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Montreal Conference 2018

2nd International Social Work and Sexualities Conference

  • Key information
  • Keynote Speakers
  • Call for Papers
  • Conference registration
  • Travel Information

Sexualities, genders and intersectionalities: expanding contemporary social work issues

This social work conference on the themes of sexuality, gender and intersectionality will develop knowledge especially about sexual and gender minorities, issues related to sexuality and gender and policy / service offer.

Sub-themes include

  • Geographical/regional cultural implications for sexualities
  • LGBT+ issues
  • Theoretical implications of queer and post-queer theory
  • Sexual politics and political activism
  • Indigenous sexualities
  • Issues related to sex work
  • Issues connected to living with HIV/AIDS
  • Intimacies
  • How sexualities and genders affect access to health and social services

For who?

Researchers, students, teachers, social workers, service users, activists, community organizers, etc.

Why participate?

The conference will allow researchers, students, stakeholders and the public to learn about contemporary issues related to gender and sexuality. The main conference theme highlights the ways in which a plurality of sexualities, genders and various intersectionalities converge to shape a contemporary society. This conference thus aims to explore how these complexities inform social work practice, research and education for not only academics but also practitioners and service users.

Conference programme

 

Link to the host conference website 

Gina Metallic 

My Queerness is Traditional
Prior to European contact, Two-Spirit people were pillars of strength in many Indigenous communities. In this keynote address, Gina Metallic will explore the traditional roles of Two-Spirit people, and walk through the experience & effects of colonization on sexuality and gender, from hundreds of years ago to today. The keynote will also highlight today’s acts of resurgence of Two-Spirit identity & reconciliation within and outside Indigenous communities

Bio
Gina Metallic is a Mi’gmaq Two-Spirit Feminist women from the Listuguj Mi’gmaq First Nation in Quebec. She is a granddaughter, daughter, sister, auntie and wife. Gina obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and Educational & Counselling Psychology at McGill University, and later obtained a Master of Social Work in Community Development from McGill. Her graduate work focused on Indigenous LGBTQ-Two Spirit identity development while utilizing her own ‘coming in’ journey, and exploring the intersectionality between being Queer, Indigenous and a hyper-feminine women. Gina has been a guest speaker on the topic of Two Spirit Issues and Indigenous Child Welfare practices for the Pierre Elliott Trudeau conference, the RCMP National Headquarters, 2017 Canada Pride, as well as Canadian colleges and universities and multiple Indigenous organizations and schools. Gina currently lives in Ottawa, Ontario and works in the non-profit Indigenous health sector. She is a Registered Social Worker through the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers.

GERALD P. MALLON

Examining the Practice and Policy Implications of LGBTQ Youth in Child Welfare or Juvenile Justice Systems
Social work has always prided itself on openness toward oppressed populations, including LGBTQ people, but this characterization of our profession has not always been true. Social work policy and practice as it relates to LGBTQ youth, has provided an inconsistent and wobbly response at best. Sexuality in social work has until recently been viewed as a taboo topic for policy makers and practitioners. Gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender narratives, especially of those youth who have be cared for by child welfare or juvenile justice systems have been even less acknowledged. Looking retrospectively at social work policies and practices as they pertain to LGBTQ youth for the past six decades the presenter will examine where social work has been and where sits in the 21st Century. This presentation, via a lens of intersectionality, uses case examples and some humor, to critically examine social work policies and practices with LGBTQ youth, with a particular emphasis on LGBTQ youth in the juvenile justice and child welfare systems. Finally, we will look at where should be, if we aren’t there already and uncover some answers to the query of why the narratives, experiences, and lives of LGBTQ youth are critical for us to deliberate.

Bio
Gerald P. Mallon, DSW, is the Julia Lathrop Professor of Child Welfareand the Associate Dean of Scholarship and Research at the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College. For more than 42 years, Dr.Mallon has been a child welfare practitioner, advocate, educator, and researcher. Dr. Mallon was the first child welfare professional in
the U.S. to research, write about, and develop programs for LGBTQ youth in child welfare settings. In his role as the Executive Director of the National Center for Child Welfare Excellence, Dr. Mallon has traveled to all 50 states, many territories and numerous tribes to deliver technical assistance and training on a range of child welfare related issues particularly as they relate to youth and to foster care. Dr. Mallon also lives the talk the talk, in addition to being a child welfare professional for his entire career, he has been a foster parent and is the adoptive parent of now grown children.

