The ΒιΆΉΣ³» School of Social Work is partnering with the International Consortium for Social Development to organize the 20th International Symposium in Zagreb, Croatia, July 7-11, 2017. The is an organization of practitioners, scholars and students in the human services.
"Social development processes aim to bring about economic and social improvement in the lives of people through capacity building," states the ICSD mission statement. "Often this involves institution-building and social change. ICSD is committed to creating peaceful solutions to the problems of survival at the local, national and global levels."
Goutham Menon, professor and director of the ΒιΆΉΣ³» School of Social Work as well as a member of the University's International Activities Committee, is the secretary-general of ICSD and conducts the day-to-day functioning of the group, mainly focusing on building networks of researchers and practitioners from around the world.
"This symposium is a great way for faculty and students to connect with professionals from all around the world," Menon said. "We deliberately keep the attendance small so that more networking opportunities happen to build international research partnerships. We also provide scholarships to individuals coming to the conference from economically least developed countries, and the University's partnership helps mitigate some of the costs associated with this."
The organization formed in the 1970s by a group of educators to respond to pressing human concerns from an international, interdisciplinary perspective. The organization seeks to develop conceptual frameworks and effective intervention strategies geared to influencing local, national and international systems.
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The 2017 conference theme is "Multidisciplinary Education and Practice for Social Development and Social Good." Faculty and students from all disciplines are invited to attend. To learn more about the International Symposium, visit the .
