The Global Role of Social Work with Groups Addressing Ecological Injustice
International Social Work Group on Ecological Justice
Sponsored by the International Association for Social Work with Groups
Contents of this Webinar
Opening by Será Godfrey-Kaplan,
President of the International Association for Social Work with Groups. IASWG.org
Announcements and Introductions
History of this group
Namibia and South Africa
Nigeria
Europe: Austria and Spain
United States
Breakout discussions in small groups
Reports from a few groups
Q & A
Closing reflections
Announcements
To ask questions about the webinar, type your question to “1 Dainess (Namibia)”
To share resources type to “1 Georgianna (US)”.
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Reactions to the video:
Something you knew about and something you didn’t
The International Social Work Group on Ecological Justice
The Ecological Justice Crisis
Climate warming
Degradation of eco-systems
Loss of biodiversity
Impacts and causes unequally distributed.
Those who suffer the most are the least responsible for the crisis
Social work could be involved at many different levels of the crisis
.
The ecological justice crisis and social group work
Why Social Group Work?
It includes theoretical perspectives on
social justice
mutual aid
social action
All three of those perspectives are important in giving clients, participants, social workers, or students a context, a space, and a methodology to engage with a reality that many of us have difficulty confronting.
Newtetter, 1935; Lewis, 1992; Breton, 1994; Andrews, 2001; Cohen & Mullender, 2005; Plitt Donaldson, 2005; Dudziak & Profitt, 2012.
Using Social Group Work for Capacity Building in Climate-Affected Communities
This presentation explores strategies for building community resilience through group-based skills training and empowerment.
Objectives of the Presentation
Understand the challenges
of climate-affected communities and the role of social work.
Explore practical strategies
for building community resilience through group-based approaches.
Introduction to Climate-Affected Communities
Significant impacts
Experiencing environmental, economic, and social impacts due to climate change.
Diverse examples
Coastal communities facing rising sea levels, rural areas affected by droughts.
Challenges faced
Loss of livelihoods, displacement, increased vulnerability to natural disasters.
The Role of Social Group Work
1
Group dynamics
A practice method in social work using group dynamics to achieve goals.
2
Collective problem-solving
Encourages collaborative action and builds social support networks.
3
Diverse applications
Self-help groups, advocacy groups, training collectives, and more.
Strategies for Building Community Resilience
1
Needs Assessment
Engage communities to identify vulnerabilities and capacities.
2
Capacity-Building Workshops
Train on sustainable practices like water conservation.
3
Peer-Learning
Foster knowledge sharing within the group and create a supportive learning environment.
4
Resource Mobilization
Teach advocacy and funding access to empower communities to seek support.
5
Building Emotional Resilience
Address trauma with mindfulness and peer support, fostering a sense of well-being.
Tools and Techniques for Group-Based Skills Training
Participatory Learning
Approaches like role-playing and simulations encourage active learning and engagement.
Hands-On Activities
Workshops and practical activities reinforce learning and build confidence.
Visual Aids and Technology
Videos, infographics, and interactive tools enhance engagement and accessibility.
Monitoring and Feedback
Regular evaluations ensure progress and address any challenges promptly.
Case Studies
Community Garden Project
Group initiative in a drought-prone area, promoting sustainable food production and community bonding.
Disaster Preparedness Training
Workshops on emergency response, enhancing community readiness and reducing disaster impact.
Benefits of Group-Based Approaches
1
Empowerment
2
Resilience
3
Collective Action
4
Social Support
5
Sustainable Solutions
Challenges and Mitigation Strategies
1
Limited Resources
Partner with NGOs and donors to secure funding and support.
2
Resistance to Change
Use culturally sensitive approaches and build trust through respectful dialogue.
3
Maintaining Momentum
Hold regular meetings, celebrate achievements, and acknowledge progress.
Conclusion and Call to Action
Social group work is a powerful tool for empowering climate-affected communities. Let's collaborate with stakeholders and advocate for supportive policies to integrate group work approaches into climate adaptation efforts.
The Role of Social Work with Groups Addressing Ecological Injustice: Evidence from Nigeria
Sunday Ofili Ibobor
Department of Social Work
University of Benin, Nigeria
&
Sofiat Abimbola Busari-Akinbode
Department of Social Work
University of Lagos, Nigeria
| Total Deaths | No. Injured | No. Affected | No. Homeless | Total Affected |
2012 | 363 | 867 | 7,000,000 |
| 7000867 |
2013 | 19 |
| 81,506 |
| 81506 |
2014 | 15 |
| 10,000 |
| 10000 |
2015 | 53 |
| 100,420 |
| 100420 |
2016 | 18 |
|
| 12000 | 12000 |
2017 | 20 | 0 | 10,000 | 500 | 10500 |
2018 | 300 | 1477 | 1,936,727 | 0 | 1938204 |
2019 | 24 | 0 | 71,140 | 0 | 71140 |
2020 | 189 | 825 | 192,900 | 0 | 193725 |
2021 | 4 | 0 | 8,330 | 0 | 8330 |
2022 | 603 | 2500 | 2,800,000 |
| 2802500 |
2023 | 275 | 0 | 31,336 | 0 | 31336 |
Climate-Related
Disasters in Nigeria:
Beyond the Deaths
Social Workers
Active participation in the disaster management cycle-
Source: EM-DAT, 2024
Feelings
ISWEJ
Shaped the thought of group projects among SW students and the larger community to enhance environmental consciousness, roles of SW in addressing ecological injustices
&
Inevitability of challenges
ISWEJ
Reassures support in times of difficulties
Source: Meta AI
Encouraged action individually and collectively.