HERNANDO MUNOZ SANCHEZ

LGBT rights in Colombia 
In this keynote, Dr. Hernando Munoz Sanchez will present the social and historical context that shapes LGBT human rights advocacy in Colombia. Colombia presently favors traditional, religious and moral conceptions of family, marriage and social roles based on patriarchal gender norms. For over 50 years, this country has plunged into many types of violence and is one of the most inequitable countries in the world, with a considerable gap between a small group of people who are wealthy and a larger society that lives in poverty. After several decades of war, today, there is a halo of hope for reaching peace after the agreements signed between the Colombian State and the FARC guerrillas. In Latin America, Colombia was one of the first countries to advance in the conquest for LGBT rights. However, same sex marriage was rejected by congress due to the influence of the Christian churches. LGBT organizations in Colombia continue to fight for their civil rights. This plenary will also explore the role of LGBT-specific research from diverse disciplines as well as the social work profession in contributing to the promotion of the rights for LGBT people in Colombia.

Bio
Dr. Hernando Munoz Sanchez is currently a full professor within the school of social work and Dean for the faculty of social and human sciences at the University of Antioquia Medellin, in Colombia. Hernando is a researcher, lecturer and activist on issues of family, gender and minority, as well as social and political leader. He has also been recognized for outstanding work in the defense of human rights and social leadership as well as other public and private institutions, receiving the Order of Merit Don Juan del Corral from the City Council of Medellin in 2012. Dr. Sanchez has also recently published a book focused on masculinities and sexualities, in 2017.

MARIA NENGEH MENSAH

Sexualities and Social Work: Between the Will to Know, Invisibility and Resistance 
Starting with the idea that “sexuality” concerns the uses of the body and, more generally, the social construction of these uses, this keynote aims to retrace the ways in which the domain of social work has addressed human sexualities. The format and organization of these practices determines a set of rules and norms, which vary based on the time period and society. My aim here is the describe how social work has played a role in the formation of social problems related to systems of sex / gender / desire (runaways, sexual violence, parenting, women’s labour, nuclear family, homophobia, trans realities, etc.); the establishment of the identities of those targeted by social work practice (understood as both dangerous and in danger); and the development of (feminist) advocacy for social justice for various sexual and gender diversity communities. This presentation will draw from archival documents as well as from various action-research projects I have undertaken with Quebec-based groups. As a result, the history of tensions between the social workers’ will to know, the invisibility of sexuality issues and the resistance of directly affected communities will be highlighted. In conclusion, I interrogate the production of histories focused on queer and non-binary people, people living with HIV and people with sex work experience. Are we witness to an evolution, a change?

Bio
Maria Nengeh Mensah, PhD Communication, is full professor at the School of Social Work and the Institute of Feminist Research and Studies at UQAM. She has lead the “Cultures du témoignages” research team since 2010. As an engaged researcher, she has conducted research-action projects that brings together communities with academia to address issues related to the stigmatization and social inclusion of sexual and gender diverse communities. She has notably collaborated for many years with the organisations Stella l’amie de Maimie, COCQ-SIDA and GRIS-Montréal. Professor Mensah is author of three monographs and recipient of the excellence in teaching award within the faculty of human sciences at UQAM in 2012.

