For the annual conference for the Canadian Association for Social Work Education (CASWE-ACFTS), we noted a total of eight (8) presentations with Filipino Canadian scholars – what a strong showing!

The FCSCWN organized a virtual workshop on Oct 29  titled, Centering critical hope and relational accountability with racialized practitioners and our communities: circle dialogues towards collective action. Authors are Monica Batac, McGill University; Veronica Javier, York University; Mary Chris Llorente, Carleton University; Alyssa Schenk, Carleton University; and

Ilyan Ferrer, Carleton University. 

Abstract for the gathering: 

This interactive workshop holds space for community organizing, network mobilizing, and collective action with racialized social work practitioners, scholars, educators, and students. We invite those who identify as racialized to our session; it is a closed session. We particularly invite students seeking connection as well as long-time CASWE-ACFTS members keen to informally mentor and support. We acknowledge those who walked through social work classrooms, departments, and organizations before us: those who have led knowledge gathering and network building amongst Indigenous. Black, Asian, and other racialized social work scholars, educators, practitioners, and/or students. We hold up the ongoing work of the Association of Black Social Workers and Thunderbird Circle, and bring in and center the liviUsing an empowerment framework and modeling, practicing, and committing to circle methodology and kwentuhan (storytelling), we engage with the conference’s core themes of Dismantling, Decolonizing and (Re)Connecting, to critically reflect on the ways we currently work in and with each other and our various communities of belonging and practice. 

First, we welcome participants to introduce themselves and their intentions for joining the workshop. Then, we offer a short reflective writing prompt and reflexive group activity to dialogue about our own practice and vision for organizing/mobilization within our communities of practice. We then come together to collectively reflect on how to maintain and sustain hope in trying times and through conflict and prioritize relational accountability in our work. 

It is our intention that this workshop enables us to plant and nurture seeds for alliances, allyship, and collective action. We sit together in circle to share emerging and ongoing visions, as well as the strategies and pragmatics for solidarity work and networked mobilizing amongst ourselves and our relational-professional-scholarly networks. 

Our workshop will be facilitated by members of the Filipino-Canadian Social and Community Workers Network (FCSCWN) and invited relatives.