‘The story behind the murals…’: creative art, human rights and critical social work at the University of Thrace – Greece

ABSTRACT

This paper presents an action research involving the design and implementation of a creative art project and the analysis of in-depth individual and focus group interviews to reflect on the participants’ experience of ‘learning by doing’. It was held by a group of undergraduate and postgraduate social work students in the University of Thrace – Greece, under the supervision of a social work professor (one of the writers). The aim was to enhance the school environment and the students’ critical thinking. As critical and human rights perspectives are central in the social work academic curriculum, they formed the basis for this project. Empowering students to tackle stereotypes, challenge racist attitudes, promote equal opportunities and defend human and social rights are prerequisites for social work qualification. Creative and art group work has proved essential for the embodiment of critical practice and a challenging experience through ‘learning by doing’. How creative art may engage in critical thinking is explored, by the data analysis of the recorded semi-structured individual and focus group interviews transcripts, to reveal how the experience of participating in the project has affected students’ attitudes, perspectives and feelings about their studies.

KEYWORDS:

• Critical social work
• human rights perspective
• graffiti project
• critical
• reflection
• creative art

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Anastasia Lamprou

Anastasia Lamprou is a social worker, currently working in the Department of Social Services of the Municipality of Karditsa, Greece. She acquired her bachelor’s degree in social work in September 2018. She is currently attending the Master's Degree Program in Social Policy and Social Work Division “Social Work in Education„ in the Department of Social Work - School of Social, Political and Economic Sciences of Democritus University of Thrace in Komotini, Greece.

Agapi Kandylaki

Agapi Kandylaki is a Professor of Social Work and Multiculturalism in the Dept of Social Work at the Democritus University of Thrace. She was awarded a PhD on Male Youth and Sexual Abuse: A Qualitative and Discursive Analysis of Social Work and Related Professional Knowledge of and Practice with Male Youth Survivors and/or Perpetrators of Sexual Abuse, from the University of Bradford, UK. Her research interests are on child protection and family violence, on working with minorities, immigrants and refugees and counselling. She has written books and articles in Greek and in English.