Focus on the transformative potential of Social Work

Moritz Reisberger presents current research and teaching approaches from the MCI department of Social Work in a keynote speech and workshop at the SASSA International Course 2026

The MCI department of Social Work recently played a prominent role at the SASSA International Course 2026. The conference for Social Work students, researchers, and faculty took place this year at OST - the University of Applied Sciences of Eastern Switzerland in St. Gallen (CH) - and explored the theme “Peace, Justice, and Democracy: The Transformative Power of Global Social Work” from a wide range of international perspectives.

All European societies are currently facing a variety of crises, and in many places, vulnerable groups are particularly affected by these developments. Social workers provide people in various difficult situations with a wide range of support and guidance. In these contexts, the SASSA International Course offered a platform to explore the transformative power of Social Work in promoting peace, justice, and democratic values in these times. Moritz Reisberger, research & teaching assistant at the MCI departments of Social Work and CSHI (Center for Social & Health Innovation), introduced the topic with a keynote address titled “Social Work in Times of Multiple Crises” and shared insights from recently completed TNF research projects in Tyrol. Two additional inspiring keynote addresses - by Katharina Bodirsky (OST) and Swetha Rao Dhananka (HETS) -expanded on this introduction by highlighting further facets. Using three different contexts as examples, the session demonstrated how Social Work can contribute to change, addressing, and resolving social challenges at both the local and global levels. The subsequent panel discussion, held in a Q&A format, then addressed aspects of knowledge transfer - that is, how we can learn from one another in the best possible way and on the basis of shared disciplinary values. This led to a lively discussion among participants from Italy, the Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, Romania, and Switzerland, thereby fostering a noticeably productive exchange on best practices and innovative approaches in challenging times.

In interactive workshops on specific topics, methods, and ideas related to the conference theme, attendees were able to share their own experiences and collaboratively develop new ideas that position Social Work as a global catalyst for social change. As part of the research and development collaboration between ZHAW (Zurich University of Applied Sciences) and MCI | The Entrepreneurial School®, Moritz Reisberger, together with Michele Pizzera (research assistant at the ZHAW department of Social Work), led a workshop on transformative practice based on the systems-theoretical paradigm of Social Work developed by Silvia Staub-Bernasconi. The workshop emphasized the active transfer of theory into practice through the theory’s fundamental principles and direct references to examples from case work. Another goal was to position this theory - which is primarily known in German-speaking countries - as internationally relevant in an English-language format. The intensive engagement of all participants led to active reflection on their own practice and the direct development of new courses of action through the workshop format.

Across all conference formats, the central question ultimately centered on what kind of future can be supported, how, and through which levels of Social Work, and what steps should be taken to realize this vision. All of these questions were addressed collectively and - in keeping with the diversity of Social Work - from a wide range of perspectives. The SASSA International Course 2026 thus concluded with entirely new ideas, highlighted the unifying potential of Social Work, promoted best practices, and provided inspiration for innovative approaches to transformative practice based on shared international principles of the discipline and profession. This is precisely the approach that the MCI department of Social Work fundamentally pursues in its teaching at the bachelor’s and master’s levels and in its own multifaceted research projects at the MCI Center for Social & Health Innovation (CSHI). The exchange with international students, researchers, and faculty at the SASSA International Course 2026 was therefore incredibly valuable!