Personal Action
�����
2023��Joined the International Social Work Group on Ecological Justice
2024
November, 2024, established Ecological and Environmental Social Work Group Research Team, Nigeria, domiciled now at the University of Benin.
A quick overview of European SW Response
A topic… but not necessarily well established
SW Austrian Challenges related to Climate Change
Lack of professional status of the profession of SW
Next Steps: Utilizing Group Work to Increase Interest
Coming together to address similar challenges
Solution? Make it personal
Case-Studies planned for the future, international class group projects, joint-classroom learning
As member of ISWGEJ, motivation to continue to make a change in our individual countries
Making Noise
Publishing of a scientific article in the Austrian Journal for SW (Soziales Kapital)
Ensuring mutual aid principles were maintained throughout publishing processes
Finding a voice as a group
Ensuring that the topic continue to be addressed in academia
Utilizing International Group Work to Address the Impact of Climate Change on Social Work Practice: A Mutual Aid Approach
Next Steps
�
Promoting ‘group work’ for ecosocial social work in Spain
Ecosocial Social Work Promoter Group Spain
31/1/2024 7 members
29/1/2025 17 members
Promoting group for ecosocial social work in Spain
�Features:�
GOALS�To develop the perspective of Ecosocial Social Work in Spain at all levels and in all areas
Promote
ESW
educational, professional research
Dimensions:
ethical-political, epistemological methodological
Positioning SW in the face of environmental injustices as our responsibility
To enhance the participation and visibility of eco-social practices as an emerging professional field for Social Work.
Prompts to develop group work addressing
Action 2024
https://drive.google.com/file/d/13H5VWsm4dSGgQcdS0w5u4cI8CT4_UX79/view
Evaluation of the experience
�������������������
Andrea Alfaya (Ourense, Coop. Enraizadas) �Francisco Javier Aguiar (Ourense, University of Vigo)�Nuria Baeza (Valencia,Coop. AeioLuz) �Sergio Belda (Valencia, University of Valencia)�Laura Esteban (Valencia,COTS/University of Valencia) �Inés Grande (Madrid, General Council of Social work) �Lucia Jurado (Almeria, COTS) �Macarena Luque (Sevilla, Coop.CEL Torreblanca Ilumina) �Berta Martínez (Castelló,COTS) �Mireia Masdeu (Sevilla, UPO University)�Raquel Millán (Madrid, Social Work General Council) �Belén Parra (Barcelona, University)�María Perea (Sevilla, Coop. CEL Torreblanca Ilumina) �Núria Prat (Barcelona, University of Bacelona) �Marta Pernas (Ourense, TS Ecofeminista)�Fernando Relinque (Sevilla, UPO University)�Antoni Sangrà (Barcelona,University of Barcelona) �Maricruz Vergillos (Madrid, General Council of Social Work)�
Group Problem Solving
Communities of Practice Model
U.S.A.
Group Problem Solving Process
What?
Why?
How?
Taking Action – Making Connections
(Northen & Kurland, 2001; Mullender & Ward, 1992)
40
Section
12
Section
Communities of Practice (CoP) as a model of Social Group Work
Core components of Communities of Practice:
Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of Practice: Learning, Meaning, and Identity. Cambridge University Press.
Two Examples:
Post-Graduate Certificate in Ecological Justice for Social Workers: Climate Work is Social Work (Adelphi and Institute for Social Work and Ecological Justice)
International Ecosocial Work Doctoral Student Group
41
In the words of participants of the doctoral group
“…has allowed me to connect with others across institutions and share invaluable resources and support as emerging scholars. In an area that is often depicted as hopeless, regularly hearing about what others are working on has helped me maintain my zeal and optimism for this critical matter.”
“…finding creative ways to connect social work with ecological and sustainability efforts. Being part of this broader global movement, where we each contribute in our own way while working toward a shared vision, makes me feel connected and hopeful for the future.”
“I've developed/am developing relationships with several collaborators who are also in the group. I’ve been exposed to different models, methodologies, and theories that I was previously unaware of that have guided my work. It's a nice sounding board… [and] it seems like a useful space to get feedback on your work.”
