Anniversary at the Department of Social Work

The Department of Social Work is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. To mark this occasion, an event was held last week which was thematically linked to the anniversary of the "75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights".

The afternoon's program was diverse. Greetings and anecdotes from the former head of the department of Social Work Prof. Dr. Michael Klassen and the representatives of the first graduating class were combined with keynote speeches by the Austrian League for Human Rights, among others. The event therefore not only focused on the history of the department, but also on the present in challenging times.

Current social problems and developments in the discipline of Social Work in Austria were discussed on the panel on the topic of "Multiple Crises & Social Work as a Human Rights Profession" with invited experts and the current head of the department of Social Work, Prof. Dr. habil. Belachew Gebrewold, were discussed.

A special highlight of the event was a visit from the Tyrolean state government. Elisabeth Fleischanderl, member of the provincial parliament, sent the following greetings to the Department of Social Work on behalf of Mag.^a Eva Pawlata, member of the provincial council for social affairs:
“75 years of Human Rights and 20 years of the Social Work degree program at MCI - the connection between these two anniversaries is obvious. Social Work plays an essential role in shaping a just and supportive society and contributes to the realization of Human Rights.”

The event was planned as a Green Event. Green Events are events where special consideration is given to ecological, social and economic sustainability.