蘑菇直播

Day 1: Summer school, Brixen

June 5, 2023

Today we began our annual summer school hosted by the in Brixen, Italy with Walter Lorenz presenting a challenging yet imperative presentation on Social Policy and Social Work in a Postgrowth Society as part of this year's theme "The future of the biosphere: Deepening the understanding and communication of the interconnectivity of ecological, economic and social sustainability transition."

PhD student and Early-Stage Researcher Atefeh Safarabadi Farahani from the 蘑菇直播 shared her work today on "The Eco-social Approach and Water Justice" as part of her research project that illuminates traditional water usage in Oman as a means of promoting social sustainability as part of #ASTRAPhD #ASTRAsocialwork

Day 2: June 6, 2023

Today was a productive day for the ASTRA team, beginning with presentations from three ESRs, Michael, Yannis, and Amy, who shared updates on their research projects. The ESRs and supervisors provided helpful comments and suggestions, which made the presentations even more informative. After the presentations, the ASTRA team, together with our guests, gathered on the UNIBZ terrace for a group photo.

In a discussion about "Economic Imperialism," Associate Professor Franklin Obeng-Odoom emphasised that current models of alternative development, circular economy, or just transition are not sufficient to address the harm caused by imperialism. He stressed the importance of ecological reparations and concluded his presentation with the statement, "We need change, but that change cannot be merely a change; it must be a just change." His presentation sparked a lively debate.

Finally, a group of ESRs presented four topics related to "Poverty and Sustainable Future". They were Atefeh on "Water poverty vs water security", Athina on "Urban Development and Poverty", Mattia on "Homelessness and Poverty", and Miroslav on "What is food poverty". The debate that followed the short presentations focused on the intersection of poverty and the environment.

Day 3: June 7, 2023

The third day of summer school began with presentations by ESRs Areen Nassar on 'Central Functionings to Well-being and the Realisation of the Corresponding Capabilities among Forced Migrants in Finland and Kang Liu on 'The social potentials presented by the circular transition in Europe: A social work evalutation and exploration'.
Midday before the lunch break Prof. dr. Koen Hermanns gave a presentation about 'Ecosocial work and ecosocial transition: the role of research' which was so interesting and touched on some dilemmas the ESRs have, so that some of the ESRs met, Koen Hermans and Ingo Stamm in the evening to continue sharing their ideas, struggles, and perspectives. One crucial point was that we ESRs are in the process of finding a position in the social work research, which is not always easy for us identifiying as social work practicioners.

In the afternoon, there were two more presentations by ESRs Mattia Mansueto on 'Housing First for Youth as an Opportunity for Social Justice among Young People' and Jeany Rose on 'Exploring sustainability initiatives for female and LGBTQ+ Forced Migrant Youth in Berlin'. Finally, the Principal Investigator of the ASTRA project Prof. Aila-Leena led a discussion about plans for a final ASTRA publication.

听

听

Day 4: June 8, 2023

We kicked off the fourth day of summer school with a presentation by ESR Eileen Lauster on the innovative technological tools used in her field research. This was followed by a presentation by ESR Rebecca Conway titled 鈥楿tilising the capability approach to explore nature-based, social inclusion programmes aimed at supporting young people in precarious situations.鈥� Before lunch, ESR Miroslav Budimir presented his research on 鈥楥haritable food aid in the Slovenian welfare state.鈥� These presentations sparked useful comments and discussion amongst the group.

In the afternoon, we enjoyed the final ESR presentation of the day by Svenja Fischbach who honestly shared the challenges she has faced throughout her research journey which painted a realistic picture of the difficulties faced in empirical research. Finally, we separated into our three work packages, which focus on environmental, social and economic sustainability, to share our updates and, crucially, to discuss our input to the final ASTRA publication."

听

听

Day 5: 9 June, 2023

On Friday the Ninth of June 2023, we held our fifth day of summer school which consisted of three different sessions. The first session was dedicated to individual paper presentations by Early-Stage Researchers (ESRs) Athina Moroglou, James Kutu Obeng and Rai Shailendra. Each presentation was reviewed by two assigned reviewers who had read the paper and other participants of the summer school.

The second session was a lively fishbowl discussion by ASTRA members including ESRs, supervisors of ESRs, and other professors. Participants from various disciplines and professions such as social work, economics, ecology, sociology, architecture, and psychology discussed 鈥淭he Future of Ecosocial Social Work.鈥�

听

The final session titled 鈥淒iscussions on a Higher Level鈥� took all participants on a hiking trip to the beautiful South Tyrolian Mountain areas (Dolomites), which were around 2100 meters above sea level. During the trip Professor Susanne Elsen led discussions that summarized the week鈥檚 sessions. The session ended with some local food and drinks enjoyed on a 鈥渉igher level.鈥�

听

Day 6: June 12

After a restful weekend, the second week started with the panel discussion led by Holger, regarding The capability approach as the path to a sustainable future? Holger kicked off the discussion with his reflection on the topic of the capabilities approach, highlighting that 鈥淣ature is the missing point on social theories, mainly in terms of autonomy鈥�.

