Unite for Social Change Fall 2018 Kick-Off

Unite for Social Change is a U-M School of Social Work initiative that aims to bring members of the U-M School of Social Work community together. Given the elections happening during the Fall semester, the goal of this kick-off event is to promote understanding about barriers to civic engagement, and to encourage civic action. Activities for the day will include pre-panel activities, panel discussion, and hands-on breakout sessions where participants can learn more about work happening in the community and how they can build and apply their skills to move political social change.

*  Please note that there are limited spaces for the panel discussion and breakout sessions. We will try our best to accommodate all registrants. However, first come, first served. Based on the time of your registration, you may be invited to join the sessions through live-streaming.

RSVP here »

Please see more information about the event below:

Pre-Panel Activities

• 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
  McGregor Commons & Lower Level Atrium

Desserts Provided

Activities led by:

• Avalon Housing
• Ginsberg Center
• Office of Multi-Ethnic Student Affairs
• Ozone House
• SafeHouse Center
• State Appellate Defender Office
• * U-M SSW 90% Challenge
• Washtenaw County Government
• & other partners

* Join the School of Social Work as we hustle to win the 90% Challenge lead by the Big Ten Voting Challenge! We have been challenged by the University's President to pledge 90% of our eligible students to vote. Will you help us win this challenge? Voting is social work and we're in it to win it!

Panel Presentation

• 2:00pm - 3:30pm
  Educational Conference Center (1.5 CE Provided*)

Snacks Provided

Title: We the People: Advocacy for Inclusive and Anti-Racist Politics

Moderator: Barb Hiltz, Clinical Assistant Professor of Social Work and MSW Program Director

Panelists:

* The University of Michigan School of Social Work, provider #1212, is approved as a provider for social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) http://www.aswb.org., through the Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. The University of Michigan School of Social Work maintains responsibility for the program. ASWB Approval Period 5/15/2017-5/15/2020. Social workers should contact their regulatory board to determine course approval. Social workers participating in this course will receive 1.5 in-person continuing education clock hours.

Breakout Sessions

• 3:30pm - 5:00pm
  Various Locations

Snacks Provided

A Fire in the Belly: Contemporary Performance Art and Social Change (led by Niki Williams) | Room 3661

Niki Williams is the SSW Multimedia Coordinator. In this breakout session, he will first present on contemporary performance art, and then participants will join Niki in a free writing exercise on identity and social change, and at the end will have a group sharing.

A Primer in Political Social Work (led by Justin Hodge) | Room B780

Clinical Assistant Professor Justin Hodge promotes socially just policies through his engagement in governmental and political organizations. He was elected to serve the Washtenaw County community as both the Chair of the Eastern Washtenaw Democratic Club and the Vice-Chair of the Legislative Committee for the Washtenaw County Democratic Party. If you are interested in creating social change through political action, in this breakout session, Justin will lead the participants in to:

• learning how politics impacts the lives of those they serve
• practicing skills for advocating to policymakers
• gaining tools to empower clients to become politically engaged, and
• exploring opportunities for running for office

Arab Civic Engagement Post-Trump (led by Nadine Jawad) | Room B631

Nadine Jawad was the VP of the U-M Central Student Government in 2017-2018, the founder and co-president of a student organization called “Books for a Benefit,” the outreach chair of the Lebanese Student Association, and a representative in LS&A Student Government. In this breakout session, she will share about political and civic engagement in the Arab community in post-Trump era.

Barriers to Participation and Pathways to Inclusion for Immigrants (led by Nick Espitia, Catalina Rios, Kerry Martin, and Katie Lopez) | Room 1636

Nick Espitia is a U-M SSW joint PhD student in Social Work & Sociology; Catalina Rios is a current U-M MSW student; Kerry Martin is a leader at the Washtenaw Interfaith Coalition for Immigrant Rights; and Katie Lopez is the Assistant Director of the U-M SSW Office of Global Activities. In this session, they will lead a discussion on common barriers to inclusion faced by immigrants in the current political climate nationally and in Washtenaw County. The session will also discuss community-based solutions to these barriers highlighting specific organizations and projects in Washtenaw county. There will be a particular focus on the undocumented community and barriers created by immigration policy. 

Interpersonal Violence Advocacy and Partnerships: Transformational Approaches for Law Enforcement and Social Work Practice for Civic Action (led by Marlanna Landeros) | Room 3629

Marlanna Landeros, MSW'13 is the program manager in human resources for diversity, equity and inclusion and student programs. She is responsible for developing initiatives and practices designed to promote a diverse and inclusive workforce in the Division of Public Safety & Security (DPSS). This breakout session will examine the specific concerns that apply to law enforcement and social workers as community partners. This session will specifically address the subject of advocacy and partnerships on interpersonal violence. This includes strategies to increase collaboration and education with an emphasis on increasing capacity to support communities and social issues through partnership.

Nothing About Us Without Us-Disability, Ableism and Social Change (led by Shanna Katarri) | Room 2629

Shanna K. Kattari is a U-M SSW faculty member. Her background is as a board certified sexologist, experienced sexuality educator, and social justice advocate. This breakout will talk about the history of the disability rights movement, cover language use around disabled communities, explore how ableism is perpetuated in society, and discuss action items for effecting social change.

Walk In Their Shoes: Homelessness Simulation (led by Katie Doyle) | Room B798

Clinical Assistant Professor Katie Doyle, is the former executive director of Ozone House Youth and Family Services in Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor. She serves on several local, state, and national boards to help organizations meet the needs of homeless youth and their families, including homeless LGBTQ youth and youth experiencing trauma.

National estimates have found that 1.3 to 1.7 million youth experience one night of homelessness a year with 550,000 youth being homeless for a week or longer. The vast majority of youth do not become homeless by choice. This simulation sheds light on the daily challenges of our promising young neighbors who experience homelessness or human trafficking. In this session, participants will “walk in the shoes” of a youth or family experiencing homelessness and learn how individuals and organizations help. We will also explore the ethical implications of running "simulations" like this one. This simulation typically involves participants moving around the room and reading signs around the room. Please let us know if you need accommodations.