The UST/SCU School of Social Work Group Work Institute will offer a workshop on “The Use of Creativity in Group Work,” on Friday, April 16. This workshop will connect the theory and principles of group work to current creative practices in the field. Presenters will share their work and lead participants through experiential exercises.

The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Rauenhorst Hall (ballroom) in the Coeur de Catherine student center at St. Catherine University. (Click here for a map.) Parking is available in the guest lot behind O’Shaughnessy Auditorium with a guest permit. To obtain a guest permit, e-mail Kelly Fox.

The mission of the Group Work Institute is to promote a deeper knowledge of the theories, skills, values and methods involved in facilitating multipurpose social work with groups.

Keynote speaker Mary Tinucci has been a social worker in the St. Paul Public Schools since 1991 and is founder of The Lab, an arts- and wellness-based program. The Lab is committed to providing creative and experiential learning opportunities that support a vision of long-term social and emotional health for urban youth.

Panelists include:

• Gloria Larson, visual artist and expressive arts facilitator: Larson has facilitated expressive arts presentations for Cornerstone, the Jewish Community Center, retreats and other groups. She presented to AASWG and provided workshops and trainings to social work students and those working in the field. She specializes in work that deals with grief, loss and transition.
• Hui Niu Wilcox, associate professor of sociology, women’s studies, and critical studies of race and ethnicity at St. Catherine University: Wilcox develops critical embodied pedagogy, integrating pedagogy and theater of the oppressed, feminist pedagogy, and her work as a dancer with Minneapolis-based Ananya Dance Theatre.
• Don Francis, part of the Amherst H. Wilder Foundation for the past three years: Prior to his work at Wilder, Francis spent 11 years of his professional career as a teacher, counselor, mentor and college recruiter in Minnesota and Georgia. His experience includes mentoring “at-risk” youth in the St. Paul School District and at juvenile detention centers throughout Minnesota.

The cost of the workshop is $25 for professionals and $10 for students and retirees. Make your check out to: School of Social Work. For scholarship information, contact Sandy Parnell, (651) 690-6755.

Registrations are requested; however, participants are welcome to pay at the event. To register, send name, phone number and e-mail address with payment to SCU/UST Group Work Institute: The Use of Creativity in Group Work, School of Social Work, St. Catherine University, 2004 Randolph Ave., St. Paul, MN 55105, Attn: Kelly Fox.

For more information about registration, contact Fox, (651) 690-6996.