The UWI Open Campus Social Work Training and Research Centre Launches 60th Anniversary Celebration with Social Work Day 2022

Office of the Pro Vice-Chancellor and Principal. Friday, March 11, 2022 ̶ The Social Work Training and Research Centre (SWTRC) at The University of the West Indies, Open Campus, will celebrate its 60^th Anniversary with year-long events. To launch the activities, the Centre will commemorate World Social World Day on Tuesday, March 15, 2022, with a line-up of events commencing with an Opening Ceremony at 9:00 am JA/10:00 am EC time.

Ms Jacqueline Byran, President of the Jamaica Association of Social Workers, will present the feature address. Dr Francis Severin, Interim Principal of The UWI Open Campus will address the ceremony, along with Ms Cerita Buchanan, Head of the Social Work Training and Research Centre (SWTRC), and special guest Dr Orville Taylor, Head, of the Social Work Unit at The UWI Mona Campus.

During the ceremony, the SWTRC will also launch a Contactless Stationery Drive to support Hayfield Primary and Infant School located in St Thomas. The solicited donations will assist with the student's intellectual and social development. Donations will be accepted in the form of purchases of selected learning materials at partnering stores, including The UWI Bookshop, Kingston Bookshop and Sangster Bookstore in Liguanea or via bank transfers.

Following the Opening Ceremony, a panel discussion will be moderated by Ms Cerita Buchanan on the topic Leaving No One Behind: Reaching the Vulnerable Despite the Covid-19 Divide. The panelists on this discussion will be Ms Sandra Latibeaudiere, Coordinator, Social Work Unit, The UWI Mona; Dr Barbara Black, Divine Exchange Ministries; Mrs Cynthia Pitter, The UWI School of Nursing; Ms Jacque Bennett, Snr Social Worker, Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities, and Mr Warren Thompson, Deputy Registrar of the Child Protection and Family Services Agency.

The Opening Ceremony and Panel Discussion will be streamed live via the Campus’ social media platforms on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/uwiopencampuscaribbean and Youtube at www.open.uwi.edu/livestream.

The celebration will also include other activities: Building Community through Yoga with Afya Yoga Studios; Speed Social Work Village, and Eco-Social World Trivia. The public is invited to attend and support these events.

About The University of the West Indies

The UWI has been and continues to be a pivotal force in every aspect of Caribbean development; residing at the centre of all efforts to improve the well-being of people across the region.

From a university college of London in Jamaica with 33 medical students in 1948, The UWI is today an internationally respected, global university with near 50,000 students and five campuses: Mona in Jamaica, St. Augustine in Trinidad and Tobago, Cave Hill in Barbados, Five Islands in Antigua and Barbuda and its Open Campus, and 10 global centres in partnership with universities in North America, Latin America, Asia, Africa and Europe.

The UWI offers over 800 certificate, diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Culture, Creative and Performing Arts, Food and Agriculture, Engineering, Humanities and Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Science and Technology, Social Sciences, and Sport. As the Caribbean’s leading university, it possesses the largest pool of Caribbean intellect and expertise committed to confronting the critical issues of our region and wider world.

The UWI has been consistently ranked among the top universities globally by the most reputable ranking agency, Times Higher Education (THE). In the latest World University Rankings 2022, released in September 2021, The UWI moved up an impressive 94 places from last year. In the current global field of some 30,000 universities and elite research institutes, The UWI stands among the top 1.5%.

The UWI is the only Caribbean-based university to make the prestigious lists since its debut in the rankings in 2018. In addition to its leading position in the Caribbean, it is also in the top 20 for Latin America and the Caribbean and the top 100 global Golden Age universities (between 50 and 80 years old). The UWI is also featured among the leading universities on THE’s Impact Rankings for its response to the world’s biggest concerns, outlined in the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including Good Health and Wellbeing; Gender Equality and Climate Action.

For more, visit www.uwi.edu.