Author: Mgr. Jana Bortlíková

Thanks to the deepening of cooperation between our institutions in March of this year (more about cooperation HERE), representatives of our faculty also took part in this annual event for the first time - Mgr. Kateřina Janků, Ph.D., vice-dean for foreign relations and Mgr. Marta Kolaříková, Ph.D., vice-dean for academic and social affairs. The summer school program was focused on topics from social work, which included, for example, Content and differences of social work in the USA, the Czech Republic and Italy, Trauma and schools, Immigrant issues and the Criminal justice system. In addition to the lecture part, the final two days were devoted to professional excursions to Carita in Rome and the Roman prison.

The summer school was attended by about three dozen participants, mainly students from universities in the USA, Italy and the Czech Republic. The program offered a number of interesting lectures and workshops, presented by academics from CUA, Masaryk University, Palacky University in Olomouc, University of Roma Tre, as well as experts such as Annamaria Campanini, president of International Association of Schools of Social Work, Cecilia Fazioli from the Italian National Institute of Health, Migration and Poverty, or Joan Hodges-Wu, founder and director of the asylum center from the USA. Dr. Kolaříková was also included among the active lecturers with her contribution on Trauma as a challenge for Czech schools.

Our representatives discussed with the organizers the possibility of involving faculty students in the next years of this summer school, the theme of the 2024 year will be community work with the family in an interdepartmental spirit. The next step will be a discussion regarding funding options and the selection of students who could receive an international certificate for completing this course.