Learning about Social Work in Crises from the (History of) Social Work in Lebanon
The ThRIvE project also aimed at promoting previously invisible knowledge from social work practice in crisis regions and making that knowledge accessible to future social workers and the interested public. Lebanon has gone through many crises in the past up to the present, and therefore Lebanese Social Workers have dealt with and worked in many different crises. Within the ThRIvE project, we supported the local efforts of shedding light on and learning from the experiences, practical knowledge and professional perspectives of Lebanese Social Workers about Social Work in crisis contexts.
Project collaborator Aimée Ghanem is also the founder of Sworld, a research hub and knowledge platform with the aim to bridge the past and the future of Social Work. As part of the ThRIvE project, Sworld has implemented the project measure “Digitalizing & Archiving Social Work History in Lebanon” for which Sworld conducted research, set up a digital knowledge archive and produced various educational materials and media formats. With all activities Sworld aimed at making the roots and evolution of social work in Lebanon visible and accessible to the public, and to engage social workers in the debate about the profession’s past, present and future.
Tap here & learn more about SWorld
What is SWorld
Sworld (https://sworld-edu.com/) is a digital research and knowledge platform aiming to advance the social work profession in Lebanon, and beyond. Sworld seeks to make the social work profession visible and contribute to a more active engagement in social and public policy-making. This effort is grounded in a rigorous process that honors, documents, and preserves the history and evolution of social work in Lebanon
Why SWorld
SWorld responds to the lack of documentation and archiving of social work experiences disrupted by historical crises. The Lebanese Civil War (1975–1990) profoundly shaped the profession, forcing a shift toward immediate relief work. The history of social work in Lebanon is therefore inseparable from the country’s complex socio-political context.
It aims to preserve the experiences and knowledge of past practitioners to inform both current and future practices. Today, social work is undergoing a transformation: increasingly detached from its political and policy-driven roots, it leans more toward humanitarian and aid-based interventions. SWorld provides a space to reflect on this evolution, its implications, risks, and potential.
There is also a pressing need to document the profession’s responses to ongoing and overlapping crises, to produce locally grounded knowledge, and to strengthen capacities in critical thinking, advocacy, and professional identity. SWorld addresses the absence of localized, contextualized knowledge as well as the lack of visual and narrative representation that has often left social work underrecognized and misunderstood as a profession.
SWorld Objectives
- Documenting the history and evolution of social work practices, institutions, and policies through oral history podcasts, documentaries, and archival research.
- Connecting social work professionals, academics, policymakers, and institutions for knowledge exchange and new perspectives through intergenerational dialogue podcasts, the SWorld Café podcast, and related initiatives.
- Strengthening the skills and abilities of social work actors to address social issues effectively through mentoring, training in social work and research, and capacity-building activities.
- Advocating for the interests of social workers and the communities they serve by promoting policies that enhance practice through academic research, publications, and social policy briefs.
The Social Work Archive and Documentary Film on the History and Evolution of Social Work in Lebanon
The Social Work Archive Archive home - Social Work Archive - SWORLD provides brief information on the most significant actors, events or institutions in the field of Social Work in Lebanon between 1948-2008. The digital social work archive is freely accessible to the interested public and provides information, materials and research findings about the history of social work in Lebanon. For the first time, a digitalized, openly accessible and comprehensive historical review of the social work evolution in the Lebanon is available and can be used for educative purposes.
The short film „Through the storms“ (in Arabic, with English subtitles) takes the viewer on a journey through the history of social work in Lebanon, from its beginnings to its development phase and the challenges of war. Social workers share their experiences, the struggles they faced, and the messages they leave for future generations.
Social Work in Crises in Lebanon – Connecting the Past and the Present
The publications "Social Work in the Face of Crises and Disasters", accessible on the open access library server OPUS, present research findings and provide insights into the developments of Social Work in Lebanon during the civil war (1975-1990) and the Beirut port explosion (2020), drawing on interviews and field experiences of Lebanese social workers and their professional perspectives about Social Work in crisis contexts.
Intergenerational Dialogue Formats on Social Work in Lebanon and in Crisis Contexts
In a video podcast series with 20 episodes hosted by Sworld, intergenerational dialogue conversations, round table discussions and interviews were held with Lebanese social workers from the current and previous generations to debate their perceptions and lived experiences as social workers in Lebanon with practical experience in times of crises.
Trailer Intergenerational Dialogues by SWorld
Trailer Round Table Discussions
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ap37VFeUOsI
All episodes and more videos on Social Work in times of crises can be watched on Sworld's youtube channel
https://www.youtube.com/@SWorldLB/videos