Group Work in a Changing World: The Power of Connection - It has become increasingly clear that the world is in a state of constant change: in relation to politics, climate, health, disease and economics; with resulting impacts on human life, human rights, systematic oppression, interpersonal conflict and widening socio-economic gaps. There is an ever-growing need for group work to help build connections, address social isolation, enhance mutual understanding and challenge inequities through activism and community organizing.  Register today for the 2021 IASWG Symposium. 

Program Schedule

[Printable Program Guide] Also, view full presentation descriptions and program or download our printable session schedule

Sessions will take place in Eastern Daylight Time (ET).

Monday, June 7, 2021 - Pre-Symposium Institutes

  • 9:30am to 12:30pm ET  More than Ice Breakers: How to Use Activity in Group Work to Enhance Mutual Aid with Jennifer Clements
  • 1:30pm to 4:30pm ET  Building Mutual Aid in Groups with Vulnerable and Resilient Populations with Alex Gitterman

Tuesday, June 8, 2021 - Pre-Symposium Institutes

  • 9:30am to 12:30pm ET  Field Instruction Workshop with Ronnie Glassman
  • 9:30am to 4:30pm ET  Leading Mutual Aid Support Groups: The Science and Art of Group Work Practice with Larry Shulman 

Wednesday, June 9, 2021 - Symposium Day 1

  • 8:00am to 8:45am ET  Member Meet & Greet Room
  • 9:00am to 9:50am ET  Welcome & Opening Gathering
  • 10:00am to 10:30am ET  30-minute Discovery Sessions
  • 10:45am to 11:15am ET  30-minute Discovery Sessions
  • 11:30am to 12:30pm ET – 60-minute Presentations
  • 12:45pm to 1:45pm ET – Plenary Panel
  • 2:00pm to 3:00pm ET – 60-minute Presentations
  • 3:15 pm to 4:15pm ET – 60-minute Presentations
  • 4:15pm to 5:30pm ET  Member Meet & Greet Room
  • 4:30pm to 6:30pm ET – Skill-Building Workshop: Non-deliberative Group Work in a Virtual Setting

Thursday, June 10, 2021 - Symposium Day 2

  • 7:30am to 8:15am ET  Member Meet & Greet Room
  • 8:30am to 9:55am ET – Membership Meeting
  • 10:00am to 11:00am ET  60-minute Presentations
  • 11:15am to 11:45am ET – 30-minute Discovery Sessions
  • 12:00pm to 1:35pm – Posters
  • 1:45pm to 2:15pm ET – 30-minute Discovery Sessions
  • 2:30pm to 4:00pm ET  Invitational Workshops
  • 4:00pm to 4:45pm ET  Member Meet & Greet Room
  • 4:30pm to 6:00pm ET – Online Standards Focus Group
  • 4:30pm to 6:00pm ET – Select Chapter Meetings: Illinois, Ontario, & Western US States

Friday, June 11, 2021 - Symposium Day 3

  • 7:30am to 8:15am ET  Member Meet & Greet Room
  • 8:30am to 9:55am ET – Online Standards Focus Group
  • 10:00am to 11:00am ET – 60-minute Presentations
  • 11:15am to 11:45am ET – 30-minute Discovery Sessions
  • 12:00pm to 12:30pm ET – 30-minute Discovery Sessions
  • 12:45pm to 1:45pm ET – Plenary Panel
  • 2:00pm to 3:00pm ET – 60-minute Presentations
  • 3:15pm to 4:15pm ET – 60-minute Presentations
  • 4:30pm to 6:00pm ET – Membership Meeting
  • 6:00pm to 6:30pm ET – Sip & Chat: Exploring Potential Leadership Roles in IASWG

Saturday, June 12, 2021 - Symposium Day 4

  • 9:00am to 9:50am ET  Stretch & Sing-along
  • 10:00am to 11:30am ET – 90-minute Invitational Workshops
  • 11:45am to 12:15pm ET – 30-minute Discovery Sessions
  • 12:30pm to 1:35pm ET – Posters and Announcement of Groupwork Student Essay Prize
  • 1:45pm to 2:45pm ET – 60-minute Presentations
  • 3:00pm to 4:00pm ET – Plenary Panel
  • 4:00pm to 4:30pm ET – Closing Gathering

View full presentation descriptions and program or download our printable session schedule.


 

Symposium Highlights

In 2020 we held a successful virtual groupwork symposium. This year we have another even more dynamic event planned. We listened to your feedback and this year we have included breaks, opportunities for socialization and innovative bonus sessions. We have three inspirational plenaries, six interactive invitational sessions and a wide variety of workshops presented by colleagues from across the globe.

Expanded Offerings This Year!

Member Meet & Greet RoomThe Membership Committee is excited to offer an opportunity for new and existing members to meet one another in the Membership Meet and Greet Room at specific times during the Symposium. It is the perfect place to say hello, connect with members you have not seen in a while, meet new members, talk with committee members about becoming a member of the Membership Committee, and/or use the breakout rooms for a more private meeting. You can visit as many times as you wish and stay as long as you like within the posted days and times.
  • Wednesday, June 9, 2021 - 8:00am to 8:45am ET
  • Wednesday, June 9, 2021 - 4:15pm to 5:00pm ET
  • Thursday, June 10, 2021 - 7:30am to 8:15am ET
  • Thursday, June 10, 2021 - 4:00pm - 4:45pm ET
  • Friday, June 11, 2021 - 7:30am to 8:15am ET

Wednesday’s Opening GatheringThe opening reception of the 2021 IASWG Symposium will include a welcome from IASWG President Barbara Muskat and an overview of the symposium events. In addition, this year’s IASWG Honoree will be awarded. Each year the IASWG Board of Directors honors an individual who over their lifetime has made substantial contributions to IASWG and global group work. We look forward to announcing this year’s honoree during Wednesday’s Opening Gathering.

