Community Social Labs and Social Work Bridging Gaps Between Universities and Communities to Solve Social Problems

Lists of figures

List of contributors

Foreword

Acknowledgements

Chapter One: Introducing Community Social Labs

Background   

Conceptualizing community social labs        

Community social labs as social innovation 

Community social labs as a participatory and co-creative methodology  

Community social labs and decolonization  

Epistemological and ontological underpinnings of Community Social Labs   

CSL principles           

Professional and ethical values in the implementation of CSL         

The context and structure of the book           

References

Janestic Mwende Twikirize, William Manyama and Ann Christin E. Nilsen

Chapter Two: The Community Social Labs Methodology

Phase One: Preparation         

Phase Two: CSL implementation     

Phase three: Post-implementation phase       

Co-creation, skills development and invoking sustainability

Summary and general reflections on the methodology         

References     

Zena Mnasi Mabeyo, Eric Awich Ochen and Charles Kalinganire

Chapter Three: Stories From the Field

Section 3.1: Fostering safe communities through Community Social Labs   

Section 3.2: Building financially sustainable communities through CSL    

Section 3.3: How CSLs foster social consciousness and mindset change

References     

Charles Kalinganire, Zena Mnasi Mabeyo, Cecilie Revheim and Janestic Mwende Twikirize

Chapter Four: The Future of Community Social Labs

The potential of the CSL-approach   

The challenges of the CSL-approach

Community social labs and the university    

Concluding remarks  

References     

Ann Christin E. Nilsen, Janestic Mwende Twikirize and Firminus Mugumya

Appendix: Definition of Participatory Methods Applied

Index

Biography

Janestic Mwende TWIKIRIZE is Associate Professor of Social Work at Makerere University, Uganda. She has published 50+ peer-reviewed works, including seven books.  She is Secretary of the International Association of Schools of Social Work since 2024. She is a recipient of Makerere University’s 2024 Research Excellence Award. Her scholarship focuses on decolonisation and indigenisation of social work, international social work and child protection.

Ann Christin E. NILSEN is Professor of Sociology at the University of Agder, Norway and the overall project manager of the RESILIENT project. She has published extensively in national and international journals, including four books. She specializes on qualitative research methods and theory of knowledge and her research interest include childhood and families, education and professional work, welfare and social development.

"This timely volume on Community Social Labs presents a practice grounded vision for co-creation, empowerment and sustainability, linking universities and communities in respectful partnership. It advances decolonised, context sensitive social work and encourages innovative responses to complex social realities. The contributions demonstrate how collaborative learning, indigenous knowledge and shared agency can strengthen curricula, research and practice. An inspiring guide for educators, practitioners and students committed to meaningful, community change."

Dr Pascal Rudin, PhD, Interim Secretary-General, International Federation of Social Workers, Switzerland

"The book gives us great insights into a non-conventional approach to training social workers and an innovative way to tap into the power of community-driven action to address complex social challenges and cause social transformation among poor communities. I recommend it for all those who seek to awaken community power and co-create solutions towards safer, stronger and productive communities."

Dr Denis Muhangi, PhD, Head of Department, Social Work & Social Administration, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda

"Many of us interested in decolonizing and indigenizing social work have critically unpacked the Western assumptions currently shaping social work practice. We lack, however, concrete models for change. This volume fills that gap, providing the concrete model of a Community Social Lab (CSL). This moves us beyond conceptualization and into direct practice. The volume draws on concrete cases studies of CSL implementation, describing ways to bring its core ideas of co-creation, indigenization and sustainability directly into social work practice, as well as how we must change social work education – and the broader university – to engender change that is guided by real needs at the grassroots. A much-needed resource for my teaching and research."

Erika Gubrium, Professor, Department of Social Work, Child Welfare & Social Policy, Oslo Metropolitan University, Norway

"Community social labs are introduced as a way to ensure meaningful collaboration with communities to co-design solutions to local problems. This new book provides readers with a step-by-step guide to initiating and using a social lab at the community level, promising a genuine and co-equal approach to local participation that strengthens indigenization. Highly recommended educators and practitioners in social development and related fields."

Lynne M. Healy, Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor Emerita Professor Emerita, University of Connecticut, and Main Representative to the UN, International Association of Schools of Social Work, USA

"This important scholarly contribution interweaves classroom teaching and community-based social work practice to advance bottom-up problem-solving. Integrating critical theory, participatory research, ubuntu, and social innovation, it compellingly demonstrates the co-creative Community Social Labs methodology across three African contexts."

Linda Kreitzer, Professor Emerita, University of Calgary, Faculty of Social Work, Canada