Symposium "Social work in times of socio-political crises and conflicts"

Fourteen social work students from the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam organised and moderated a symposium at the Frauenzentrum Potsdam e. V., which was attended by numerous people from ten social work institutions and anti-discrimination educational work.

The topic "Social work in times of socio-political crises and conflicts" was discussed at round tables (World Café) with regard to current threat scenarios for social work (such as financial cuts, right-wing extremist tendencies, discrimination realities that affect social work recipients as well as social workers in various organisations). Possible strategies against threat scenarios were also discussed. The different perspectives of professional social workers and education workers as well as the views of the students were shared intensively and ultimately led to the view that more alliances and networks need to be established. Social work is political and must increasingly realise this self-image, according to one tenor of the expert exchange. Another tenor of the event was that the joint consideration of possible options for action - in agoral spaces, in trade union action, etc. in favour of plural and resilient democracy, in favour of the addressees - should lead from talk to action.