UWF hosts annual U.S. Japan Social Welfare Symposium

The University of West Florida recently hosted the 17^th annual U.S.-Japan Social Welfare Symposium, where more than 150 faculty, staff, students and members of the general public listened to presentations on the current state of social welfare in both the U.S. and Japan, as well as visions for the future from a human rights and dignity perspective.

“This annual symposium is a demonstration of the global village in action,” said Dr. Kim LeDuff, chief diversity officer and associate vice provost for the Department of Equity, Diversity and International Affairs. “It offers faculty and students an opportunity to share ideas and collaborate across cultures and geographic boundaries. The topics covered serve as a reminder that we share very similar societal issues even though we are located in different parts of the world.”

Ms. Keiko Sugi, division director of TQM for the Social Welfare Corporation Kotoen and head of Kotoen Care Center Tsubaki, and Dr. Laura Edler, assistant professor of social work at UWF, were the featured keynote speakers at the event, which was organized by the UWF Department of Social Work and the Jikei-American Center at UWF.

Additional sessions focused on how both the U.S. and Japan are addressing issues of poverty and employment support, training of professional care workers, disaster response and psychiatric care, dementia care and at-home support, and new approaches to treatment of the elderly.

Among those in attendance were 30 students and faculty members from the Saitama College of Social Welfare and Tokyo College of Social Welfare, both of which are part of the Jikei Group of Colleges, a system of professional training colleges and support companies located throughout Japan.

During their visit, the Japanese students toured the Lakeview Center of Baptist Health Care to learn about social work facilities in the U.S. They also volunteered alongside UWF social work students at Loaves and Fishes, where they taught children how to create origami.

UWF and Jikei Group of Colleges have partnered since 1989 to provide American and Japanese students with opportunities to learn about each other’s country and culture. In addition to the U.S.-Japan Social Welfare Symposium, the Jikei-American Center at UWF also organizes the annual Summer Semester in Japan, where UWF students study at Jikei sites under the direction of UWF faculty.

To learn more about the Jikei-American Center at UWF, visit uwf.edu/japan. For additional information about the UWF Department of Social Work, visit uwf.edu/socialwork.