Abstracts

The discussions about new and innovative concepts in social work that aim to address pressing societal issues are hardly being conducted from a new paradigm. In my contribution, I make a case for the playing human. I will start with a brief introduction to social work in the Dutch context and discuss the local agenda of social workers. We will then start to explore the figure of the Homo Ludens as the playing human and reflect on its relevance and potentials for innovative and playful social work.

The Resilience Café is a participatory and low-threshold format that supports mental well-being and strengthens individual and collective agency in community settings. Founded in 2024 by the German Systemic Network, the Resilience Café is an open counselling and dialogue space that takes place regularly in a public café. The German Systemic Network is a professional network of practitioners working with systemic and resource-oriented approaches in social work, counselling, and education. The meetings offer opportunities for exchange, mutual support, and simple systemic impulses related to mental health. The aim is to make topics of emotional and mental well-being visible, shareable, and discussable in everyday community spaces.

As a social innovation in social work practice, the Resilience Café creates a shared and safe space where participants reflect on challenges, discover personal and collective resources, and learn from each other. In this workshop, students will experience key elements of the Resilience Café through interactive exercises, guided questions, and small-group discussions. Together, we will explore how this format can be adapted to different cultural and community contexts and how it contributes to sustainable community work by strengthening social connections, participation, and empowerment. The workshop combines short theoretical inputs with practical activities and invites students to reflect on how they could apply the concept in their own future social work practice.

In my workshop I will talk about the situation of homeless youth and young adults in Vienna. First I will give a brief introduction about the political situation in Austria (Vienna) – with a focus on sociopolitical and socio-economic topics that concern the target group. Then I will talk about the housing market in Vienna and how it developed in the past few years and give the listeners some information about current issues concerning homeless youth and young adults. Afterwards I will talk about institutions in Vienna working with the mentioned groups and show the listeners how they/we (because I work in this field besides my job as a lecturer at the university) work together with them. Finally, I want to initiate a discussion with the listeners concerning their experiences and the situation for homeless youth and young adults in their countries.  

This workshop presents how social work and child welfare students at the University of South-Eastern Norway engage with social innovation through a structured, practice-oriented Skills Lab approach. Skills Labs are widely used in our education as a way to guide students step by step through complex tasks, including innovation processes inspired by the Double Diamond model. 

During the workshop, participants will be introduced to selected phases of an innovation project and work collaboratively in small groups to explore social challenges of relevance to their professional practice. The approach emphasizes active participation, exploration, and the use of students’ diverse perspectives and experiences. 

Through hands-on activities and guided reflection, participants will experience how a structured and interactive learning environment can support deeper problem understanding, creativity, and interdisciplinary collaboration. The workshop illustrates how such frameworks can help future social workers gain confidence and methodological clarity in addressing complex issues. Participants are invited to consider how this approach can be adapted to different cultural and community contexts and applied in their future practice. 

Why music in social work?

In the context of so-called social cultural work, the topic of aesthetic forms of expression such as visual arts, theatre or music plays a decisive role when it comes to the question of empowering opportunities for social work recipients to shape and bring changes to their lives. “Artistic work on aspects of their life experiences and perceptions that are addressed by those involved opens up perceptions, feelings and thoughts to
possibilities for representation and criticism of power. Social cultural work thus focuses on the knowledge and skills, the capacity for action and the innovative power of marginalised people. They are perceived as self-confident actors who independently provide impetus to their environment. Even if they are marginalised due to their life situation, discrimination and other social mechanisms, they have historical, biographical and current experience with the perception of, resistance to and struggle for improvement of their situation. They have important things to tell to society.” (Kaiser, J; Josties, E.; Hemberger, U.; Plöger, A. (2020): 153)

Both, music education and music therapy approaches to music and its potential effects, can be used to be discovered and to be applied for social work. Through the targeted application of various musical parameters, it is possible to induce activating/stimulating (so-called ergotropic) or calming/relaxing (trophotropic) states of consciousness in both players and listeners (cf. Decker-Voigt, 1999).

Music as a field of action in social cultural work

Through the phenomenon of music, it is possible to ‘demonstrate that music—whether through education, production, or listening—has been shown to foster meaningful social impacts, from promoting peace and inclusion in conflict-ridden areas to enhancing individual and collective empowerment.’ (Lopez de Aguileta, 2025).

What does Community Music mean?

Community music brings out a particularly interesting facet within the field of music in social work. “The term community music refers to active music-making in groups, whereby the music is developed as an expression of this community and reflects its social context. The musical process and the social process are equally important. The aim is to enable people of different origins, religions and educational backgrounds, different genders and incomes, with or without disabilities, young or old, and with different levels of musical education to interact on an equal footing. The group acts independently and is supported and accompanied by community musicians where necessary. Community music is predominantly based on non-formal or informal
educational situations. Participation is voluntary and there is no fixed curriculum for musical education, so that participants are given creative freedom.” (de Banffy/Hill, 2017).