  • Wednesday, June 9, 2021 - 9:00am to 9:50am ET

Online Standards Focus GroupHelp develop the IASWG Standards for online Social Work with Groups. Share your insights, experiences, and ideas! Small group discussions will consider values, goals, and practice principles as applied to online group work. Your contributions will contribute to the development of the new IASWG Standards for Online Social Work with Groups. Small group discussions will be held in Spanish, French, German, and English as needed. This session will be offered at two times to accommodate international time zones. 

Facilitated by the IASWG online standards task group: Andrés Arias Astray, Samuel R. Benbow, Ephrat Huss, Lorrie G. Gardella, Charles Garvin, Será Godfrey-Kaplan, Cheryl Lee, Mark Macgowan, Barbara Muskat, Andrea Rowell, Mamadou Seck, Shirley R. Simon, Mark Smith, and Greg Tully. 

  • Thursday, June 10, 2021 - 4:30pm to 6:00pm ET
  • Friday, June 11, 2021 - 8:30am to 9:55am ET

Membership MeetingsPlease join us in a 90-minute interactive membership meeting in which members will have the opportunity to participate in 5 sessions lasting 15 minutes each. The five topic sessions include: Mindfulness, Seek and Find, Dance Around the World, Let’s Share A Meal, and the Beauty of Lithuania. This session will be offered at two times to accommodate international time zones.

  • Thursday, June 10, 2021 - 8:30am to 9:55am ET
  • Friday, June 11, 2021 - 4:30pm to 6:00pm ET

Sessions with InterpretationWith attendees joining from many places around the world, we want to make sure the experience is accessible and enjoyable. To overcome language barriers and connect more fully with the educational content and each other, select sessions will have live language interpretation. When enabled in Zoom, live language interpretation allows hosts to assign interpreters to a separate audio channel for the language they are interpreting. Attendees can select the corresponding audio channel to hear the interpreter speaking in their language of choice. Sessions with live interpretation available will be noted in the MeetingApp and posted below shortly.

Sip & Chat While Exploring Leadership Roles in IASWGHave you ever wondered about the leadership structure of IASWG and what the process is to get involved? Did you know that IASWG elects three at-large members each year to its Board? Grab a drink and come join members of the IASWG Nominations and Elections Committee for an informal conversation about these opportunities and other ways to get involved in IASWG leadership roles.

  • Friday, June 11, 2021 - 6:00pm to 6:30pm ET

Poster PresentationsPoster presentations are published on the IASWG website in the IASWG 2021 Poster Gallery Blog. Attendees are welcome to view posters and comment on the posters. In addition, during the symposium, poster presenters will give a 10-minute summary of their work in a Zoom Live Session with other poster presentations.

  • Thursday, June 10, 2021 - 12:00pm to 1:35pm
  • Saturday, June 12, 2021 - 12:30pm to 1:35pm ET

Saturday’s Stretch & Sing-alongJoin students from Lithuania, New Zealand, and South Africa in dance and song to start the last day of the symposium. Learning about culture and traditions, this time will include fun and relaxing country specific activities that bring to life group work therapy, practice, and research through non-deliberative group work.  

  • Saturday, June 12, 2021 - 9:00am to 9:50am ET

 

Registration Rates

Click here to register for the 2021 IASWG Symposium. 

Registration rates include access to live presentations and records from Wednesday, June 9 through Saturday, June 12, 2021. There is an additional fee to attend Pre-Symposium Institutes held on Monday, June 7th and Tuesday, June 8th. 

Registration Rates by Zone - The International Association for Social Work with Groups (IASWG) stands for diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice. Our symposium participation is truly international with presenters and attendees from all around the world. We make efforts to be inclusive through a diversified membership and symposium registration fee structures that reflects the financial realities in the world. For that reason, a model was developed, using the classification system based on the world bank data and EU classifications, according to the 2019 Gross Domestic Product (GDP, US$ in Trillions) per capita and divided into five zones.

 

Registration rates include access to live presentations and records from Wednesday, June 9 through Saturday, June 12, 2021. There is an additional fee to attend Pre-Symposium Institutes held on Monday, June 7th and Tuesday, June 8th.

2021 Full Symposium Rates Zone 5 Zone 4 Zone 3 Zone 2 Zone 1
Professional IASWG Member $150 $143 $75 $30 $15
Retired IASWG Member $100 $95 $50 $20 $10
Unemployed IASWG Member $40 $38 $20 $8 $3
Student IASWG Member $40 $38 $20 $8 $3
Non-Member $325 $310 $160 $65 $25

 

2021 One Day Rates Zone 5 Zone 4 Zone 3 Zone 2 Zone 1
Professional IASWG Member $100 $95 $50 $20 $7
Retired IASWG Member $75 $70 $37 $15 $5
Unemployed IASWG Member $25 $24 $13 $5 $2
Student IASWG Member $25 $24 $13 $5 $2
Non-Member $175 $160 $85 $35 $12

 

The International Association for Social Work with Groups (IASWG) stands for diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice. Our symposium participation is truly international with presenters and attendees from all around the world. We make efforts to be inclusive through a diversified membership and symposium registration fee structures that reflects the financial realities in the world. For that reason, a model was developed, using the classification system based on the world bank data and EU classifications, according to the 2019 Gross Domestic Product (GDP, US$ in Trillions) per capita and divided into five zones.

 

 

View full presentation descriptions and program or download our printable session schedule.