Community Social Labs and Social Work

Janestic Mwende TWIKIRIZE is Associate Professor of Social Work at Makerere University, Uganda. She has published 50+ peer-reviewed works, including seven books. She is Secretary of the International Association of Schools of Social Work since 2024. She is a recipient of Makerere University’s 2024 Research Excellence Award. Her scholarship focuses on decolonisation and indigenisation of social work, international social work and child protection.Ann Christin E. NILSEN is Professor of Sociology at the University of Agder, Norway and the overall project manager of the RESILIENT project. She has published extensively in national and international journals, including four books. She specializes on qualitative research methods and theory of knowledge and her research interest include childhood and families, education and professional work, welfare and social development.

"This timely volume on Community Social Labs presents a practice grounded vision for co-creation, empowerment and sustainability, linking universities and communities in respectful partnership. It advances decolonised, context sensitive social work and encourages innovative responses to complex social realities. The contributions demonstrate how collaborative learning, indigenous knowledge and shared agency can strengthen curricula, research and practice. An inspiring guide for educators, practitioners and students committed to meaningful, community change."Dr Pascal Rudin, PhD, Interim Secretary-General, International Federation of Social Workers, Switzerland"The book gives us great insights into a non-conventional approach to training social workers and an innovative way to tap into the power of community-driven action to address complex social challenges and cause social transformation among poor communities. I recommend it for all those who seek to awaken community power and co-create solutions towards safer, stronger and productive communities."Dr Denis Muhangi, PhD, Head of Department, Social Work & Social Administration, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda"Many of us interested in decolonizing and indigenizing social work have critically unpacked the Western assumptions currently shaping social work practice. We lack, however, concrete models for change. This volume fills that gap, providing the concrete model of a Community Social Lab (CSL). This moves us beyond conceptualization and into direct practice. The volume draws on concrete cases studies of CSL implementation, describing ways to bring its core ideas of co-creation, indigenization and sustainability directly into social work practice, as well as how we must change social work education – and the broader university – to engender change that is guided by real needs at the grassroots. A much-needed resource for my teaching and research."Erika Gubrium, Professor, Department of Social Work, Child Welfare & Social Policy, Oslo Metropolitan University, Norway"Community social labs are introduced as a way to ensure meaningful collaboration with communities to co-design solutions to local problems. This new book provides readers with a step-by-step guide to initiating and using a social lab at the community level, promising a genuine and co-equal approach to local participation that strengthens indigenization. Highly recommended educators and practitioners in social development and related fields."Lynne M. Healy, Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor Emerita Professor Emerita, University of Connecticut, and Main Representative to the UN, International Association of Schools of Social Work, USA"This important scholarly contribution interweaves classroom teaching and community-based social work practice to advance bottom-up problem-solving. Integrating critical theory, participatory research, ubuntu, and social innovation, it compellingly demonstrates the co-creative Community Social Labs methodology across three African contexts."Linda Kreitzer, Professor Emerita, University of Calgary, Faculty of Social Work, Canada

• 1.Introducing Community Social Labs 2.The Community Social Labs Methodology 3.Stories From the Field 4.The Future of Community Social Labs