Memo

Social Work without borders

 

From 26th to 30th September 2022 students of social work from Munich, Ljubljana and Graz met to discuss how social work is done in their home countries.

In lectures, workshops and excursions, the participants had the opportunity to learn more about topics such as child and youth welfare, school social work, migration, inclusion, intercultural work and anti-discrimination.

A highlight of this impressive week was a walk through the city to take photos of places relevant to social work. This assignment was a small piece of research (photo voice) to make one aware of the fact that cities are socially constructed places. By discussing what is shown in the pictures and how the politically responsible parties deal with certain issues showed us that there is room for improvement in the city of Graz.

To sum up: social work is much more than supporting people in need. This week was a “best practice” example of how social work is done in other countries and how to bring issues into the mainstream of politics - without borders.

Thanks go to the organising team for this ERASMUS-Project BIP (blended intensive program): Monika Altenreiter, Tanja Buda, Sara Pistotnik and Kathrin Beck and all those who have brought new perspectives for social work by sharing their experiences.