I am pleased to announce that we are going to run an SRV Journal ‘online conference’ starting in September 2013. The event will be entirely online and will be based on submitted papers (e.g., there will not be any recorded talks or presentations). The conference will essentially consist of reading others’ papers, as well as dialog back and forth between participants.
The reflective process of writing about Social Role Valorization (SRV) training, theory and/or implementation is an opportunity to deepen one’s understanding of SRV, and also invites readers to learn more about it. As such, writing can be a key tool of leadership development. Dialog with others is another great tool toward leadership development and deeper learning. This annual online conference will be a forum for both writing and dialog.
How would this work? The basic idea is that interested participants would register, submit a paper on an SRV relevant topic, make comments on other papers, and (optionally) submit revised papers to the SRV Journal for possible publication. There would be deadlines for each step. At this point, I envision the online conference opening for registration in August, papers due in October, comments during November, and optional submission to the Journal in December. We will offer a broad range of possible SRV-relevant topics to write about.
We envision people from many different backgrounds, countries and ranges of experience with SRV to participate. We want to receive submissions from those teaching SRV and those just learning about SRV, from those working or volunteering in human services and those who have a family member or friend receiving services. I specifically want to encourage university students who are studying SRV to participate. For those of you who are professors including aspects of SRV in your teaching, I encourage you to consider including participation in the conference in your syllabus and/or as an ‘extra credit’ option.
I will continue to share more ideas and details about the conference over the coming weeks and months, as a way of getting the word out, encouraging participation, and seeking feedback on the conference model itself. Please share this with others and be in touch with any comments or constructive suggestions.