Social Work Spotlight

In this episode I speak with Dr Jzo, a community practice and youth specialist, teaching and supervising students at the University of Botswana and publishing widely in the area of social work and motivation. Dr Jzo is also active in community work, regularly presenting on national radio and television on issues of social wellbeing, and hosting his own podcast and YouTube channel.

Links to resources mentioned in this week’s episode:
Foretelling the History of Social Work: A Botswana Perspective - https://www.ifsw.org/product/books/foretelling-the-history-of-social-work-a-botswana-perspective/

Social Work Professional Organizations: A Comparative International Perspective - https://bristoluniversitypressdigital.com/downloadpdf/edcollchap/book/9781447373698/front-1.pdf

Article about Dr Jzo’s book “It’s Possible” - https://www.ub.bw/news/it%E2%80%99s-possible-dr-jongman%E2%80%99s-fifth-book-lights-path-belief-and-renewal

The 2026 joint conference on social work, education and social development - https://swsd2026.or.ke/

YouTube channel “A Chat with Dr Jzo” - https://www.youtube.com/@AchatwithDrJzo

This episode's transcript can be viewed here: 
https://docs.google.com/document/d/14xeBLL7IM2ydSJQztgjZ66hB1EdQcMWyVJ5-C5ljkrc/edit?usp=sharing

Thanks to Kevin Macleod of incompetech.com for our theme music.

In this episode I speak with Kgomotso, a social worker from Botswana currently residing in Germany, with qualifications in both Social Work and African Studies. She has experience working as a project support officer focused on orphans and vulnerable children-related policies and programmes, working to strengthen social protection systems and improve service provision by social workers in Botswana, and has interests in social policy reforms, informal social protection and inclusive development.

Links to resources mentioned in this week’s episode:
Thandika Mkandawire’s Google Scholar page - https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=ecPI09EAAAAJ&hl=en

Jimi Adesina’s Google Scholar page - https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=ZJPKVjYAAAAJ&hl=en

Dolly Ntseane’s Research Gate page - https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Dolly-Ntseane

Sabelo Ndlovu-Gatsheni’s Google Scholar page - https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=K_TTLasAAAAJ&hl=en

Frantz Fanon’s Brittanica biography - https://www.britannica.com/biography/Frantz-Fanon

This episode's transcript can be viewed here: 
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1D5IvZqszYZcdo2CJmfbmPRRsOwgxwuav4HV4pthDUoI/edit?usp=sharing

Thanks to Kevin Macleod of incompetech.com for our theme music.

In this episode I speak with Donald in Wales, a researcher interested in the relationship between good child and family social work practice and outcomes, and in understanding the features of organisations that produce good practice. Donald has been instrumental in setting up the Tilda Goldberg Centre, academic lead for the Frontline social work programme, founding the What Works Centre for Children's Social Care, helping to found the Better Childhoods Centre in University College Copenhagen and the SCALE Centre for Social Care and AI research, as well as leading CASCADE Centre for Children's Social Care Research and Development.

Links to resources mentioned in this week’s episode:
Donald’s faculty profile - https://profiles.cardiff.ac.uk/staff/forresterd

Greenham Common peace camps - https://phm.org.uk/blogposts/greenham-common-peace-camp/

Cascade Centre Wales - https://cascadewales.org/

Article on the set-up of the Best Childhoods Centre in Wales - https://cascadewales.org/cardiff-university-to-help-set-up-major-new-research-centre-to-ensure-children-in-denmark-have-the-best-start-in-life/

This episode's transcript can be viewed here: 
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dUp0vSpayHCnS-5KtI2kuxi4MvN2wUjxb_exfl_J9bI/edit?usp=drivesdk

Thanks to Kevin Macleod of incompetech.com for our theme music.

In this episode I speak with Lamiya, a social work practitioner, researcher, and social entrepreneur from Azerbaijan with over a decade of experience in migration, social inclusion, child welfare, and gender-based violence, having worked with international organisations including the UN system, UNHCR, ICMPD, and the Council of Europe, and actively advocates for evidence-based, community-centred social services.

Links to resources mentioned in this week’s episode:
International Centre for Migration Policy Development - https://www.icmpd.org/

SiM (Sosial İş Məktəbi (Lamiya’s training college) - https://sosialishmektebi.com/

Social Dialogue Magazine - https://www.iassw-aiets.org/2024/12/25/social-dialogue-magazine/

This episode's transcript can be viewed here: 
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Yem1BndD9X44w97e8BK8WEOQIAQbK148-fLVT1s8ypk/edit?usp=sharing

Thanks to Kevin Macleod of incompetech.com for our theme music.

In this episode I speak with Nayanathara, a social worker from Sri Lanka and the founder of The Island of Stories, a volunteer organisation that supports children and women in education, while also working as a lecturer in Youth Studies at the Open University of Sri Lanka.

Links to resources mentioned in this week’s episode:
Nayanathara’s NGO Island of Stories Instagram account - @islandstorieslk

Nayanathara’s Research Gate page - https://www.researchgate.net/profile/K-N-N-Jayathilaka

Social Work Diaries on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@socialworkdiaries

Association of Sri Lankan Social Workers - https://slapsw.lk/

Community Solutions USA - https://community.solutions/

United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) - https://www.unfpa.org/

IREX - https://www.irex.org/

Asia Safe Abortion Partnership - https://asap-asia.org/

Asia-Pacfic Forum on Sustainable Development - https://www.unescap.org/events/apfsd13

This episode's transcript can be viewed here: 
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LIjIeKdjUpzfeNB-2O_vT4O6_TAtGvrhJLM7Si0QaIs/edit?usp=sharing