Call for papers

Topic: Sexualities, genders and intersectionalities: expanding contemporary social work issues

Date: 8-10 August 2018

Venue: University of Montreal, Montreal, Canada

Submissions: extended to February 19th 2018
(Submissions open by 1 November 2017)
(Confirmation of papers accepted will be available from 1 March 2018)

We invite papers on the theme of sexualities, genders and intersectionalities in social work within the following sub themes exploring related communities and groups, associated issues and politics/service provision:
• Geographical/regional cultural implications for sexualities
• LGBT+ issues
• Theoretical implications of queer and post-queer theory
• Sexual politics and political activism
• Indigenous sexualities
• Issues related to sex work
• Issues connected to living with HIV/AIDS
• Intimacies
• How sexualities and genders affect access to social services

This three-day conference will feature keynote presentations from Professor Gerald P. Mallon (National Center for Child Welfare Excellence, Hunter College, New York, USA); Professor Nengeh Mensah (Social Work, Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada) and Gina Metallic (Mi’kmaq Social Worker and Community Organizer, from the Listuguj First Nation). The main conference theme highlights the ways in which a plurality of sexualities, genders and various intersectionalities converge to shape contemporary society. This conference thus aims to explore how these complexities inform social work practice, research and education for not only academics but also practitioners and service users.

The conference will take place from the 8th to the 10th August 2018 at the University of Montreal.

We especially welcome proposals that utilize practitioner and/or service user perspectives, those that are empirically based and those that involve new and emerging topics. We are keen to facilitate the exchange of ideas between diverse stakeholders.

Paper proposals are for presentations that will focus on a research topic, or report on the development of a new intervention or policy. Papers will be presented for 20 minutes (inclusive of questions) in a themed session of related papers.

Roundtables/workshops/symposia are for either 45 or 90 minutes (approximately). A longer session of a group of related papers (symposia) or a workshop on a topic. Roundtables are to bring together various stakeholders to discuss and exchange ideas related to a particular theme/topic.

Posters provide an interactive forum in which authors can present work to conference attendees during the conference. Accepted posters will be displayed on large boards (approximately 1×1.2m).

Submissions: abstracts of 350 words should be submitted by email to [email protected]. Depending on space, those making more than one submission (if accepted), should consider making one paper into a poster. Registration and Submission opens November 2017.

NB: please note the category when submitting your abstract.

The deadline for submissions is extended to February 19th 2018. Confirmation of papers accepted will be available from 1st February 2018. Further information about the conference will be available in due course.

Previous conference details can be found here:
http://www.sexualityandsocialworkconferences.org

Conference Organising Committee
Edward Ou Jin Lee, University of Montreal, Canada
Annie Pullen Sansfaçon, University of Montreal, Canada
Jason Schaub, University of Birmingham, UK
Maxime Faddoul, Social Work Student, UQAM, Canada

Conference Registration (CLOSE)

Conference registration OPEN – Sexualities, genders and intersectionalities: expanding contemporary social work issues

We are happy to announce that the conference registration page is now open! Please note that the deadline to register to the confere is on the 31th of July, 12pm (Montréal). To register, go to the following website: PRAXIS 

After clicking on the registration button, you need to subsequently click on the “English” button on the upper right hand side in order to view the registration options in English.

Please note that the conference will be held over two days, from August 9th to 10th, starting at approximately 8:30AM. Registration costs will cover food (breakfast, lunch, snacks, coffee, etc.), as well as conference program and bag.

A discount for accommodations is offered for conference participants at the Gouverneur Hotel (1415 Rue Saint-Hubert, H2L 3Y9 Montréal, Canada). For details, please view this web link: UdeM – Hôtels Gouverneurs.

Travel information

Venue

The whole conference will take place at the following address:
Pavillon Jean-Brillant, 3200 Jean-Brillant Street Montréal, QC H3T 1J4

Public Transports 
If you plan to go to the conference by public transports (bus, metro), you will find the prices here: STM prices 

Cab

If you want to go by cab, here are some suggestions.
Taxi Diamond – estimate fare
Teo – estimate fare
Uber – estimate fare

From Hotel Gouverneur:
You can go by metro.

