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Cross-Cultural Social Work Group

USP@UCU’s Social Work Emphasis partners with Uganda Christian University’s Social Work and Social Administration Department to form a Cross-Cultural Social Work Group every semester.  The meetings are facilitated by the USP@UCU Social Work Coordinator and UCU’s Chair of the Social Work and Social Administration Department.

Through the use of large and small group discussions, panel presentations, and field trips, social work students from both programs discuss topics such as culture and ethical decision-making, individual versus communal culture implications in social work, the role of government in social work, the development of the field of social work in the various contexts represented, the role of faith in social work practice, and many others.

These groups are part of the fulfillment of CSWE competency, Engaging in Diversity and Difference in Practice, and utilized to build student knowledge about culture and its impact on social work practice, gain further experience and skills in cross-cultural communication in both formal and informal settings, develop greater self-awareness and understanding of the importance of cultural identity as practitioners and clients, and work towards recognizing and redressing power imbalances. These forums allow student participants an opportunity to learn from another country’s approach to social work and . Further, these forums provide opportunities to learn about indigenous problem-solving models that need to be understood, honored, and adopted in order for effective interventions in this context, and for the purpose of adding knowledge and skills to social work students regardless of their location of practice.