Two professors in the University at Buffalo’s School of Social Work have launched a graduate student and research institute to encourage global activities that extend trauma-informed treatment, human rights perspectives and other themes championed by the UB school to other parts of the world.
The Institute on Sustainable Global Engagement is the brainchild of Laura Lewis, director of field education, and Filomena Critelli, associate professor.
...A trauma-informed approach recognizes that trauma is present in a large percentage of the population and works to avoid repeating the trauma. A human rights perspective complements this approach and is fundamental to social work because of its emphasis on universality of rights on the basis of being human. The rights-based approach represents a shift from looking at social problems, such as poverty or lack of education, as “needs” to understanding them as “rights for all,” emphasizing the need for respect and advocacy to ensure these rights.
“We see these ideas integrated in the work of our colleagues in other parts of the world and have much to learn from them,” says Lewis.
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