'Cultural Diffusion: Promoting Social Development through networks and intercountry exchanges''

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'Cultural DiffusionPromoting Social
Development through networks and inter-country
exchanges'.

• Dr Caroline Skehill
• Senior Lecturer in Social Work
• Queen University Belfast
• May 10 2009

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• "Social Work and Social Development The Agenda".
• Together we build the agenda
• Together we face the challenges
• Together we thrive

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Aims and Focus of This Presentation

• Consider How Cultural Diffusion has Impacted on
  Social Work Over Time.
• Present an overview of how one experience of
  inter-country cooperation has provided a possible
  model for co-operative social development.
• Highlight the Mutual Benefits and Duality of
  social Development Activity.
• Consider how Networking and Other international
  Activity can Enhance Social Works contribution
  to global social development.

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ON WORLD SOCIAL WORK DAY What is Our history of
Global Exchange?

• CULTURAL DIFFUSION (Hegar 2008) has been a
  feature of social work since its inception
• The First International Social Work Conference
  was held in Paris in 1928
• Social Work Related Associations (which
  eventually were merged into BASW) have long
  histories of International Exchange and sharing
  of Learning
• Hegar (2008) for e.g. Tells the story of
  trans-atlantic transfers as developed by Jane
  Adams (US) Alice Solomon (Germany) and Alice
  Masaryk (Former Czechoslovakia).
• Cultural Diffusion as a concept is useful to
  consider in relation to promoting inter-national
  social development

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My Background...

• General Commitment to Community Development Ethos
  (With a Critical Edge)
• Teaching Internationalisation and Globalisation
  in QUB and as Visitor to Other Universities/organi
  sations.
• School Activities (e.g. International committee /
  Prof Pinkerton Lead on Links to South Africa)
• Individual Social Development Activity Mostly
  Confined to Date to Europe (Former Eastern
  European Bloc)
• -Networking /Practice/Research
• -Developmental Work inBrasov Romania

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My Goals for this Presentation

• I wish to provide a reflexive example of my
  experiences of Cultural Diffusion coming from a
  Broad Social Development Framework based on
  CAPACITY BUILDING and PARTNERSHIP
• It will be based mostly on experiences of social
  development and related activities in Romania
• And supplemented by experiences of Networking
  more broadly, especially with countries in the
  Eastern Part of Europe
• Focused on the Processes which are transferable
  to Other Global Contexts

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Going Global....The Challenges

• Where do you start?
• What is Global or International?
• How do you make Meaningful Relationships?
• How do you avoid Ethnocentrism/ Superiority of
  Certain Knowledge Forms and Experience
• How do you make a difference in such a massive
  sphere?
• How do you resolve the many barriers to promoting
  global social development?
• How can you measure benefits over time?
• How do you prioritise your inputs?

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An Overview Example of involvement in a Social
Development Process
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Ingredients for Effective Social Development....
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Examples of Duality and Mutual Benefits of Social
Development Activity
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Enhancing Social Works Contribution to Global
Social Development