Thematic Network on Social Work at the IFSW European Social Work Conference 2025
The UArctic Thematic Network on Social Work will host workshop at the IFSW European Social Work Conference 2025, taking place from October 6-8, in Oslo, Norway.
The workshop, titled “Embracing Indigenous Knowledge in Social Work Education,” will be held on October 7, 2025, from 3:20 to 4:20 PM at Forum/Mjølner.
Target audience: Social work educators, social work students, researchers, Post-docs/PhDs, social workers, others with interest in partnering with Indigenous colleagues in their regions.
This interactive workshop invites students, educators, professionals, and researchers to discuss incorporating Indigenous perspectives into social work programs. It focuses on evolving social work education to foster inclusive learning environments. Participants will share stories about innovative locally grounded practices that go beyond traditional, Western-developed curricula, emphasizing respect for Indigenous knowledge, wholistic learning, and diverse perspectives. Discussion challenges Western-focused accreditation standards.
In this activity-focused workshop, UArctic Social Work Thematic Network members will facilitate participants in small groups. Each group will center their discussion on questions related to challenges and opportunities in embracing Indigenous ways of knowing, doing and being. An interactive dialogue can foster these practices across universities with the objective of contributing to healing, inclusivity, and wholistic approaches to teaching and strengthening respectful relationship building. The aim is to dismantle positivistic paradigms by embracing other ways of knowing with the goal of seeking reconciliation.
Aligned with multiple SDGs, this workshop supports quality education, reduced inequalities, and strong institutions by integrating Indigenous perspectives and promoting social inclusion.
Learning outcomes: Participants will (1) Critically reflect on how integrating Indigenous Knowledges supports social work curriculum’s alignment with SDGs, (2) Increased knowledge and awareness regarding strategies for informing effective social work practice and (3) Centering Indigenous knowledge to transform social work education, advance reconciliation, and create a more wholistic framework for social work practice.
For further details about the IFSW conference and program, please visit the webpage: Bridging Communities: Building Sustainable Futures - IFSW 2025