Vision, Mission, and Principles

Vision

To provide students with a social work education that is true to the profession’s fundamental values of humanitarianism and egalitarianism and is predicated on a progressive view of society and social work practice through academic excellence, the promotion of social justice, strengthening of human relationships, and the transforming of oppressive systems.

Mission

As a structural school of social work, we are committed to politicized and anti-oppressive social work education and practice that is both critically reflective and progressive in promoting social change and seeking social justice.

Principles

We have a commitment to the core values of structural social work, and to that end we encompass the following principles:

• Promotion of theoretical frameworks which address oppression and engage in critical reflection of professional education and practice.
• Fostering research that is based in social justice and facilitates the empowerment of people and groups impacted by oppression.
• Recognition of and commitment to the Truth and Reconciliation Call to Action (TRC, 2019), the decolonization and indigenization of social work education.
• Engagement in required social action change efforts at the community and government levels in a social action placement and direct practice field placement.
• Participation in social action change efforts that address the historical inequities of disadvantaged groups and promote change through a social justice lens.