork
• Parma, Italy (European Association of
Schools of Social Work), 2007
• Bonn, Germany (United Nations NGO DPI
Conference), 2011
• Seoul Korea (Social Work and Social
Development Conference), 2016
Expanding Connections
• International Association for Social Work
with Groups (IASWG): http://www.iaswg.org
• IASWG Commission on Social Work
Education in Groups (Contact: Co-Chair,
Carol Cohen): cohen5@adelphi.edu
• Global Group Work Project:
http://www.globalgroupworkproject.com
OTHER IDEAS AND CONTACTS?
Thank You!!
We look forward to our continuing work together
as groupwork practioners, educators and
scholars, and most of all to expand benefits of
effective group participation by members and
communities internationally.
Carol Cohen: cohen5@adelphi.edu
Sarario Segado Sanchez-Cabezudo:
ssegado@der.uned.es
Linda Ducca Cisneros: lducca@ucm.es
Global Group Work Project 