  1. Take the orange line at Berri UQAM in the direction of Montmorency
  2. Leave the subway train at Jean Talon’s station
  3. Take the blue line in the direction of Snowdown
  4. Leave the subway train at Université de Montréal’s station
    From Hotel Gouverneur to Jean-Brillant

ZUM 
You can go by walking: From ZUM to Jean-Brillant

Hotel Terrasse Royale
By walking

  1. Turn on your right until Jean-Brillant Street when you leave the hotel
  2. At the intersection Jean-Brillan/Côte-des-neiges turn on you right
  3. Walk on Jean-Brillant Street
  4. The Pavillon Jean-Brillant is on you left 1min by walk after the intersection Jean-Brillant street/Decelles
    From Hotel Terasse Royale to Jean-Brillant

Other ways

If your starting point is different then you can use any application like google map  and find your itinerary.

Accommodation

A discount for accommodations is offered for Social Work and Sexualities Conference’s participants on this website: UdeM – Hôtels Gouverneurs

You can also choose a Hotel closer to L’Université de Montréal such as University Residences or Hotel Terrasse Royale.

Visa and Health

You may need a Temporary Resident Visa to visit Canada. To obtain a temporary visa, Immigration Canada requires that you meet certain conditions and provide certain documents. Please visit the Government of Canada website for the steps to apply for a visa.

Visitors are not covered by the Canadian Health Insurance Plan. We recommend that participants make arrangements for their health and accident coverage. This can be done before leaving the home country through a local travel agency.

Il est possible que vous ayez besoin d’un visa de résident temporaire pour visiter le Canada. Pour l’obtention d’un visa temporaire, Immigration Canada exige que vous répondiez à certaines conditions et fournissiez certains documents. Veuillez consulter le site web du Gouvernement du Canada pour connaître les étapes à suivre pour faire votre demande de visa.

Les visiteurs ne sont pas couverts par le régime d’assurance-maladie canadien. Nous recommandons aux participants de prendre leurs dispositions quant à leur couverture santé et accidents. Cela peut être effectué avant de quitter le pays d’origine par l’entremise d’une agence de voyage locale.

Currency and taxes

The currency is the Canadian dollar. There are 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 dollars bills and coins of one and two dollars. There are several ATMs where you can withdraw cash. Consult the XE currency converter.

A Goods and Services Tax (GST) of 5% and a Quebec Sales Tax (QST) of 9.975% apply to most goods and services purchased in Quebec. A 3.5% tax also applies on the price of each accommodation unit rented in an establishment located in the Montreal area.

La devise canadienne est le dollar. La monnaie se présente en billets de 5, 10, 20, 50 et 100 dollars et en pièces de un et de deux dollars. Il y a plusieurs guichets automatiques où vous pourrez retirer de l’argent. Consulter le convertiseur de monnaie XE.

Une taxe sur les produits et services (TPS) de 5 %, ainsi qu’une taxe de vente du Québec (TVQ) de 9,975 % s’appliquent sur la plupart des biens et services achetés au Québec. Une taxe de 3,5 % s’applique également sur le prix de chaque unité d’hébergement louée dans un établissement situé dans la région de Montréal.

Tipping

In restaurants, tip is never included. As a general rule, waiters are given a tip of 15% of the bill before taxes. A tip of the same value is usually given to taxi drivers, hairdressers, etc. It is customary to give $ 1 per suitcase or service from baggage handlers.

Dans les restaurants, le pourboire n’est jamais compris. Règle générale, on donne aux serveurs un pourboire correspondant à 15 % de l’addition avant taxes. Un pourboire de même valeur est généralement donné aux chauffeurs de taxi, aux coiffeurs, etc. La coutume veut que l’on donne 1 $ par valise ou par service rendu par les bagagistes.

Weather

Temperature in Quebec varies greatly from one season to another and within the same season. The average temperatures in August are between 13 ° C and 24 ° C but be aware that, depending on the year, the “feels like” temperature (combined values of temperature, relative humidity and air movement) can sometimes be around 40 ° C . Please check the Weather network website for trends.

La température au Québec varie grandement d’une saison à l’autre et dans une même saison. Les températures moyennes en août sont comprises entre 13 °C et 24 °C, mais sachez que, selon les années, la température ressentie (valeurs combinées de température, d’humidité relative et de mouvement de l’air) peut parfois avoisiner 40 °C. Veuillez consulter le site de Météo Média pour connaître les tendances.