Schedule
The schedule for the inaugural International ‘Conversations’ Conference hosted by the Dalhousie University School of Social Work and organized by the School's Diversity and Equity Committee is now AVAILABLE on the conference website. The interactive
International ‘Conversations’ Conference will be held online from September 26 and September 27, 2024, via Microsoft Teams Webinar.
All presenters must use the desktop app to present as it will ensure their cameras, microphones and sharing features are active. Click on this link to download Microsoft Teams for desktop. Anyone (conference attendees and presenters) who does not have a Microsoft
Teams account will need to create one to use the Microsoft Teams app. Once the Microsoft Teams app is installed, persons may either sign in or create an account.
Schedule
The schedule for the inaugural International ‘Conversations’ Conference hosted by
the Dalhousie University School of Social Work and organized by the School's Diversity and Equity Committee is now AVAILABLE on the conference website. The interactive International ‘Conversations’ Conference will be held online from September 26 andSeptember 27, 2024, via Microsoft Teams Webinar.
All presenters must use the desktop app to present as it will ensure their cameras, microphones and sharing features are active. Click onthis link to download Microsoft Teams for desktop. Anyone (conference attendees and presenters) who does not have a MicrosoftTeams account will need to create one to use the Microsoft Teams app. Once the Microsoft Teams app is installed, persons may either sign in or create an account. Here is a link with instructions on how to do this.
Conversations: An International Conference Schedule
ADT (GMT-3) Event
Thursday, September 26, 2024 (DAY ONE)
8:30AM – 9:00PM Registration
9:00AM – 9:05PM Land acknowledgement
9:05AM – 9:30PM Remarks by Partners
9:30AM – 10:15PM Keynote Speaker
Indigenous Women’s Transformative Leadership: Working Toward Indigenous Self-Determination in Canadian Universities
Dr. Candace Brunette-Debassige
10:20AM – 11:50AM PANEL ONE
Concurrent Session Indigeneity, nationhood, and sovereignty
A
In the wake of McGirt: Indigenous Nationhood, Tribal economics, and the interplay of scholarship and sovereignty
Brian Hosmer, History Department, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater
Nation-State as a form of 'Body-politic'
Reza Khodarahmi, University of Alberta, Department of Political Science
Unveiling The Paper Genocide of Indigenous Peoples in Xaymaca
Robin Cunningham. Dalhousie University, School of Social Work, Africentric Cohort, Halifax, Canada
One Land Two Hearts: Where We Stand
Cyrus Sundar Singh, CERC in Migration, Toronto Metropolitan University
Concurrent Session B
Erasures/Omissions in service conceptualization, design, promotion, accessibility, delivery and utilization
Fostering Respect: Indigenous Cultural Safety in Social Work Education
Ashley Quinn, University of Toronto, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, Canada, Ontario, Toronto
Moving Forward Together: An Africentric Approach to Healthcare Research
Terrence Lewis, School of Social Work, Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia
Wanda Thomas Bernard, School of Social Work, Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia
Shirley Hodder, School of Social Work, Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia
Kofo Iziomon, School of Social Work, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario
Towards a Safer Harbor: Unpacking K12 International Students’ Experience in Canadian Homestays
Patricia Quan, University of Toronto, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, Friends of Ruby (non-profit), Strategic Initiative Department;Toronto
11:50AM – 12:00PM BREAK
12:05PM – 1:15PM PANEL TWO
Concurrent Session A
Erasures/Omissions in service conceptualization, design, promotion, accessibility, delivery and utilization
Foreign Credentials, Domestic Disparities: Understanding the value of de- and re-skilling
Catherine Bryan, School of Social Work, Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia
Shahidur Rahman, School of Social Work, Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia
My Migration Story: Cross-Border Exchange of Indigenous Knowledge
Gbenga Adejare, University of Calgary, Sociology, Alberta, Calgary
Centering race, systems and structures in mental health and substance use (MHSU) service delivery toyouth of African Descent in Nova Scotia
Ifeyinwa Mbakogu, School of Social Work, Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia
Lotanna Odiyi, School of Social Work, Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia
Concurrent Session B
Activism as healing, resistance and liberation
Voices from the South: Exploring transnational feminist approaches to menstrual education to catalyze a transformative developmentagenda
Estefania Reyes, Western University
Community and territory in social work education in Chile: between new approaches and terminological placebo
Felipe Saravia, University of Bio-Bio, Social Work School, Chile, Biobío region, Concepción city.
