Leave no one Behind – confronting Caribbean Realities

There is no question that we have been thrust into a new world spawned by the Covid 19 pandemic. The theme “Co-building an eco-social world – leaving no one behind” which has been accepted as the Global Agenda commitment 2022-2024 has a futuristic orientation, looking beyond pandemic time into a cooperative, collaborative tomorrow. In reality, the pandemic is far from over, although the images and messages from the Global North suggest otherwise. Many developing and under-developed countries are reeling from the ravages of the pandemic on their economies and societies, and the on-going public health crisis. This keynote will highlight the realities for the small island developing states of the Eastern Caribbean, on the premise that, in order to meaningfully strategise for ‘leaving no one behind’, the global social work community has to recognize and acknowledge who has been severely impacted, how they have been affected, and who is highest at risk of being forgotten therefore ‘left behind’. The presentation ends with a reminder about the enduring power of community and prevailing cultures of resilience which are valuable resources for co-building an eco-social world.

Karene-Anne Nathaniel is a social work educator with over 11 years teaching experience at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels at The University of West Indies, St. Augustine Campus. Her areas of specialization are critical thinking and professional socialization, and macro-practice interventions with communities and social work management and administration. She has also taught on the Post Graduate programme in Mediation Studies. She is committed to innovative and interactive pedagogies for professional education in the helping professions.

Dr. Nathaniel created the in-house modality for the first-year social work practicum using methods informed by the reality-based learning, constructivist classroom and the pedagogy of hope. She has also led World Social work Day projects on the University Campus through which students have been able to enhance their critical thinking, social consciousness and advocacy skills by raising awareness to the lived experiences of social work populations.

She is the President of the North American and Caribbean Association of Schools of Social Work (2016-2020), interim President of the Association of Caribbean Social Work Educators, former Vice President/Treasurer of the Association of Caribbean Social Work Educators, and regional Vice-President of the International Association of Schools of Social Work (2016-2020). She is currently leading efforts towards the development of standards for Caribbean social work education and a Caribbean code of ethics for social workers.