“…Coming together from a shared experience …provides a sense of solidarity that helps me sustain this work (phd, practice), especially in an actively hostile political environment or other academic environments that may not offer this kind of support.”
42
Break Out Rooms
Pick a leader as a group if you'd like.
Tell us who you are and your connection with group work and/or environmental justice issues.
How does learning about social group work (if you weren’t familiar with it) change the way you think about addressing environmental issues?
How could you use groups as an educator, researcher, or practitioner in your own work addressing environmental issues?
43
Section
12
Section
Sharing from a few small groups
Q & A
Thank
You
Closing
Remarks
References
&
Resources
References
Andrews, J. (2001). Group Work’s Place in Social Work: A Historical Analysis. Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare, 28(4), 45-65.
Breton, M. (1994). On the meaning of empowerment and empowerment-oriented social work practice, Social Work With Groups, 17(3), 23-37.
Cohen, M. B., & Mullender, A. (2005). The personal and the political: Exploring the group work continuum from individual to social change goals. Social Work With Groups, 28 (3-4), 187-204. Also in Malekoff, A. & Kurland, R. (Eds.). (2005). A quarter-century of classics (1978-2004): Capturing the spirit of social work with groups. Binghamton, NY: Haworth Press.
Dudziak, S., & Profitt, N. J. (2012). Group work and social justice: Designing pedagogy for social change, Social Work With Groups, 35(3), 235-252,
References
Kurland, R., & Salmon, R. (2005). Group work vs. casework in a group: Principles and implications for teaching and practice.
Lewis, E.(1992). Social change and citizen action: A philosophical exploration for modern social group work. Social Work with Groups, 14(3-4), 23-34.
Mullender, A., & Ward, D. (1992). Empowerment through social action group work. Social Work With Groups, 14(3-4), 125-139, DOI: 10.1300/J009v14n03_10
Newstetter, W. (1935). What is social group work? In Proceedings of the National Conference of Social Work (pp. 291-299).
Northen, H., & Kurland, R. (2001). Social work with groups. (3rd ed.). New York: Columbia University Press pp. 191-213.
References
Plitt Donaldson, L. (2005) Toward validating the therapeutic benefits of empowerment-oriented social action groups, Social Work With Groups, 27(2-3), 159-175.
Staples, L.H. (2004). Social action groups. In C. D. Garvin, L. M. Gutierrez, & M. J. Galinsky (Eds.), Handbook of social work with groups (pp. 344-359). New York: The Guilford Press.
Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of Practice: Learning, Meaning, and Identity. Cambridge University Press.
Resources
Resources Continued
The environmental justice crisis and social group work
Working with a group on the environmental justice crisis
You
The group
LET’S TAKE ACTION IN GROUPS
1. Don't jump over feelings, even when they seem very negative. If you don't let that phase of the work happen when it comes up, it will most likely backfire later on in ways that will not let you move forward with your action.
2. Educate yourself and your group. We will send resources via email after the workshop. But it's also relatively easy to get information online about different aspects of the crisis.
3. Get involved in something relating to the crisis yourself.
4. Pick something that appeals to you in some way.
5. Think about the demographic composition of your group and their abilities and interests to see what action might be interesting and possible for your members to accomplish.
6. Involve group members in choosing what they want to take on.
7. Set achievable goals, especially at the beginning. You and your group will need to have some success before being ready to sustain defeats.
Contact us if you would like support to start a group:
Sunday Ofili Ibobor (sunday.ibobor@uniben.edu) lives in Nigeria
Namoonga Chilwalo (nchilwalo@unam.na) lives in Namibia
Núria Prat (nuriaprat@ub.edu) lives in Spain
Hélène Filion Onserud (helene.onserud@gmail.com) lives in the United States
Georgianna Dolan-Reilly (georgianna.dolan.reilly@gmail.com) lives in the United States
Members’ Contact Information
Sofiat Abimbola Busari-Akinbode, sbusari-akinbode@unilag.edu.ng
Namoonga .B. Chilwalo, nchilwalo@unam.na
Georgianna Lynn Dolan-Reilly, LMSW, dolan-reillyG@sacredheart.edu
Sunday Ofili Ibobor, Ph.D, sunday.ibobor@uniben.edu
Núria Prat-Bau, LSW, L Pedagogy, nuriaprat@ub.edu
Andrew Spaumer, DSW, spauma@unisa.ac.za
Hélène Filion Onserud, LCSW, helene.onserud@gmail.com
Dainess Ziba Amukwelele, MSW, damukwelele@unam.na
Regina Scheitel, MSW, MA, regina.scheitel@fh-burgenland.at
Michelle Willoughby, DSW, LCSW, mw1983@nyu.edu
Samuel Ojima Adejoh, Ph.D, sadejoh@unilag.edu.ng