NSCSW Lunch & Learn: Black joy in healing & helping practices

Nova Scotia College of Social Workers

Explore the ways Black joy shows up and supports healing and helping practices with service users and social change.

Anti-racist & anti-discriminatory practice

Members of the Nova Scotia College of Social Workers are required to complete annual professional development, which must include training related to anti-racist and anti-discriminatory practice. See https://nscsw.org/pd/#pdMandated for more info.

<blockquote>“Black Joy affirms that I am not a victim. I am an agent of change. It rejects the idea that violence, … injustice, discrimination, prejudice, and dominance over others are normal and acceptable actions.” – <a href="https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/black-joy-resistance-resilience-and-reclamation" title="https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/black-joy-resistance-resilience-and-reclamation" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Brandy Factory</a></blockquote> Join NSCSW for a lunch and learn exploring the ways Black joy relates with healing and helping practices. This session will centre stories and experiences of Black and African Nova Scotian helpers who experience Black joy in their practices leading teams, working with service users, and working towards progressive change in communities and the province. The session will explore questions such as:<ul><li>How does the idea of Black joy relate to their social work and helping practices</li><li>How does Black joy show up in work with policy, service users, and community</li><li>What are the ways that non-Black social workers can help foster spaces and opportunities for Black joy?</li><li>“In a world that is deeply plagued with anti-Blackness, from an individual to a systemic level – what is your source of joy?” – <a href="https://theonn.ca/2022/02/prioritizing-black-joy-is-central-to-black-wellness/" title="https://theonn.ca/2022/02/prioritizing-black-joy-is-central-to-black-wellness/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Yami</a></li></ul> <h3>Objectives</h3><ul><li>Knowledge: Learn, identify, and understand the ways Black joy is experienced in social work and helping professions.</li><li>Skills: Develop and integrate practices related to Black joy in helping professions; develop and integrate practices for fostering Black joy and Africentric approaches to helping and healing.</li><li>Values: Examine and shifts assumptions, beliefs, and/or worldviews in helping professions; critically reflect on social workers roles in addressing oppressive norms and in fostering Africentric practices.</li></ul> <h3>Speakers</h3><h4>Teri Brezner, (she/her)</h4>Teri brings 15+ years of experience designing, facilitating and leading leadership, community, organizational and network development for hundreds of social change leaders in the community impact sector. She uses decolonized, liberatory and somatic practices, design thinking, and emergent strategy to create inclusive, democratic spaces that support diverse leaders to transform themselves, their communities and the social impact sector. For almost 2 decades Teri has built relationships and partnerships with diverse stakeholders including, nonprofit leaders, government policy makers, academics, and community organizers in Canada, the US and abroad.Teri is a first-generation Guyanese-Canadian who grew up in and around Toronto, Montreal and upstate NY. She called Washington, DC home for more than a decade before moving back to Canada to plant her roots in Bridgewater, NS. When she's not working on social change, she spends her free time getting outdoors, exploring the world through the eyes of a 4 year old, collecting books she will someday read, listening to podcasts about the future of work and exploring food, culture and community through travel.<h4>Kyiaisha Benton, BSW, MSW, RSW (she/her)</h4>Kyiaisha Benton identifies as an African Nova Scotian with ties to the historical black community of New Glasgow. Kyiaisha is a registered social worker and is the Associate Registrar with NSCSW. She is an active member of the Association of Black Social Workers (ABSW). After completing both a Bachelor of Science in Recreation and a Bachelor of Social Work, at Dalhousie University, Kyiaisha decided to further her academic development and has recently completed the Master of Social Work program at Dalhousie University. Kyiaisha has a strong passion for helping others and advocating for meaningful change within marginalized communities. In addition to travelling, Kyiaisha enjoys singing in her church choir and spending time with her family, especially her niece and nephew. <h3>Eligibility</h3><h4>NSCSW Members</h4>All active, associate, retired associate, and student members of the <a href="https://nscsw.org/" title="https://nscsw.org/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Nova Scotia College of Social Workers</a> are welcome to attend; our professional development programming is part of our member services funded by <a href="https://issuu.com/nscsw/docs/connection_spring2023_webfinal/42" title="https://issuu.com/nscsw/docs/connection_spring2023_webfinal/42" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">annual registration fees</a>.<h4>Community Partners</h4>All allied health practitioners in Nova Scotia/Mi'kma'ki interested in learning more about this topic are eligible to sign up for a $5 partner ticket; just let us know which profession you are a part of when you register. <h3>Foundations</h3>This webinar is directly related to the <a href="https://nscsw.org/standards/" title="https://nscsw.org/standards/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">NSCSW Code of Ethics &amp; Standards of Practice (2025)</a>:<h4>Value 1: Respecting the dignity and worth of all people</h4>Guiding principles:<ul><li>1.2: Social workers promote the self-determination and autonomy of all people.</li><li>1.3: Social workers uphold the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all people consistent with applicable rights and legislation.</li><li>1.5: Social workers uphold the rights of African Nova Scotians and Persons of African Descent, support reparations and healing of injustices.</li><li>1.7: Social workers uphold the rights of all people to receive services in a manner that considers intersecting factors of exclusion and respects all manner of diversity.</li><li>1.9: Social workers uphold the rights of every person, group, and community to be free from violence or threat of violence.</li></ul><h4>Value 2: Promoting Social Justice</h4>Guiding principles:<ul><li>2.1: Social workers uphold the principles of social justice related to the rights of individuals, families, groups, and communities to receive fair and equitable access to services, resources, and opportunities and to be free of oppression, racism, and discrimination.</li><li>2.2: Social workers advocate for the rights of all individuals, families, groups, and communities to be free from oppression, exclusion, racism, and discrimination.</li><li>2.3: Social workers advocate for the rights of African Nova Scotians and Persons of African Descent to be free from systemic hate, inequity, and racism, pursuant to “An Act to Dismantle Racism and Hate” (2022)</li><li>— Standard 2.2.2: committing to continuous learning and applying current trauma-informed practice knowledge specifically tailored to the experiences of African Nova Scotians and Persons of African Descent</li></ul><h4>Value 4: Valuing Human Relationships</h4>Guiding principles:<ul><li>4.1: Social workers place the well-being and interests of all people at the centre of their relationships.</li></ul><ul><li>4.2: Social workers continually develop self-awareness and practise self-reflection to guide their practice and personal well-being.</li></ul><h4> </h4> <h3>Professional development tracking</h3>Members of NSCSW who participate in this session can track the activity as professional development related to anti-racist &amp; anti-discriminatory practice. Members who have already completed that requirement for the year may instead categorize this session as formal professional development.Visit <a href="https://nscsw.org/practice/professional-development-standards/" title="https://nscsw.org/practice/professional-development-standards/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">nscsw.org/pd </a>for more information about the current professional development requirements for Nova Scotian social workers. <h3>Questions?</h3>If you have questions about our professional development program content, please contact the College's Professional Development Consultant, Tyler Colbourne, at tyler.colbourne@nscsw.org.

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NSCSW Lunch & Learn: Black joy in healing & helping practices

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