Partnering with communities to create innovative social change and social justice initiatives through art will be the theme of Social Work Day 2019.
Social work and social justice advocates from across the state will have the opportunity to discuss the various issues related in combining art into social change initiatives, with Social Work Day 2019: The Art of Social Justice: Creating Community Change, taking place from 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday, April 1, at the Illinois State University Alumni Center in Normal.
Click here to reserve a place for Social Work Day 2019.
Social Work Day 2019 is free to attend. There will be six hours of Continuing Education Units (CEUs) available for educators for $60.00. These CEUs qualify for cultural competency.*
Keynote speakers for the event include Dwayne D. Williams and Ilene Berman. Williams, the CEO of Tier 1 Educational Coaching, will present “Begin with Their Culture,” and Berman, a professor in the Department of Fine and Performing Arts at Saint Louis University, will present “Shared Vulnerability in Social Engaged Arts Practice.” The day’s agenda is available here.
The afternoon will offer a choice of workshops that include topics on using art as a tool for learning, creating poetry for social justice, and photography as a voice for marginalized communities. Members of the Illinois Art Station, Illinois State’s School of Art and Creative Writing Program, Michigan State University, and the Coalescence Theatre Project will facilitate. A full list is available here.
“Within the field of social work we often talk about community practice and community organizing as macro approaches to build large-scale movements or community-based programs to promote social justice,” said Social Work Day Chair Cynthia Edmonds-Cady. “Within disciplines in the arts, socially engaged art is an approach that aims to create art that engages with the public and/or social issues within society. This year’s Social Work Day theme hopes to combine these approaches.”
Those with questions can contact Anne Cook.
*Note: For those who are Fall 2018-Spring 2019 field instructors for the Illinois State University School of Social Work, the CEU fee will be waived. Please contact Anne Cook after registration for those who fit this criteria.