The morning session continued with a fishbowl discussion initiated by Urban Nothdurfter, with 3 representatives of ESRs and selected ASTRA scholars, on the topic of Challenges of sustainability transition in Social Work. Most of ESRs got the opportunity to reflect upon the conceptual challenges they face trying to address the sustainability transition into their research projects.

The afternoon session was devoted to the presentation of project FARm: Building鈥痑 prevention network against Exploitation and new Slavery in Agricultural Labor. The presentation was held by the post-doc researcher Franca Zadra and Susanne Elsen, from the UNIBZ. From the presentation and the discussion that followed, it became clear that the transdisciplinary approach is an essential component of social innovation research.

The day ended with an inspiring musical experience! Famous musician and professor in UNIBZ, Franz Comploi gave us the opportunity to have a tour in three different historical catholic churches. He played the organ in each one, spoke Ladin for us, and explained the organ鈥檚 history. All this opened us up to the cultural uniqueness of the area! The best way to share with you is through material uploaded in the following links:

Enjoy!

听

Day 7, June 13

Professor Frank Moulaert discussed the ethics of politics, ethics, and development, exploring the potential for mutual aid ethics to reshape political life. Following this, early-stage researchers (ESRs) shared their experiences with Social Work education and practice, as well as their future plans, in a session coordinated by Eileen Lauster.

In the afternoon, the group visited an eco-social farm run by Miriam Zenorini. There a surprise event awaited Susanne Elsen, who is retiring in September. After celebrating with her collegues and old friends, we heard an interesting presentation about the everyday鈥檚 live on the farm, their achievements and struggles. Afterwards we continued to the House of Solidarity (HdS), and the Organization one world (OEW). After showing us around, the employees and habitants of the HdS invited us to stay and enjoying their collectively home-cooked meal.

听

Day 8, June 14

Our exploration of South Tyrol's social and solidarity economy took us to three remarkable sites in the Puster Valley. Led by Professor Elsen, our journey began with an enlightening bus lecture on the region's history of the "Social and Solidarity Economy."听听

Our first stop was CO-OPERA, a women's cooperative in Bruneck. They provide employment opportunities to individuals facing challenges in the labour market, specializing in cleaning, laundry, and cooking services. CO-OPERA not only thrives in a competitive market but also fosters social integration for its workers.

Next, we visited S盲gem眉llerhof, a public eco-social farm in Gais. This institution offers holistic social and labour rehabilitation for adults experiencing psychological stress. Through their support, residents regain autonomy and improve their quality of life in housing, work, and leisure.听听

Finally, we explored Burger Hof, a public-private mountain farm dedicated to personal and eco-social learning. They provide transformative experiences for individuals of all ages, fostering growth and development.

In these unique spaces, we discovered that participation in SSE organizations brings vital meaning and satisfaction to individuals, unlike profit-driven enterprises prioritising the bottom line. Our journey reinforced the immense impact of SSE, inspiring us to prioritize people and the planet over mere profits in the future.

Day 9, June 15

On Thursday, ESRs held a gathering grounded in nature to kick off the morning session of ASTRA summer school.
Amy Shackelford moderated an activity inspired by Theatre of the Oppressed as an icebreaker aiming to evoke a power dynamic, then ESRs representatives have chosen after a short report by previous representatives. Jeany Rose Teguihanon and Areen Nassar have been elected for this position.

ESRs discussed research collaboration and shared their experiences around publication collectively.
With the topic "Including life cycle thinking, social inclusion, and work-life paths," Piritta Pietil盲-Litendahl from ODL Finland opened the evening session emphasizing the volunteering idea. After then, Freek Spinnewijn continued the evening's discussion of the challenging subject of homelessness. He discussed the potential and challenges in ending homelessness and FEANTSA's role as the only NGO tackling homelessness issue in Europe.

In these unique spaces, we discovered that participation in SSE organizations brings vital meaning and satisfaction to individuals, unlike profit-driven enterprises prioritising the bottom line. Our journey reinforced the immense impact of SSE, inspiring us to prioritize people and the planet over mere profits in the future.

听

听

听

Day 10, June 16

The final day started with a session moderated by Barbara Sak, where the ESRs reflected on the ASTRA Summer School in Brixen. This was followed by the selection of the planning committee for the Final Conference scheduled for May 2024. The ESRs and supervisors engaged in a collective brainstorming on potential topics and activities for the final听ASTRA event at Jyv盲skyl盲 University.听

The third and last ASTRA Summer School was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that exceeded our expectations; all this is thanks to the outstanding efforts of the UNIBZ team under the coordination of the tireless Professor Susanne Elsen.