International cooperation in higher education in social work : a trainer of trainers experience

Abstract

The main aim of this artide is to report the experience of the international Project "Trainer of trainers in Social Work in the Eastern region of Morocco" which has been carried out from 2009 to 2011 and was undertaken at the request Df the Mohamed I University of Oujda and the social institutions of this region. This project is framed in the ART GOLO programme of UNOP, in accordance with the Millennium Goals, with the participation of the Spanish universities of Malaga, Seville and Granada, the Italian universities of Perugia and Si ena, and the social partners from Spain and Italy. One of the aims of this multilateral international collaboration project is to support Mohamed Premier University in developing Social Work as a discipline by using Social Work's distinctive areas and methodologies. Furthermore, as a social approach and as a local reinforcement, contributing to the training of social partners from local institutions and civil society. This experience highlights the risk, in the area of internationaI cooperation in social work, of kecping Western influences, dominant positions and emphasizes the need to develop indigenous theories and practices in the developing countries. The conclusions invite us to reflect on the epistemological and methodological dimensions that indentify Social Work worldwide and its suitability to d ifferent international contexts.