Practicing alliance: an experiential model of teaching diversity and inclusion for social work practice and education

ABSTRACT

Social work students are expected to engage diversity and difference in practice, yet few approaches in social work education explicitly focus on strengthening skills required for such allyship engagement. Constructs such as cultural competence, cultural humility, and intersectionality are often difficult for students to learn and for educators to teach effectively. This article describes Practicing Alliance, a curriculum that extends the Ally Model for Social Justice through a systematic integration of experiential learning theory, designed to increase the allyship skills of social work students across social locations. Participants (N = 85) in the pilot evaluation were students in the Foundation-year (n = 21) and second-year (n = 47) of a two-year MSW program, and 17 Advanced Standing MSW students. Practice experience ranged from 1–2 years (17.76%) to over 5 years (37.65%). Following completion of Practicing Alliance, 100% of participants reported that they were better able to practice allyship, 91% agreed that they were better equipped to intervene in incidents of discrimination, and 93% stated that Practicing Alliance contributed to their development as a social worker. Qualitatively, participants reported increased confidence in utilizing their allyship skills. The Practicing Alliance model is described with recommendations for implementation within social work education.

KEYWORDS:

• Cultural humility
• diversity & inclusion
• experiential learning theory
• ally
• educational outcomes evaluation

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

Shelley L. Craig receives salary support from a Canada Research Chair [950-231204]. Andrew D. Eaton receives salary support from the Ontario HIV Treatment Network [EFP-1100].

Notes on contributors

Shelley L. Craig

Shelley L. Craig, PhD, RSW is a Professor at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work (FIFSW) at the University of Toronto. and is the Canada Research Chair in Sexual and Gender Minority Youth (SGMY). She directs the International Partnership for Queer Youth Resilience (INQYR). Dr. Craig’s research is supported by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

Terry Gardiner

Terry Gardiner, MSW, RSW was Manager of Diversity, Equity & Student Experience at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto at the time this study was conducted. He is currently Student Mental Health & Wellness Program Manager at the Faculty of Law, University of Toronto.

Andrew D. Eaton

Andrew D. Eaton, PhD, MSW, RSW is a PhD graduate from the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto.

Nelson Pang

Nelson Pang, MSW, RSW is an MSW graduate from the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto.

Toula Kourgiantakis

Toula Kourgiantakis, PhD, RSW is an Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto.