Southern California Society for Spirituality & Social Work
Welcome visitors, new, and returning members. The Southern California Society for Spirituality & Social Work is a network of professional social workers and other helping professionals in Southern California dedicated to spiritually, religiously and faith-sensitive practice and education.
We seek to encourage, honor, and nurture the diverse spiritual paths, resources, and traditions which offer meaning and support to people, including ourselves. We recognize the sacred nature of our work. We are committed to social justice and respect for those of diverse religious and non-religious, faith, and spiritual identities.
Our purpose is to foster awareness of the importance of spirituality in the lives of people through the Southern California region. We concur with and follow the Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers. Our events and materials are designed to promote research, develop theory, and disseminate innovation and best practices related to spirituality in our professions. In our meetings, we celebrate the values of dignity, interdependence, compassion, respect, peace, justice, and connection with the divine. We encourage you to visit announcements at the left of this webpage and to join both the regional and international societies of spirituality and social work.
Membership
Events and materials sponsored by the Society are designed to promote research, development of theory, and dissemination of best practices in the field. The Society, its events and materials are supported by membership dues, contributions, and volunteer labor.
Membership is open to social work educators, practitioners and students. We invite you to join if you do not yet belong, to renew your membership in the Society if you have not yet paid, and to encourage your institution or agency to join as well. Contributions beyond basic dues are appreciated. Members will receive the quarterly Journal of Religion & Spirituality in Social Work (Taylor and Francis Group), the Forum (periodical of the national society) and reduced rates for Society events.
National Affiliation
The Southern California Society is a regional, but independent organization of social work educators and practitioners, which is affiliated with the national Society for Spirituality and Social Work in the United States. The national Society was founded in 1990 in order to create connections and mutual support among social workers of many contrasting spiritual perspectives.
ITINERARY
Focusing on the theme of Spirituality, Diversity, & Creativity: Paradigm Shift for Clinical Practice, the third annual Southern California Spirituality and Social Work Conference brings together academics, practitioners, and students to discuss and explore the important role spirituality plays in social work practice and education. Sessions will include scholarly papers, panels analyzing issues, promoting dialogue, and sharing resources; poster sessions, a keynote speaker, and experiential workshops.
This conference provides an exciting opportunity for an exchange of scholarship and knowledge from various disciplines to stimulate dialogue on spirituality in research, professional education, social work practice, and social action.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
University Hall
Loyola Marymount University
Los Angeles, CA
|
8:00 a.m. |
Registration Opens |
|
8:00 a.m. |
Exhibits and Poster Display Opens |
|
8:30 a.m. |
Welcome and Opening Remarks |
|
9:00 a.m. |
Keynote Address
Rev. Greg Boyle, S.J. |
|
10:45 a.m. |
Session 1 Presentations |
|
12:00 p.m. |
Lunch and Roundtable Discussions |
|
12:45 p.m. |
Poster Session |
|
1:15 p.m. |
Session 2 Presentations |
|
3:00 p.m. |
Session 3 Presentations |
|
4:45 p.m. |
Closing Reception |
|
5:15 p.m. |
Exhibits and Poster Display Close |
ABOUT THE KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Rev. Gregory Boyle, S.J., best known as Fr. Greg by all who meet him, has been an advocate for at-risk and gang-involved youth in Los Angeles, and around the world, for over 25 years. Born in Los Angeles as one of eight siblings, Fr. Greg entered the order of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and was ordained a priest in 1984. He received his BA from Gonzaga University, and Master’s degrees from Loyola Marymount University, the Weston School of Theology, and the Jesuit School of Theology.
Before founding Homeboy Industries, Father Greg taught at Loyola High School and worked with Christian Base Communities in Cochabamba, Bolivia. He was appointed as Pastor of Dolores Mission in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles in 1986 where he served through 1992. Following this, Fr. Greg spent time as Chaplain of the Islas Marias Penal Colony in Mexico and Folsom Prison, before returning to Los Angeles and Dolores Mission.
Homeboy Industries traces its roots to “Jobs For A Future” (JFF), a program created in 1988 by Fr. Greg at Dolores Mission parish. In an effort to address the escalating problems and unmet needs of gang-involved youth, Fr. Greg and the community developed positive alternatives, including establishing an elementary school, a day care program and finding legitimate employment for young people. JFF’s success demonstrated that many gang members are eager to leave the dangerous and destructive life on the 'streets.'
In 1992, as a response to the civil unrest in Los Angeles, Fr. Greg launched the first business: Homeboy Bakery, with a mission to create an environment that provided training, work experience, and above all, the opportunity for rival gang members to work side by side. The success of the Bakery created the groundwork for additional businesses, thus prompting JFF to become an independent non-profit organization, Homeboy Industries, in 2001. Today Homeboy Industries’ nonprofit economic development enterprises include Homeboy Bakery, Homeboy Silkscreen, Homeboy/Homegirl Merchandise, and Homegirl Café.
Fr. Greg is also a consultant to youth service and governmental agencies, policy-makers and employers. Fr. Boyle serves as a member of the National Gang Center Advisory Board (U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention). He is also a member of the Advisory Board for the Loyola Law School Center for Juvenile Law and Policy in Los Angeles.
Father Greg’s first book, Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion, was released on March 9, 2010, which received the 2010 SCIBA (Southern California Indie Booksellers Association) Non-Fiction Book Award and was named as one of the Best Books of 2010 by Publishers Weekly.