Browsing by Author "Ouedraogo, Valerie"
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Item Afrocentric knowledge within the context of social work education and practice(2023) Moallim, Nafisa; Osadjere, Precious; Ouedraogo, ValerieOur poster examines the results of a scoping literature review and seminal works search related to the existing knowledge on the inclusion of Afrocentric paradigms within Social Work and African/Black studies disciplines. It presents the firsthand findings about identity development and ”Africanness” related to knowledge gathered through an ongoing research project on Afrocentricity and Social Work. Our poster’s purpose is to highlight the necessity to implement the recommendation of the United Nations People of African Descent decade which is a concrete inclusion of Afrocentric education within Social Work discipline in particular, and in higher education. It uplifts People of African descent’ contributions to sciences and community well-being over centuries of a true world history. As two first-generation African Canadian graduate students, this study allowed us to explore the spaces we occupy within graduate studies focus on Eurocentric frameworks. Our poster, therefore, discusses the intersecting identities that have shaped our lives, by allowing us to dissect the theories and empirical evidence surrounding Afrocentricity and Social Work.Item BIPOC community contributions in volunteerism and civic engagement(2023) Williams, Cheryl; Shaughnessy, Vicki; Ouedraogo, ValerieThe purpose of this project is to challenge the lack of representation and acknowledgement in the nonprofit sector, related to helping from the BIPOC community. Dominant discourse and ideology through a neoliberal, western cultural lens highlights deficit-based constructs when it comes to community engagement with BIPOC folks. Through Photovoice and storytelling, we can challenge this deficit-based perspective with positive examples of BIPOC people contributing to community through volunteerism and civic engagement. Volunteer Alberta posted a call for Photovoice submissions through social media and Volunteer Connector, an online volunteer hub. We requested photos from BIPOC community members representing what it means to them to gift their time and energy to helping community either through formal or informal activities. We then asked participants to describe what the photo is depicting, and what is important to them about the image they submitted. Interviews were conducted with 3 participants. Interviews were transcribed and coded for common themes that appeared amongst the participants in relation to their experiences of helping community. Findings demonstrated BIPOC folks are in fact very engaged civically and socially. This suggests more can be done in the nonprofit sector to acknowledge and represent the valuable contributions of BIPOC community members.Item Chercheurs de « l’entre-deux » - Travailleurs sociaux dans le rôle de chercheurs : proximité et distance d’une ethnographie interpretative(2014) Ouedraogo, ValerieLe présent article porte sur les réflexions de terrain menées au Burkina Faso dans le cadre d’une étude doctorale qui a porté sur le retour forcé de travailleurs migrants burkinabè. Il interpelle à la fois les chercheurs de « l’entre-deux » et les chercheurs en travail social qui se trouvent pris à porter des chapeaux parfois en tension en tant que personne appartenant à la société étudiée, praticiens et chercheurs. L’objectif de notre article se resserre à cet effet autour des deux points c’est-à-dire chercheuse de l’entre-deux et travailleuse sociale placée dans le rôle de chercheuse avec le terrain.Item Environmental sustainability in social work: a questionnaire and focus groups study(2022) Ouedraogo, ValerieThis poster is presenting the firsthand results of open-ended questionnaire and focus groups sessions conducted with social workers who had sustainability as a core course topic in their Bachelor of Social Work curriculum. Our poster will focus on 1) definitions of environmental sustainability from the perspective of participants; 2) social work practice fields that participants indicated as favorable to incorporate sustainability and 3) barriers to incorporate sustainability in social work daily practice. Our study aims to understand ways that social workers exposed to sustainability course topics have been enacting environmental sustainability in their social work practice. Our purpose is to inform and discuss the need for change in incorporating sustainability into the Social Work curriculum and encouraging professional development of environmental sustainability social work practice.Item Global practices to global mindedness : utilizing reflexivity and cultural relevance as paths towards a global indigenization of international social work practice(2023) Ociepka-Mengel, Eva; Heuft, Samantha; Ouedraogo, ValerieThe importance of the decolonization of social work curriculum around the world has increased in the past 10 years. Due to its strong colonial legacy, social work education, practice, and research are called to break free from Eurocentric western value based theories and methods of practices in the social work profession. Our poster focuses on the concept of global mindedness and reflexivity as the results of a scoping literature review about the development of concepts and related culturally grounded practices in the field of International Social Work in Germany and