Syllabus

Short Course Description

Social work with adolescents and young adults often ignores the fact that half of these age group - are girls and young women. Israel is considered as a pioneer in the area of social work with adolescent girls - as the Israeli welfare services have established designated social services for adolescent girls at risk situations, situated in the Ministry of Welfare, already in the 1970s. However, the practice of social work that is taught and carried out in Israel, is oftentimes gender blind.
In the last couple of decades, there is a growing body of knowledge about the life of girls. It aims to expand our understanding regarding girls' unique life experiences and needs, and by that develop social work practice and policy interventions that are suitable for them. This knowledge is absent from the training of social workers and other mental health professionals.
The course holds a feminist lens focusing on gender intersecting with other identity categories like social economic status, ethnicity, race, sexual preference as a perspective influencing the understanding girls' life situations.
Gender contributes not only to the development of risks situations but to their agency and opportunity space to cope with challenges, life goals as well as stressful situations.