Beyond “Wu Nai” (being hopeless about the experiences of racism): Documenting Activism and Advocacy Efforts Against Anti-AsianRacism during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Izumi Sakamoto, University of Toronto, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, Toronto, Canada
1:20PM – 2:50PM PANEL THREE
Concurrent Session A
Colonial and postcolonial harms
From Discomfort to Accountability: Exploring an Ethical Relational Approach to Teaching Anti-racism and Decolonisation in a CanadianIntroductory Social Work Classroom
Prince Chiagozie Ekoh, University of Calgary, Faculty of Social Work, Alberta
Colonial Activities and Mental Health: The impact of historical
inequities in North End Halifax and its contribution to the decline in economic activity and the increase in depression and addiction
Beverly Keguna, Nova Scotia Health Authority, Public Health - Healthy Communities, Nova Scotia
Coloni(inferiori)zed African Masks 'Becoming' an Assemblage Through Deluzian Thought
Philip Akoje, Brock University, Faculty of Humanities, Ontario, St Catharines
Double tragedy: Igbo nation grappling with another colonization in Canada
Olugu Ukpai, Goldie Theological College
Concurrent Session B
Colonial and postcolonial harms/ Rigidity, white fragility and institutional dominance
De-spiriting social work knowledge through generative Artificial Intelligence
Michelle Sutherland-Allan, School of Social Work, Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia,
Marjorie Johnstone, School of Social Work, Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia,
Barriers to Well-Being: Understanding the Experience of Black Women in Nonprofit Organizations
Timi Idris, Dalhousie University, Faculty of Health, Canada, NS, Halifax
Their Way or No Way: “Whiteness” as agent for marginalizing and silencing Minority voices in Academic research and Publication
Buster Ogbuagu, Social Work, University of St Francis, Joliet Illinois
Whiteness in Academia and Knowledge Production
Ellen Hickey, Dalhousie University, School of Communication Sciences & Disorders, Halifax
2:50PM – 3:10PM BREAK
3:15PM – 4:45PM PANEL FOUR
Concurrent Session A
Reinforcers of erasures and remediation strategies
Bringing “ethical space” to curriculums as a way to address erasures and embrace marginalized voices
Kimberly Calderwood, Trent University Durham GTA, Department of Social Work, Ontario, Oshaw
Sasan Issari, Trent University Durham GTA, Department of Social Work, Ontario, Oshawa
You can sit with us, but do so at your own risk: the banality of white supremacy in social work field education
Talena Jackson, Nipissing University, Faculty of Education and Professional Studies, School of Social Work,North Bay, Ontario, Canada
Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) in the Canadian Context; Social Policy Implications for Equity-SeekingPopulations and Communities
Tori Lewis, School of Social Work, University of Windsor, Ontario
School Violence: Towards Anti-Racist Frameworks
Amanda Gebhard, Faculty of Social Work, University of Regina, Saskatchewan
Courtney Chambers, York University
Concurrent Session B
Reinforcers of erasures and remediation strategies (PANEL)
Pathways to Precariousness: Canada’s Intentional Failure of Migrant and Undocumented Care Workers
Veen Wong, University of Waterloo, School of Public Health Sciences, Ontario
Tyeriah Philbert, Renison University College, University of Waterloo, School of Social Work
Trish Van Katwyk, Renison University College, University of Waterloo, School of Social Work,
4:50PM – 4:55PM Closing Remarks
Friday, September 27, 2024 (DAY TWO)
ADT (GMT-3) Event
8:30AM – 9:00PM Registration
9:00AM – 9:05PM Land acknowledgement
9:05AM – 9:30PM Remarks by Partners
9:30AM – 10:15PM Keynote Speaker
The De/Anti-Colonial Turn to Conversations on Systemic Intentional Erasures
Professor George J. Sefa Dei
10:20AM – 11:50AM PANEL ONE
Concurrent Session A
Erasures/Omissions in service conceptualization, design, promotion, accessibility, delivery and utilization
“Small Stories, Big Mental Space”: Immigrant Women's Artistic Expression of Mental Health and Social Support in Canada
Maryam Motia, Wilfrid Laurier University, Social Work, Canada, Ontario,
Intention, Conversation, and Bias in the Teaching of Architecture
Emanuel Jannasch, Dalhousie University, School of Architecture, Nova Scotia
Where is the love? Overcoming the “joy deficit” in social inequality teaching
Robert Nonomura, Western University, Department of Sociology, Ontario
Accountability and Intervention at the Intersection of Disability and Environmental Justice: Improving Rural Endometriosis Care inConsideration of the Northern Pulp Mill in Pictou County, Nova Scotia
Hannah Parks, Registered Social Worker (RSW) with the Alberta College of Social Workers (ACSW), Alumni School of Social Work,Dalhousie University,
Concurrent Session B
Anti-racist, anti-colonial discourse and/or frameworks, resistance or insubordination
Intentional Epistemological Erasures: Making a Case for Black Studies
Marlon Simmons, University of Calgary, Werklund School of Education, Alberta
Pagsamahin: Merging culture, identity, and mental health care with
1.5 generation Filipinx Canadians in Winnipeg, MB
Benito Capili, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Social Work, NL, St. John's
Resisting Intentional Erasures, Reproducing the Statue of Peace
Nogin Chung, Department of Art and Design, West Chester University of Pennsylvania, USA
