Interdependence and Healing: Collective Care and Mutual Aid as Responses to Structural Violence

Moderator(s)

MV

Miriam G. Valdovinos, PhD

Associate Professor
University of Denver, Graduate School of Social Work

Panelist(s)

MV

Maritza A. Vasquez Reyes, PhD, LCSW, MA

Assistant Professor
AYS School of Social Work, Georgia State University
Annie Zean Dunbar, PhD, AM (she/her/hers)

Clinical Assistant Professor
University of Colorado Colorado Springs
Danielle Maude Maude Littman, PhD, LCSW (she/her/hers)

Assistant Professor
University of Utah College of Social Work
CE

Caitlin Elsaesser, MAT, LICSW, PhD

Associate Professor
University of Connecticut School of Social Work

This panel aims to highlight key intersections between the panelists' expertise (e.g., youth experiencing homelessness, communities impacted by gun violence, refugees, and those experiencing systemic racism) while focusing on community-driven approaches to collective care, interdependence, and mutual aid as forms of healing and resistance against oppression and structural violence.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this session, attendees should be able to:

Identify how collective care practices in structurally oppressed communities challenge or reshape traditional systems of support (e.g., healthcare, social services, education).
Explore the ways that mutual aid and interdependence offer pathways to healing, resilience, and resistance for youth and communities affected by structural violence.
Discuss what role participatory and community-based research play in empowering structurally oppressed groups to reimagine and redefine care practices, especially for young people and communities impacted by structural violence.