Global to Grounded: Local Wisdom and the Future of International Social Work

The Faculty of Social Work and CASWE’s second webinar in the series sparked critical dialogue on how international social work can be reshaped through grounded, community-based knowledge.

The Faculty of Social Work’s Global Engagement Committee, in collaboration with the Canadian Association for Social Work Education (CASWE), hosted the second webinar in a series examining key issues in international social work. Titled ‘Global to Grounded: Local Wisdom and the Future of International Social Work’, the session brought together scholars, students, and practitioners for a rich and critical discussion on decolonization, local knowledge, and the future of social work across borders. The webinar drew approximately 138 participants attending live from 54 countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, and the Caribbean.

Moderated by Dr. Aamir Jamal (University of Calgary), Director of Global Engagement and International Partnerships, with support from current MSW student Rosie Adams as co-moderator, the webinar featured a distinguished panel of social work scholars and practitioners. These included Dr. Rebecca Thomas (University of Connecticut), whose work focuses on forced migration and community-based development; Dr. Kristen Gurdak (Florida Atlantic University), whose research centres on social inclusion and participatory approaches with marginalized communities; Dr. Abye Tasse, an international social work leader and former President of the International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW), whose work spans migration, community development, and decolonizing education; and Dr. Julie Drolet (University of Calgary), whose work focuses on international social work, field education, and global partnerships.

Together, the panel explored how international social work might move beyond externally imposed models toward approaches more deeply rooted in local knowledge, lived realities, and reciprocal relationships. A central theme throughout the discussion was the need to critically examine who defines problems, whose knowledge is valued, and how communities can be recognized as the primary authors of both challenges and solutions.

In response to the opening question about how international social work is currently understood and how it might be reimagined, the panellists offered a thoughtful range of perspectives. Dr. Kristen Gurdak described international social work as being “less about geography and more about relationships, and the power that may exist within those relationships,” while Dr. Julie Drolet emphasized the importance of recognising “multiple knowledges” in shaping the field. Dr. Abye Tasse raised important provocations about whether what is often called ‘international social work’ has truly been developed collectively, or whether it remains, in practice, an extension of dominant national models projected elsewhere. Dr. Rebecca Thomas, drawing on examples from Bulgaria and Armenia, reflected on the transformative potential of collaborative international research grounded in lived experience, solidarity, and mutual learning.

The discussion also explored how decolonizing practices appear in everyday professional activities, not just in theory, but in teaching, research, and community engagement. Panellists highlighted that this work involves redesign, resistance, relationship-building, and a willingness to unlearn dominant frameworks while remaining accountable to communities.

The conversation then turned to international social work education. From a student perspective, Rosie Adams asked how programs can better prepare future practitioners to engage in this field with humility, reciprocity, and a justice-oriented approach. In response, panellists highlighted the importance of reflexivity, experiential learning, diverse knowledges, and the creation of educational spaces where students are exposed to multiple, and sometimes conflicting, perspectives. Rather than positioning students as experts or problem-solvers, the discussion emphasized preparing them to listen, build meaningful relationships, and work alongside communities.

In his closing remarks, Dr. Jamal reflected that the future of international social work will be shaped not by louder voices, but by deeper listening: listening to communities, to Indigenous and local wisdom, and to one another with humility rather than authority. This spirit of openness and critical reflection resonated throughout the session and continues to guide this webinar series.

As the Faculty of Social Work and CASWE continue these conversations, this webinar served as a timely reminder that international social work must remain attentive to power, grounded in solidarity, and open to the many forms of knowledge held within communities themselves.