Announcements
Nominations & Elections Update - The next IASWG Board Election will take place in October 2018. The Nominations & Elections Committee is currently in the process of developing a slate of six or more individuals for the following open positions: President, Vice President, At-Large Member (3). All nominations must be received by August 1, 2018 in order to be considered. For more information, click here or contact committee chair, Kyle McGee, at [email protected]
Thank you for wonderful 2018 symposium in South Africa!
Join us in Lithuania for the Group Work Camp (October 12 – 14th, 2018).
The Time for Group Work
The climate is changing. In many parts of the world, respect for people who are different from ourselves has diminished and communities feel fractured. Dialogue is too often replaced by bombings and vitriol; hate-filled populism blasts reasoned, respectful understanding.
It is not difficult to see why many people feel alienated; they themselves are disrespected and disempowered by increasing inequality, job insecurity and a sense that the important decisions are no longer within their influence.
We need to find ways to become inclusive, to celebrate our differences and to generate a powerful sense of togetherness. There has never been a more urgent time to bring communities together towards a mutual understanding and a respect, not just for humanity, but for the planet as a whole.
Social groupwork can create security where there is uncertainty, a feeling of belonging where there is alienation, and a vehicle for positive communal action where there is a sense of helplessness. It has been used to unite and give voice to people in the aftermath of conditions that seemed beyond repair. Through social groupwork, nations, communities and individuals can repair. This is the hopeful message that IASWG and its members offer to the world.
IASWG stands against oppression and disenfranchisement. As social groupworkers, we stand for and advocate for creating spaces for respectful dialogue to expand our worldviews and perspectives in community with each other.
Contact us. Let us know how you are using group work to repair the world. Ask us how we can help you in this process.
It’s time for group work.
