As social workers, our passion for social justice drives us to become influential leaders of change. We learn in class how to ethically and effectively influence change by incorporating the experiences and values of the clients and communities we serve. However, we rarely discuss how to engage with our colleagues when they have perspectives that are different than our own. This leads to a significant question: is there space for social workers to have diverse viewpoints?
This is a time for conversation – to share feelings, raise concerns, and talk together as a school community. To aid the conversation, space will be limited. (We know it's coming up soon, so if you miss it, don't fear! If there is a lot of interest in this topic, we can hold another session soon.)
About the format. With these smaller Community Conversations, our hope is to explore restorative dialogue and build community, creating a space where we are all teachers and learners. We will draw heavily on practices from intergroup dialogue and restorative justice.
University of Michigan
School of Social Work
1080 South University Avenue
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1106