Canada. Our poster presents the nature and scope of International Social Work in both countries in the context of internationalization, globalization, and indigenization. The purpose of our poster is to explore Indigenous Beading as an example to articulate mindedness-reflexivity as locally and culturally relevant practices to Indigenization in the context of International Social Work. Our poster will discuss how practices around the world and existence of global indigeneity that is not essentialized but rather contextualized to be relevant on a micro and macro level of practices can enhance the decolonization of International Social Work practice.Item Intercultural understanding and pedagogy of empathy : a cultural experiential learning from an interdisciplinary dialogue project(2021) Ouedraogo, ValerieThis paper is grounded on Manassis’ four steps of the pedagogy of empathy. These empathic steps are coupled with Killick’s Critical Intercultural Practice as analytical lenses for my teaching notes and students’ reflective writings. My paper is a pedagogical reflection on the development of intercultural understanding in the context of a Bachelor of Social Work course called Intercultural Practice in Social Work. Social workers who are informed by intercultural learning, knowledge, and skills are well-equipped to work with individuals, families, and community to consider cultural differences and identities. MacEwan University’s Interdisciplinary Dialogue Project is used to enhance experiential learning stimuli in the Intercultural Practice course content, design, and delivery. The discussions and lessons learned illustrate the development of students’ intercultural understanding as participants in the interdisciplinary dialogues.Item Internally displacement associated with conflict and violence: the case in Burkina Faso(2024) Ouedraogo, ValerieThis PowerPoint presents the firsthand results of a study about social service organisations and delivery to adults in context of the insecurity crisis in Burkina Faso. Internally displacement from rural population to urban areas is one of the main effects resulting from this crisis. These firsthand results highlight social work role in context of political conflict. The results emphasize on the need for local knowledge development as well as transformation of social work services, organisations and delivery to internally displaced adults and host communities. Ce PowerPoint présente les résultats préliminaires d'une étude sur l’organisation et la prestation de services sociaux aux adultes dans le contexte de la crise d'insécurité au Burkina Faso. Le déplacement interne de la population rurale vers les zones urbaines est l’un des principaux effets résultant de cette crise. Ces résultats préliminaires mettent en évidence le rôle du travail social dans un contexte de conflit politique. Ils mettent l'accent sur la nécessité de développer les connaissances locales ainsi que de transformer les services et les organisations de travail social et leur prestation auprès des adultes déplacés internes et des communautés hôtes.Item The natural environment in social work curriculum : a narrative reflection of teaching-learning through a sustainability course design and delivery(2024) Ouedraogo, ValerieThis paper aims to narrate the author’s journey about a newly designed course called, Social Work and Sustainability offered at the beginning of social work education, which she used to develop and improve a learning material to enhance her teaching. It is a narrative reflection centered on class observations (from 2016 to 2019) and integrates a discussion of research related to sustainability in higher education. The author used both worldview and narrative methodological approaches to reflect on the course design and pedagogy process. Then Zapf’s (2008) model of the person as environment is expanded to lay out the evolution of the traditional ecosystems’ framework with the interconnectedness model framework of sustainability. The study highlights the importance of decolonization approaches and transgressive pedagogy calling for the development and implementation of Sustainable Social Work from a culturally-grounded perspective. The study recommends social workers to advocate for a reconnection with the natural environment through the integration of environmental awareness into theoretical and practical aspects of social work.Item Reclaiming the history of social work education in Africa: initial learnings from the Association for Social Work Education in Africa (ASWEA) document analysis project(2023) Kreitzer, Linda; Ouedraogo, Valerie; Lombard, Antoinette; Twikirize, Janestic; Abukari, Ziblim; Tassé, Abye; Musah, YassannahIn Ghana, there are symbols that draw clarity to a point of view or speech. These are Adinkra symbols, and each is accompanied by a proverb or moral statement. The Sankofa is a bird looking back and this symbolizes the importance of learning from the past. Our research group has put this symbol into action. Three social welfare conferences held in the 1960s (Ghana, Zambia, and Egypt) concerning social work in West Africa and three expert group workshops of social work educators in the early 1970s, paved the way for the creation of The Association for Social Work Education in Africa (ASWEA) in 1973 with the support of the international community, African governments, and nongovernment organizations. Its purpose was to bring together academics and practitioners interested in