Community music is divided into three forms:

• Music of a community: music of a community (this can be any kind of
  community), whereby the music appears as a ritual or in a form that creates
  identity.
• Communal music making: making music together, which takes place in certain
  locations and regions and brings people together.
• Music as an active intervention between a music leader or facilitator and
  participants: Music as an aesthetic expression for social interventions in groups,
  accompanied by music and group education instructors. (See Higgins, 2012)
  

In the context of community music, the participants negotiate which music should be played, by what means and with what goal. Musical and social activities merge into one another. Low-threshold access is intended to pave the way for as many people as possible to participate in musical and social activities who would otherwise have no access to music or social communities. Cultural and social participation are at the
heart of community music, alongside musical educational goals (e.g. playing an instrument, playing together with others) (cf. Hill, 2016, p. 11ff.).

A distinctive feature of community music is its understanding of the equality of all forms of music and its interdisciplinary nature. The type of musical style depends on the group and its members. In principle, all musical genres are possible. Interdisciplinarity is achieved through community music activities originating from various institutions such as schools, social work, music therapy, music schools, orchestras, etc., and through the involvement of musicians, educators and therapists. Community music is also possible in cooperation with other art forms (painting, performances, theatre, dance, etc.). This work incorporates insights from music education, social work, psychology, group education, cultural studies and sociology (cf. de Bánffy-Hall 2017: 27).

What is this workshop during the International week about?

After gaining a theoretical and practical understanding of the potential effects of music
and its potential for social work processes, we want to use low-threshold musical
games and subsequent group discussions to get an impression of the potential of the
community music approach and how it can support community building. No prior
musical knowledge is required.

de Banffy-Hall, A.; Hill, B. (2017): Community Music: Eine Einführung. In: KULTURELLE BILDUNG ONLINE: https://kubi-online.de/artikel/community-music-einfuehrung (letzter Zugriff am 24.11.2025). (in German)

Decker-Voigt, Hans-Helmut: Aus der Seele gespielt. Eine Einführung in die Musiktherapie. München 1999. (in German)

Higgins, Lee (2012): Community music: In theory and in practice. Oxford University Press.

Hill, Burkhard (2016): Sociocultural work and community music in Germany. In: International Journal of Community Music (7-21), Volume 9 No. 1 (Intellect Ltd).

Kaiser, J; Josties, E.; Hemberger, U.; Plöger, A. (2020): Professionalisierungstendenzen aus der Perspektive der Sozialen Kulturarbeit in Völter, B.; Cornel, H.; Gahleitner, S.; Voss, S. (Hrsg.) (2020): Professionsverständnisse in der Sozialen Arbeit. Weinheim. Beltz Juventa, S.145-158 (in German)

Lopez de Aguileta, A; Crespo-Lopez, A.; Lopez de Aguileta, G. (2025): Literature Review on Music, Social Work and Respect for Diversity; Soc. Sci. 2025, 14(2), 101; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci14020101

Description of the workshop 

This workshop invites participants to explore practical and innovative approaches to sustainable community work, focusing on participation, empowerment, and social innovation. With an emphasis on building inclusive and resilient local communities, the workshop offers tools and perspectives relevant for the work shop participants.  

The aim is to strengthen participants’ ability to facilitate community engagement, support youth participation, collaborate with civil society actors, and design initiatives that promote collective agency. 

Didactic method: Participatory Community Lab 

The workshop is based on a participatory and practice-oriented format inspired by methods from community organizing, co-creation, and social innovation. Participants work simultaneously as learners and co-designers, actively contributing to the development of strategies and solutions for real-life community challenges. Through collaborative analysis, and method testing, participants experience how participatory tools can mobilise local resources, strengthen inclusion, and foster sustainable action. 

Key elements of the workshop 

Introduction to community-based perspectives 

• Participants are introduced to core concepts such as sustainable community work, empowerment, civil society collaboration, accessibility, and diversity. 
• Case-based group work: Mapping local challenges and resources 
• Participants analyse a fictional community case and identify barriers, opportunities, and community assets. 

Learning outcomes 

By the end of the workshop, participants will have: 

• A deeper understanding of challenges and opportunities in sustainable community work. 

• Practical tools to promote participation, empowerment, and social innovation in local contexts. 

• Insights gained from working collaboratively in an international learning environment. 

Overall aim 

The workshop seeks to create an engaging and reflective learning space where participants collaboratively explore how social workers can foster local empowerment, strengthen civil society partnerships, and facilitate inclusive and sustainable community development. 

This workshop focuses on improving the mental well-being of young people in youth work. We give youth workers practical tips on how to help young people when they are struggling with mental health issues. We also look at how to create a safe and supportive atmosphere so that young people feel at ease and know that they are being listened to. 

Digital participation has become a key dimension of social justice in contemporary societies. While access to technology is often assumed to be universal, significant disparities persist, creating what is known as the Digital Divide.

Drawing on examples from social work practice, the workshop highlights how these divides affect vulnerable groups such as older adults, people with disabilities, and individuals with limited resources. It argues that digital exclusion is not merely a technical issue but a structural challenge that reinforces existing social inequalities.

