By Michael Alberto
Contributing Writer

On Friday, Nov. 6, the KU Department of Social Work will be holding its ninth annual conference on Social Work in the Global Environment with the goal of educating those in attendance about different social work perspectives. The event will take place virtually from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

The goal of the conference is to educate attendees about differing perspectives in social work, utilizing the strategy of “Thinking Globally and Acting Locally.” The event also hopes to bring together students and faculty who are interested in social, economic and human rights issues around the globe. 

The conference is hosting a panel with discussions from students and guest speakers. One of the invited speakers includes State Representative Mike Schlossberg, who will be speaking about mental health. 

Specifically, Schlossberg will be talking about mental health in politics, regarding better funding for and more access to mental health services. He will also talk about how he hopes to establish public policy that reduces barriers to care for vulnerable populations while bringing equality within health care.

There will also be presentations pertaining to the three sub-themes which include environmental impacts and issues, national and regional conflicts, and challenges to health and delivery systems that affect the health and well-being of the vulnerable populations. 

Additional presentations may include topics such as racism, domestic violence, social justice, climate change, food insecurity, disabilities, social justice and others. 

All presentations will be live and recorded to be viewed at a later date. Registration is free, and you can find it here.