International Day of Social Work
The DBSH - Saxony Regional Association invites you to a themed buffet on the International Day of Social Work.
Manuela Leideritz, Tobias Burdukat and Friedemann Affolderbach take a look at the topic:
"Social work as a human rights profession?
Guests will be accompanied by a variety of tasty treats and insightful discussions - an evening that should be a feast for body and soul.
Tuesday - 17.03.2020 - 18:00,
in the Socio-Cultural Centre Women's Culture Leipzig.
Admission & food are FREE
Registration at: <link>itsa.leipzig (at) dbsh-sachsen.de
German Professional Association for Social Work e. V. - Regional Association Saxony
http://www.dbsh-sachsen.de
World Social Work Day is the most important day of the year for the social work profession. It is celebrated worldwide every year and serves to publicly recognise the work of the profession for individuals and society.
This year, World Social Work Day took place on 19 March and focused on the theme of "Promoting the importance of relationships". Events, workshops and panel discussions were organised in numerous countries, including Finland, Greece, Nepal, Puerto Rico, Romania and Somalia.
A round table was also held at the International Conference Centre (CICG) in Geneva, organised by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) and AvenirSocial. Priska Fleischlin (IFSW UN Commissioner) opened and hosted the event. Speakers at the event were Joachim Mumba, Vice President of IFSW Africa, Annina Grob, Co-CEO of AvenirSocial, Rory Truell, Secretary General of IFSW, Rio Hada, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and Isha Dyfan, Programme Director for International Advocacy at Amnesty. The presentations and debates focussed on issues relating to the connection between human rights and concrete social work practice as well as the development of perspectives for the profession.
In his presentation, Joachim Mumba emphasised the necessity of the advocacy mission of social work. The aim is to bring about social change and promote social cohesion between people. The preservation of cultural diversity is central to this. This mission ultimately leads to a new role for social workers as so-called "change agents". This means that positive social change can and must emerge from critical and political social work; however, such change must always be accompanied in a culturally sensitive manner while respecting traditional ideas. It is clear that social work practice and the social work profession face similar challenges in some cases, despite major country-specific differences. International cooperation that promotes professional dialogue through direct exchange is therefore necessary and appropriate. At another event on 20 March, the connection between gender equality, human rights and social work in various countries was discussed in depth. The Deputy UN Secretary-General and Head of the UN Office in Geneva, Michael Møller, also took part in this event. Numerous contacts were made at the events and future opportunities for cooperation were discussed. The topics and results of the "World Social Work Day" are incorporated into the courses and are anchored there both theoretically and in terms of their practical significance.
