The West Virginia University Division of Social Work will host its 10th annual fall conference Nov. 12-13 at the Stonewall Resort in Roanoke, W.Va. The conference will focus on building sustainable communities.
Building Sustainable Communities: Tools for Community Recovery and Renewal is sponsored by the division’s Beatrice Ruth Burgess Center for West Virginia Families and Communities and the WVU Extension Service.
Fifteen workshops and presentations will be offered, along with general sessions and lunch meetings. The Nov. 12 luncheon keynote address, Building Sustainable Community Initiatives for a Caring and Just Society, will be given by Dennis Poole, a WVU alumnus and professor of community building and nonprofit management in the School of Social Work at the University of Texas at Austin.
Welfare Reform: Where Are We Now&Where Are We Going? is the title of a luncheon panel presentation Thursday, Nov. 13, and will feature speakers from the Division of Social Work, the West Virginia Welfare Reform Coalition and West Virginia Division of Health and Human Resources.
“This year’s conference focuses on the tools and skills needed by persons who want to be effective agents of change within their work and home communities,”said Suzanne J. Leizear, director of continuing education in the WVU Division of Social Work.”Topics covering grassroots fund-raising, conflict resolution, cultural competence, volunteer management, grant writing and evaluation will be presented.”
Issues important to West Virginia, such as poverty, welfare reform and surviving within an uncertain economy, are included in the program. Information regarding the many aspects of nonprofit management will be covered, including strategic planning, working with boards, outcomes evaluation and a full day grant-writing workshop. Other presenters include WVU Social Work and Extension faculty, agency representatives and organizational leaders.
“The WVU Division of Social Work is committed to building partnerships with communities and community agencies,”said associate professor Virginia Majewski, chair of the WVU Division of Social Work.”This conference, in its 10th year, is a demonstration of that commitment.”
The conference offers 14 hours of general continuing education credit as well as 14 contact hours for licensed social workers. A variety of conference fee packages are available and the early bird registration deadline has been extended to Oct. 31. For more information and/or to register, call 304-293-3501 ext. 3118 or e-mail CE@mail.wvu.edu .
The Division of Social Work is one of three divisions of the WVU School of Applied Social Sciences, which is a unit of the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences. The division offers nationally accredited bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work.