Centering Africentric Perspectives in Social Work: Telling our Stories
Sasan Issari, Trent University, Social Work Department
Dr. Wanda Thomas Bernard, School of Social Work, Dalhousie University
11:50AM – 12:00PM BREAK
12:00PM – 1:30PM PANEL TWO
Concurrent Session A
Community and collectivism as resistance
Speaking and Witnessing Child Welfare Truths
Nancy Freymond, Wilfrid Laurier University, School of Social Work, Ontario
Rhonda Andall, Wilfrid Laurier University, School of Social Work, Ontario
Food spaces as sites for social change (Food spaces as places of resistance)
Nadine Powell, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Resisting the Covert Control of Neoliberalism in the Non-Profit Industrial Complex: Abolitionist Alternatives to Community Care
Grisha Cowal, School of Social Work, Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia
Feminist Pedagogy and Psychotherapy: A Quiet Resistance
Lisa Trefzger Clarke, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario
Concurrent Session B
Dangers of discursive myths, ideological priorities and dark chapters of national histories
The Countering Disinformation About The 2SLGBTQI+ Community in Rural Canada Project: Project Information and Research AssistantInsights
Kamryn Zboya, Saint Mary's University, Halifax, NS, Canada Jonah Wozney, Saint Mary's University, Halifax, NS, Canada
Luc Cousineau, Dalhousie University, School of Health and Human Performance, Recreation Management
Paulo Ravecca, Saint Mary's University, Halifax, NS, Canada
My grandfather’s Stories of Women Leaders (and Erasures of Knowledges)
Patricia McGuire, School of Social Work, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario
Historical Harm repacked as helping: why we need to reflect on the attitudes and treatment of Neurodivergent individuals by health care professional and society
Jessica Perry, Dalhousie University, School of Occupational, Nova Scotia,
Glorifying the external, submerging the internal and human trafficking in West Africa
Ifeyinwa Mbakogu, School of Social Work, Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia
Deborah Tamakloe, School of Social Work, Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia
Lotanna Odiyi, School of Social Work, Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia
Nadia Haleeb, School of Social Work, Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia
1:35PM – 3:05PM WORKSHOPS
Concurrent Session A
Embracing Antiracism Approaches in Supporting an Ever-Growing Diverse Population: A Self-Exploration Approach to Embrace,Deconstruct and Operationalize Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Decolonization
Dr. Riham Al-Saadi, University of Windsor, School of Social Work, Ontario
Concurrent Session B
Resisting the Erasure of People of Igbo Descent in Canada: A Workshop on History, Unity, and Collective Wellness
Ikenna Okpala, Ndi Igbo Cultural Association, Nova Scotia
3:05PM – 3:25PM BREAK
3:25PM – 4:55PM PANEL THREE
Concurrent Session A
Community and collectivism as resistance
Understanding and addressing injustice behind the national cap on international student admissions in Canada
Kedi Zhao. Faculty of Social Work, University of Regina, Saskatchewan
Moving Forward Together: Unsettling Racism, Silence and Violence in Health and Social Services
Shirley Hodder, School of Social Work, Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia
Holly Johnson, School of Social Work, Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia
Tiffany Taylor, School of Social Work, Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia
Unmasking EDI: How Diversity Programs Perpetuate Erasure and the Call for Collective Resistance
Laureen (Jill) Kendall, Trent University - Durham Campus, Social Work Department, Ontario, Oshawa
Kink and Subversive Affirmation: Pursuing Collective Emancipation through Ritualistic Rejection of Systems of Oppression and
Hegemonic Sexual Culture in the BDSM Space
Madeline Rae, School of Social Work, Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia
Concurrent Session B
Anti-racist, anti-colonial discourse and/or frameworks, resistance or insubordination
Psychiatric Consumers and Survivors’ (Lackluster) Engagement Indigeneity and Anti-Racism
Walter Wai Tak Chan, Algoma University, Social Work, Canada, Ontario, Sault Ste. Marie Bawating
Experiential Learning as Resistance: ACMP’s Role in Empowering Afro-Caribbean Students Against Anti-Black Racism in Canada
Warren Clarke, University of Manitoba, Department of Anthropology, Winnipeg
Richmond Opoku, University of Manitoba, Department of Anthropology
Kevin Tachie, University of Manitoba, Department of Sociology
Stanley Oyiga, University of Manitoba, Department of Anthropology
Erasing Indigenous identities at Dalhousie: The perspectives of Inuit faculty and students
Debbie Martin, Faculty of Health, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Evan Powell, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Doctor of Medicine/ Faculty of Medicine, NL, St. John’s
Conversations about International Erasers: Revisiting UNESCO (1978) Declaration on Race and the Elimination of Racial Prejudice &Contemporary EDI Initiatives
Juliana West, Thompson Rivers University, Social Work, BC, Kamloops
Christine Lwanga, University of Manitoba, Faculty of Social Work - Graduate Studies and Research, Manitoba, Winnipeg
5:00PM – 5:15PM Closing Conversation and Remarks