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The Climate and Ecological Justice Committee

Hélène Filion Onserud and Andrew Spaumer, Co-chairs

All members of IASWG are warmly invited to join the committee

We are looking forward to working with those of you who join us in the thinking process leading to implementation of new ideas and actions of the committee.

Context

This crisis, the worst in human history, is largely ignored by social work as a profession, even though its involvement could be extremely beneficial in multiple ways at this critical time. It is also ignored by most individuals in the world societies, especially in the global north. 

Purpose of the Committee

Using social group work to create awareness and action internationally about the climate and ecological justice crises in social work and beyond.

How the Committee Came About

Two eco-social mutual aid groups were started in January 2023 under the auspices of IASWG. They are both currently still meeting. The groups have included social workers who are educators, students and practitioners. All of them concerned about the climate and ecological justice crises. In January 2025, based on the work of the groups, the executive committee of IASWG decided to create a Climate and Ecological Justice Committee to expand the work of the groups to the entire membership of the association.

Schedule

This committee plans to meet quarterly: in the middle to later part of February, May,  August, and November. 

We will schedule dates that accommodate the availability of the majority of members who wish to participate. Meetings are likely to be held on Wednesdays and Thursdays, with a possibility of alternating between the two to facilitate greater member attendance.

The international committee, which includes European and African members with families, will schedule meetings in the morning hours for those members in the United States, Canada, Central America, and South America, ensuring participation without compromising personal commitments and fostering a more inclusive environment. 

History of the Eco-Social Groups

The idea of the groups came about at the end of a presentation titled “Let’s mobilize in Groups for the Environment”, by Hélène Filion Onserud, at the virtual IASWG symposium in June 2022.

The recruitment process for the Eco-social groups (as they were called at the time) proved to be lengthy due to the low level of interest in this topic among social workers. By December 2023, 38 social workers expressed a desire to participate in the group, facilitated by an eco-social international network and the enthusiasm of several IASWG board members. This number of potential members was adequate to form two distinct groups. One group included a member residing in North America, while the other encompassed members from three African countries, two European countries, and the United States. Ultimately, the composition of the groups stabilized with seven members from various states across the US and ten members in the international group.

As the idea of the group was presented to potential members, the original purpose was to: “Share concerns and feelings, to engage with others regarding the climate and environmental justice crises, to better equip ourselves to address these issues in our practice, and to encourage students, clients, and group members to take action whenever possible.” 

As the needs and interests of prospective members became clearer, and in order to open the group to social workers in general (not just group workers), the initial purpose was revised to: “As social workers, we will, in various ways, support one another and work to promote environmental and ecological justice both within the profession of social work and beyond.”

Foundational members without whom this committee would not exist: 

Andrew Spaumer, Ann Garrett, Christine da Rosa, Dainess Amukwelele, Georgianna Dolan-Reilly, Helene Filion Onserud, Joyce Roberson-Steele, Karen Bensen, Karla Herrera, Mamadou Seck, Michelle Willoughby, Namoonga Chilwalo, Núria Prat, Regina Scheitel, Sam Adejoh, Sofiat Busari-Akinbode, Sunday Ibobor

Accomplishments of the Eco-Social Groups

Both groups first presented together at the 2023 IASWG virtual symposium: “Let’s create groups to address the environmental justice crisis.”

Each group presented separately at the 2024 IASWG symposium in Madrid, Spain:  One of the groups presented: “International Social Work Group on Ecological Justice (ISWGEJ)” in a hybrid format. The other group presented in person: “The Use of the Problem-Solving Process in an Eco-social Group.”

The international group presented on the same topic at the Social Work and Ecological Justice Institute 2024 virtual conference.

And the group including social workers in the US, presented on the same topic as they did at the 2024 symposium at the Virtual 2025 Australian Groupwork Symposium.

The international group wrote a paper for an Austrian Journal, Soziales-Kapital, in 2024: Utilizing International Group Work to Address the Impact of Climate Change on Social Work Practice, A Mutual Aid Approach 

The same group also created in February 2025 an international webinar: “The global role of social work with groups addressing ecological injustice”. This event attracted over 300 registrations from 30 different countries.

Resources

 

Interested in Joining? Email Hélène and Andrew

[email protected] and [email protected]