The session will discuss strategies for promoting digital inclusion as a core element of social work and invite participants to reflect on concrete actions that social workers can take to reduce digital inequalities. The workshop aims to foster critical thinking about the role of social work in bridging the digital divide and ensuring that technological progress contributes to social justice rather than reinforcing existing disparities.

Literature
Reidl, Sybille; Streicher, Jürgen; Hock, Marlene; Hausner, Beatrix; Waibel, Gina; Gürt, Franziska (2020): Digitale Ungleichheit. Wie sie entsteht, was sie bewirkt … und was dagegen hilft. Hg. v. Österreichische Forschungsförderungsgesellschaft mbH (FFG). Wien.

Kutscher, Nadia; Iske, Stefan (2019): Digitale Ungleichheit im Kontext Sozialer Arbeit. In: Angela Tillmann, Isabel Zorn, Nadia Kutscher, Thomas Ley, Udo Seelmeyer und Friederike Siller (Hg.): Handbuch Soziale Arbeit und Digitalisierung. 1. Aufl. Weinheim: Beltz Verlagsgruppe, S. 115–128.

Initiative D21 e. V. (2025): D21-Digital-Index 2024/2025. Jährliches Lagebild zur Digitalen Gesellschaft. Hg. v. Initiative D21. Berlin

We are organising our workshop on forms of youth work. The subject appeals to us greatly because it is part of our programme, but it is also a topic that often comes up in relation to the job market. We expect the workshop to give students more clarity about what this entails and to provide them with useful tips. 

The activity is titled “Paths of Barriers”, and its main objective is to encourage reflection on opportunities, barriers (visible and invisible), and accessibility in the daily lives of people with disabilities, fostering empathy without theatricalizing or “imitating” people with these characteristics.  

First, a warm-up activity will be carried out in which participants will form small groups. Each group will write on post-its the barriers they know or have seen—whether physical, communicative, digital, social, etc. These post-its will then be placed on a shared wall to introduce the idea that barriers are not individual but structural.  

The main game will consist of a circuit with different stations linked to everyday situations. Each participant will take part in a role-play activity, interpreting a character with specific characteristics (barriers or accessibility elements). Throughout the circuit, they will be able to observe and reflect on how these conditions affect their progress, showing that advancement depends more on the environment than on personal effort.  

Finally, there will be a discussion in pairs or small groups, followed by a collective debrief to share reflections and the obstacles they noticed or experienced.  

Technical sheet 

Purpose	To reflect on opportunities, visible and invisible barriers, and accessibility in the daily life of people with disabilities, fostering empathy without theatricalizing or “imitating” disabilities.
Description	Warm-up: We will divide the group into small teams and give them post-its. Each group will be assigned a different type of barrier and must develop concrete examples of it.  The categories of barriers will be:  Physical barriers (stairs, terrain…) Communicative barriers (information only written or only verbal, unclear language…) Digital barriers (inaccessible forms) Social/attitudinal barriers (prejudice, paternalism, ignorance…) Institutional barriers (inflexible regulations, lack of resources…)   Finally, we will place all the post-its on the wall and share them as a group. We will use this moment to give a general explanation of what we will do throughout the session (an introduction to the topic we will be working on).
	Main activity: Each individual will have a different characteristic, goal, and path. This condition will make achieving their goal more difficult. During this activity, the organizers will move around the space, handing out cards that help participants achieve their goal.
	Ending: Group sharing or small debate where participants explain their experience throughout the activity and have the opportunity to reflect. Group discussion (guided by the facilitators), where all participants come together and we ask reflective questions to open a broader debate.
Materials	To specify
Duration	50-60 minutes
Attendees	University students aged 18 to 35, trained in the socio-educational field. X number of people.  Number of people to be confirmed

The workshop is a practical, experiential session focused on working with one complex guided imagery technique, allowing participants to experience the depth of this method in a way similar to how it is used with young adults and adolescents in psychosocial support. Participants will go through the entire process—from grounding and safe attunement, through the guided imagery itself, to individual and group reflection. 

Emphasis will be placed on bodily awareness, work with metaphor, and the ability to capture personal meanings that the imagery evokes. We will also focus on how to safely navigate potential emotional reactions within the group and how to support participants in discovering their inner resources through imagination. 

The workshop is designed for anyone wishing to gain personal experience with guided imagery as a tool for development, emotional regulation, and supporting young people. 

The workshop introduces the concept of the obligatory course “Psychiatry and Mental Health” at the College of Polytechnics Jihlava, which is taught in collaboration with Experts by experience—people with lived experience of mental health issues. Peer lecturers play a significant role in teaching as experts by experience and have been part of the external teaching team at the Department of Social Work since 2017. This approach aims to highlight the value of experiential knowledge and experiential expertise, to use its potential in the education and practice of future Clinical and Social workers. 
Attend our workshop to discover more. 

The workshop focuses on the practical application of community social work principles to promote social cohesion and empower local residents. Participants will be introduced to the key concepts of community work, including participation, capacity building, resource management and establishing partnerships between professionals and community members. 

There will be an emphasis on linking theoretical principles with practical methods that can be applied in various social contexts. The workshop is designed to be interactive and participatory, offering space to connect with others, reflect on your own experiences, and experiment with new approaches.