•  
  •  
 

Author ORCID Identifier

Styliani Farmaki https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3186-3920

Agapi Kandylaki https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2186-3617

Keywords

school social work, participatory action research, music- and arts-based systemic interventions, social isolation and marginalization, educational inclusion, COVID-19

Abstract

This article presents and discusses a Participatory Action Research (PAR) project, which was conducted shortly after the outbreak of COVID-19 (March 2020) by the first author (researcher) in collaboration with thirteen School Social Workers (SSWs) (co-researchers-interveners), 11 from Greece and two from Cyprus. The SSWs performed an original “quarantine video-song” composed by the researcher and dedicated to all students, entitled “We’ve Not Forgotten You”. They promoted it publicly and used it as a tool in 15 tailor-made, arts-based, brief, systemic interventions to help enhance the educational inclusion of students who faced intense social isolation and marginalization challenges.

The main findings on how educational inclusion was enhanced are illustrated hereby by three indicative case studies, i.e. one migrant student, one student with chronic illness and disability, and a “whole school of Roma students”. Music and art were linked to the students’ interests and pandemic-related issues and offered them opportunities to strengthen their “voices” regarding the emerging challenges. Depending on the case, the interventions’ focus expanded from the individual and family level to the classroom, school, and community level. The interventions contributed to self-expression, empowerment, highlighting of strengths, and coping with transitions. They also enhanced the sense of school belonging and recognition, promoted interdisciplinary and inter-school collaborations, and strengthened the school-family-community relation. The SSWs, as co-researchers and members of a group coordinated by the researcher, exchanged feedback, and reflected collectively on the interventions, coming up with proposals for future action to enrich school social work practice during COVID-19 and beyond.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Author Biography

Styliani Farmaki is a PhD Candidate at the Department of Social Work, Democritus University of Thrace, Greece. She holds an MA in Social Work in Education, MSc in Educational Administration, BSc in Social Work, and BSc in Music Science and Art ("Monody" specialization). She is also a qualified systemic therapist, with experience as a school social worker and music teacher.

Agapi Kandylaki is a Professor of Social Work and Multiculturalism at the Department of Social Work, Democritus University of Thrace, Greece, and the Head of the Joint (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Democritus University of Thrace, and University of Crete) Master Course in “Counselling”.

Download

Share

COinS