Thammasat University students are cordially invited to participate in a free Zoom event on human development through sociocultural aspects and the future of social work in Singapore, Thailand and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) community.
The seminar is hosted by the Faculty of Social Administration, Thammasat University
The TU Library collection includes many books on different aspects of social work in the ASEAN community.
The speaker will be Professor Tan Ngoh Tiong, Chair of the Global Institute of Social Work (GISW).The GISW website observes:
The vision of The Global Institute of Social Work (GISW) is to deliver quality social work training wherever in the world it is needed the most. Our goal is to provide readily available, cost-effective, and culturally appropriate training in various fields of social work.
As the event announcement explains, Professor Tan
will examine how socio-cultural elements in Singapore such as beliefs, values, norms, and identities affect human development practices during this era of transformation, including post-COVID-19 and an increasingly digital society and the direction of social work in Singapore, Thailand and ASEAN in the future.
The moderator of the event will be Dr. Sorasich Swangsilp, Deputy Director for Social Policy and Development at the International Programme, Thammasat University.
The event will be held on Monday 14 March 2022 at 4:30pm Bangkok time.
Students may click on this Zoom link to attend.
Last year in the journal International Social Work, Professor Tan noted about IA: Social solidarity and the future of social work:
Crisis is an effective catalyst for social change, inadvertently priming us towards better approaches to reconstruct social wellbeing. The focus of the global reset, if it should come, should be on human capital development and the longer-term social capacity building. Global solidarity is needed for every significant human progress. Many signs of fissures and divisions have appeared across the board, especially in the recent years. From tensions between and among nations, to trade wars and ethnic or class violence, social conflicts and community disintegration, environmental degradation and political extremism, the world has, in this generation, become a highly precarious place. The Covid-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on not just the economy but every aspect of human society and social wellbeing.
Solidarity is about mutual respect and is the key and common mission of the social work profession. Social solidarity is vital for the building of resilient communities, countries and regions or across the world. In essence, social solidarity consists of the close-knit web or network to withstand, cushion and shelter in times of crises, disasters or pandemic. Social resilience is observed at all levels: individual, group or community and societal. It is about social inclusion and social cohesion or social bonding. At its root is the value of justice and equity that springs forth what is the common social good for all…
We have underscored the need for social solidarity worldwide and also started social work representation and advocacy in the UN Bangkok and are now working to involve colleagues from Nairobi for social development at the various UN organizations around the world. The common emphasis is on social togetherness, being part of one another, intricately woven as a whole, in the larger contexts.
The key task and the unfolding of the Global Agenda is its activation of initiatives to increase the awareness of human solidarity involving academics, students and practitioners at both the local as well as regional levels. Research and capacity building projects spearheaded by the International Association of Schools of Social Work stimulated discussion and research for the realization of interventions worldwide around the key pillars of the Global Agenda. Globally, nationally and regionally the professions of social work and social development, together with our partners, will actively work with people, communities and social movements to advance the 10-year agenda of ‘Co-building inclusive social transformation’…
We are living in a world of disruption with drastic changes unprecedented in human history. Social work must become a disruptive force to change towards a more environmentally friendly and inclusive society. The key to social wellbeing lies in the quality of human interactions and our vital links to the environment. Social relationship is the key for both the individual and the society to thrive. Social work is about making functionally effective social connections to enable both the individuals as well as the society to progress.
Human relationships not only bring joy and meaning to our existence, they are the primary basis for survival of the human race. Thus, the theme for the Online Conference was: ‘Human Relationship: Keys to Remaking Social Work for the Future’. Social work education, research and practice as well as social policy need to respond proactively to promote human well-being, so as to foster positive social change and social integration. The basis of social work and social development is to empower citizens through participation, engender social inclusion and build human relationships so as to change individuals, groups and communities as well as to enhance social networks and social solidarity…
In meeting the demands spurred by the recent crises, we have seen emerging fresh new approaches to social work in a new era. More and more countries have embraced social work as a global profession and thus social work is no longer a western construct. Social work must change and social work is itself being disrupted with the increasing trends towards creative and contextualized practice, indigenization and the decolonization of social work enterprise.
Solidarity in social work begins from personal to professional, from the local to the global. Solidarity means that social work as a global profession represented by IASSW, ICSW, International Federation of Social Workers, Commonwealth Organization of Social Workers, International Consortium for Social Development, Global Institute of Social Work, and many others, are banding together as a united front, interweaving at all regional as well as national and local levels.
We are seeing, more than ever, our common agenda for connectedness with purpose and vision, to further the cause of social work for enhanced social wellbeing at individual, community and societal levels. Together, in solidarity, we can make the world a better place for ALL!
(All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)