Professor Vasilios Ioakimidis brings Greek and Turkish Cypriot students together to break down barriers between communities.
This episode was recorded shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine. It focuses on a conflict in Europe and what social workers can do to bring peace and reconciliation to divided populations.
The island of Cyprus has been divided since a war in 1974 which led to the separation of Greek and Turkish Cypriots. Social work students in Cyprus now have no lived experience of the two communities co-existing, but this issue is not addressed in social work curricula with the effect that views of ‘the other’ are entrenched, particularly in the Greek Cypriot community.
Professor Vasilios Ioakimidis conducted a study with colleagues (both Greek and Turkish Cypriots) which explored social work students’ understanding of each other’s community, including a survey and focus group. The focus group brought students from both communities together for the first time.
Professor Vasilios Ioakimidis is Chair of the International Federation of Social Workers Global Education Commission. He co-edits the British Journal of Social Work. Professor Ioakimidis is affiliated with the University of Essex (UK), the University of West Attica (Greece) and the University of Johannesburg (South Africa).
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