Participation and Social Work - beyond good intention?

The Department of Social Work at MCI | The Entrepreneurial School^® has successfully participated in an international student conference as a cooperation partner of the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW). Seven MCI students from the 6th semester of the bachelor's program of Social Work networked with around 70 fellow students from all Swiss universities of Social Work and other international universities at the three-day conference in Lugano as part of an elective course in this format.

The focus of the conference was an intensive discussion of the many facets of the focus on “participation” in the context of Social Work.

The meaningful participation of vulnerable target groups is a central concern in the pursuit of an inclusive society. The international student course aimed to address the theoretical, methodological, and professional aspects of participation “beyond good intentions” in Social Work. Experts shared their experiences, successes and challenges, cooperative strategies, and integrative approaches with a focus on participation by means of a film, a wide range of inputs from the specialist community and a variety of workshops. In a separate workshop, Moritz Reisberger, research associate at the Department of Social Work at MCI, shared insights from research projects with participatory components in cooperation with Michele Pizzera (ZHAW).

A clear highlight of the conference was a forum theater in which the students actively participated. In the course reflection, it became clear how essential the topic of participation is for a holistically inclusive society and how dynamics for a more participatory community can be implemented and promoted in the direct practice of Social Work with target groups.

The international cooperation between the Department of Social Work at MCI | The Entrepreneurial School^® and the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) was further intensified with participation in the student conference. Initial plans for the next conference in two years' time have already been announced and we are very much looking forward to further international networking between students in the academic community.