May 2018
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14 Reads
Inspired by the recent work of student activists in the McGill School of Social Work attempting to remove the gender designation from the bathrooms in their building, this panel will discuss the ways in which social work faculties can engage with student or community-led social justice initiatives. Through critical analysis of various examples of this type of advocacy across Canadian schools of social work, this panel will discuss the ways in which our institutions can interact with these demands in a way that is both in line with the values of the Canadian Association of Social Workers, and cognizant of the specific realities that social work students face as a small part of university bureaucracies. This panel will also discuss the inherent power dynamic that activists face in approaching social work faculties in the first place, analyzing this dynamic and the ways in which the values of our profession behoove us to challenge the very structures of which we are a part in order to pursue social justice, thus bridging the gap between activism and academia. In effect, questions surrounding the deeply inaccessible nature of post-secondary learning towards marginalized groups will lend itself to grassroots, student activism to mend physical and systemic barriers. Participants will learn more about navigating these conversations within their educational environment, with students, faculty members, and staff. Particularly, student activists will learn about engaging social work faculty in advocating for social change within the academic setting. Throughout the educational power structure, senior faculty and staff can become gatekeepers of policy surrounding university space. This panel challenges this sentiment, and demands that students have a seat at the table when confronting institutional barriers. Finally, this panel will discuss these issues through an intersectional lens, encouraging participants to critically reflect on the ways that their social location can be utilized in our ongoing goal of the creation of safe(r), anti-oppressive spaces for all members of our communities. “Progressive education, education as the practice of freedom, enables us to confront feelings of loss and restore our sense of connection. It teaches us how to create community.” — bell hooks, Teaching Community: a pedagogy of hope