Social Work Global Conference Report 2019

8 TH ANNUAL SOCIAL WORK IN THE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT CONFERENCE WELL-BEING OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES: GLOBAL-LOCAL RESPONSES AND PROTECTIVE MEASURES NOVEMBER 1 ST , 2019, 8 am-4 pm | McFarland Student Union, Kutztown University CONFERENCE NEWSLETTER In an effort to provide an expansion on the understanding of how global events are connected to local issues, Kutztown University has been hosting annually the Global Environment Conference since 2011. The aim of the Social Work in the Global Environment Conference is to contribute to the local- global perspectives in social work, utilizing the strategy: thinking globally and acting locally. The theme for the 2019 conference was “The Well-Being of Children and Families: Global and Local Responses and Protective Measures.” The conference focused the protective measures placed to safeguard children and families on a global scale, as well as safeguards in the United States which are currently implemented. Topics included the implication of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child for the wellbeing of children and families, poverty alleviation in Haiti through microloans, Pennsylvania’s new safe school standard, education for refugee youth in the US, and US legislation on female genital mutilation.Invited speakers and presenters from Elizabethtown College, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, and Kutztown University presented at the conference. A panel discussion, consisting of content experts and advocates for families, was facilitated to gain an in-depth and critcal perspective on local protective measures such as the United States Federal Child Welfare Laws, local educational resources in public schools, and measures undertaken in the Pennsylvania Legislature. Three peer-reviewed presentations by Kutztown University students were selected for the conference to provide insight into various topics of interest concerning protective measures for children and families. Faculty and students from Kutztown University and Reading Area Community College, as well as participants from our local communities, attended the conference. They were also given the opportunity to participate in advocacy efforts for local issues. Conference Chair Barth Yeboah, DSW, Professor Department of Social Work Kutztown University of Pennsylvania yeboah@kutztown.edu Conference Co-Chair Juliana Svistova, MSW, Ph.D, Assistant Professor Department of Social Work Kutztown University of Pennsylvania svistova@kutztown.edu Conference Coordinator Maria Shior, BSW, Graduate Assistant, Department of Social Work Kutztown University of Pennsylvania mshio449@live.kutztown.edu Moderator Edward Hanna, MSW, DSW, ACSW, LCSW, Associate Professor Department of Social Work Kutztown University of Pennsylvania ehanna@kutztown.edu Conference Remarks David Beougher, Ph.D. Dean, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Kutztown University of Pennsylvania clas@kutztown.edu John Vafeas, LSW, DSW, Chair, Department of Social Work, MSW Program Director, Kutztown University of Pennsylvania vafeas@kutztown.edu Janice A. Gasker, LCSW, ACSW, DSW Professor, BSW Program Director Department of Social Work Kutztown University of Pennsylvania gasker@kutztown.edu Sharon C. Lyter, LCSW, Ph.D. Professor, DSW Program Director Department of Social Work Kutztown University of Pennsylvania lyter@kutztown.edu Conference Support Mary J Bononno, MBA Management Technician Department of Social Work Kutztown University of Pennsylvania bononno@kutztown.edu Andrea Snyder Secretary, Department of Social Work Kutztown University of Pennsylvania asnyder@kutztown.edu