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Submission information
Submission Number: 242
Submission ID: 1420
Submission UUID: 7541efac-499d-45e4-94eb-ed7ce30dcbb7
Submission URI: /2025/abstracts
Created: Mon, 06/30/2025 - 16:33
Completed: Mon, 06/30/2025 - 16:49
Changed: Mon, 06/30/2025 - 16:49
Remote IP address: 41.193.169.68
Submitted by: Anonymous
Language: English
Is draft: No
Current page: Complete
Webform: Abstract
| Title | Ms. |
|---|---|
| Lastname | Makgotso |
| Firstname | Mbuyisa |
| makgotso10@gmail.com | |
| Mobile | 0832745610 |
| Institution | Free state department of social development |
| Biosketch | Ms. Makgotso Mbuyisa is a dedicated Social Worker practitioner employed in the Free State Department of Social Development. Her work spans policy development, community engagement, and the advancement of social justice practices in the Free State, with extensive experience in child welfare, families, older persons, and persons with disabilities has contributed to several provincial initiatives aimed at reducing inequality. Me. Mbuyisa holds a degree in Social Work and has completed her postgraduate diploma in Public Management, and she is widely respected for her collaborative approach and evidence-informed strategies. Her leadership continues to shape inclusive frameworks for sustainable community development and professional social work practice. |
| Is there a Second Presenter? | No |
| Title of Presentatation | Policy and Advocacyfor Peace building, Environmental and Social Justice |
| Theme Selection | THEME 3: Policy and Advocacy for Peace building, Environmental and Social Justice |
| Subtheme THREE Selection | SUB 3.1 Influencing policies that promote environmental sustainability and social equity. |
| Select your Presentation Type | Oral Presentation |
| Abstract | This paper aligns with the ASASWEI 2025 theme by examining how South African social workers actively advance social and environmental justice, peacebuilding, and sustainable development through innovative, evidence-based practice. Drawing on participatory action research conducted in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng following the 2021 civil unrest, the paper explores how social workers led trauma-informed dialogues, youth mentorship initiatives, and community-building interventions in marginalized communities. Methodologically, the study blends empirical fieldwork with reflective practitioner narratives to surface localised strategies that bridge healing and policy influence. Results highlight the emergence of informal peace structures, strengthened community trust, and increased civic participation, demonstrating that social workers, when supported with policy literacy and interdisciplinary tools, can facilitate sustainable, community-owned development. These findings support a reimagining of social work not only as a service profession but as a driver of structural transformation, uniquely positioned to lead justice-centred peacebuilding that contributes meaningfully to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The paper thus responds directly to the conference’s call for practice-based innovations and research that catalyse transformative teaching, research, and advocacy by highlighting how social workers have and continue to contribute to peacebuilding, justice, and advocacy in contexts shaped by structural violence inherited from the apartheid era and inequality. The objective is to demonstrate how practice-based innovation, such as trauma-informed community dialogues, youth mentorship programs, and post-unrest psychosocial recovery initiatives, can be scaled into national policy frameworks to advance peacebuilding and sustainable development. Results reveal that when social workers are equipped with policy literacy, cultural competence, and intersectoral collaboration skills, they significantly enhance community resilience, trust-building, and institutional accountability. Key outcomes include the institutionalization of local peace committees, integration of social work into violence prevention strategies, and the promotion of inclusive governance through community facilitation. The paper concludes that social workers hold unique potential to bridge grassroots knowledge with policy influence in contexts marked by inequality, spatial injustice, and historical trauma. |
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| Does the Abstract fit the selected Theme? | |
| What Area does this Abstract Focus on? | |
| Status | Pending Review |
| Title | |
| Firstname | |
| Lastname | |
| Does the Abstract fit the selected Theme? | |
| What Area does this Abstract Focus on? | |
| Status | Pending Review |