African social work education to discuss the issue of social work education in Africa and to be a guiding light to make social work education and practice relevant to social issues in Africa. This included promoting the profession on the continent, supporting research and teaching, providing an avenue to exchange information and experience throughout Africa about the profession of social work, and to address the need to make social work education culturally relevant to the continent of Africa. With a history of colonialism, independence, and westernization, social work education in Africa needed to revolutionize its training and practice to address the needs of the continent.Item Reflections on lessons learned : a journey of discovery(2017) Zwede, Faven; Escoto, Daisy; Adam, Lula; Jaroslawski, Natasha; Degefu, Sosina; Ouedraogo, ValerieAttending the Interdisciplinary Dialogue on the Global Refugee Crisis in relation to our Bachelor of Social Work course on Intercultural Practice started us on our journey of discovery and learning. It brought the headline news of refugees, settlement, and crisis to our door steps. It changed us from observers to participants in trying to understand the issue and finding solutions. We wanted to learn more and explore further. In this presentation, we wanted to share our journey of discovery from why we participated in the forums and what we learned about the Global Refugee Crisis to how we viewed things as social work students. We hoped to link the lessons we learned to our personal lives and academic lives as well as to our ongoing growing professional identity. Our goal is to continue the dialogue on Global Refugee Crisis, by putting ourselves in the role of active actors of social change. As future social workers and as responsible members of humanity, we will endeavor to continue to learn, reflect and above all to be agents of change to make this world a place where the well-beings and dignity of everyone is ensured.Item Reporting results back in Health and demographic surveillance systems (HDSS) : an ethical requirement and a strategy for improving health behaviours(2016) Mondain, Nathalie; Delaunay, Valérie; Ouedraogo, ValerieThis paper addresses the issue of reporting results back in Health and demographic surveillance systems (HDSS). In these particular research platforms, populations are constantly solicited through the longitudinal demographic follow-up and additional surveys. Therefore, reporting results back directly to participants should be considered as a strong ethical requirement. However, like in most health oriented research, results are mostly disseminated among decision makers and local authorities. Therefore, HDSS residents increasingly question the objectives of these studies. Using a participatory approach, 3 days were organized in 2015 to report back findings based on 50 years of research on population, health and environment in the Niakhar HDSS in Senegal. Drawing from the evaluation conducted among a sample of participants to the event, we show that beyond the ethical dimension, such activities may also contribute to change populations’ attitudes to research practices and further influence individuals’ health behaviors at the local level.Item Research recast(ed) : S2E12 - Cultural inclusivity: Afrocentric education in the field of social work with Dr. Ouedraogo(2023) Miskiman, Megan; Schabert, Reinette; Ouedraogo, ValerieOn today’s episode, we sit down with Associate Professor in the Faculty of Social Work here at MacEwan University, Dr. Valerie Ouedraogo, where we discuss cultural inclusivity and the need for Afrocentric education in the field of social work.Item Westernization-indigenisation in social work education and practice: understanding indigenisation in international social work(2019) Ouedraogo, Valerie; Wedler, BarbaraInternational social work is about thinking globally when acting locally and vice-versa. Most of all, it is a field that requires acknowledging differences and a ‘welcoming’ of theories and practice models of one’s own singularity (cultural, political, economic) for direction in understanding social work. These context- and population-specific approaches build the core identity of the social work profession. However, limited opportunity for these specific approaches, along with knowledge and skill gaps, underscore International Social Work post-secondary curriculum on a global scale. Thus, the authors are centrally concerned with conducting a research-informed study to strengthen International Social Work courses. In this article, the authors outline the development of Indigenisation theory and offer ways of thinking and interacting with social work concepts and methodologies in an International Social Work teaching and learning context. This article offers a pragmatic approach of considering a dialectic of Westernisation-Indigenisation, to connect the local and the global as well as the North and the South by aiming to develop the concept of Indigenisation in International Social Work. Through a tri-continental partnership (Europe, North America, Africa), the authors outline their current and future plans to create a research study to develop curriculum and conduct field work, to focus efforts on decolonizing social work practice and education. This partnership offers a two-directional relationship between global thinking and local acting, therefore modelling Indigenisation theory and its application on an international scale.