The 2022 conference program began at 9 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. Click on session titles to open a full description with presenter bios. A PDF summary of the program is available for download.
Reflections with conference organizers
Door prize draw
Closing ceremony with Elder Ella Paul of Millbrook First Nation
What does leading transformational change mean to you?
How do you transform vision into action?
How do you stay motivated?
How do you get other people to get excited about your vision?
Optional – join breakout groups for conversation during the lunch break on Saturday. From 12:15 to 12:45, facilitators will host rooms for: networking with colleagues, and discussing some of the ideas raised in the conference so far.
This session will explore how to create meaningful social change in the context of the dominant neoliberal social ethos. Two social workers will speak on their efforts to create transformational change using land acknowledgments in order to challenge settler assumptions in governmental agencies. Key social work strategies will be identified and participants challenged to reflect on their own roles in regards to social justice and social change. Discussion will help participants to identify strategies they can employ in their own work and lives regarding those social justice issues that are most pressing to them
NSCSW leadership will report on the business of the College in 2021, with a review of financial statements and adoption of the 2023 budget.
We’ll wrap up on Friday with some closing reflections from conference organizers, and a door prize draw.
Linda Crockett and Anneke Baker will provide an overview of the definition of workplace psychological harassment (bullying), and legislation in Nova Scotia and other provinces. They will also share strategies to assist social workers either experiencing workplace bullying or assisting others at any stage of this workplace psychological hazard.
A panel of first voice speakers and social workers sharing reflections on the impact of microaggressions.
Our individual experiences of racism, bullying, micro-aggressions, and discrimination are part of larger colonial structures within which we function, as social workers and as people. By recognizing the structural components of our world with its impact on our profession and understanding the power and challenge of intersecting identities and positionalities, we can reclaim our voice and perspective as social workers committed to advancing social justice in all its forms.
Optional – join breakout groups for conversation during the lunch break on Friday. From 12:15 to 12:45, facilitators will host rooms for: foodies, animal lovers, outdoor enthusiasts & sharing travel plans.
The keynote address reflects the conference’s broader theme. This session will also integrate concrete skills with theory, to help us to embrace our role as change agents, advocates and leaders, as we seek to pivot from our role in perpetuating bias and systemic inequity, toward decolonization and true justice for all people.
Land acknowledgement
Opening ceremony with Elder Ella Paul, Millbrook First Nation
Introductory remarks from NSCSW leadership
Grounding exercise with Jacklyn Paul, RSW
NSCSW members will be invited to discuss and debate regulation and policy related to:
recommended private practice fees,
adoption of sexual misconduct standards of practice, and
a proposal for regulation of clinical social work.
