Brave Ideas for Social Change
Episodes
Cultivating Critical Hope
18 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Yesenia Silva Estrada graduated from GSSW’s Western Colorado MSW Program in 2017. Today, she practices as a macro social worker, serving as vice pr...
Expanding Awareness of Mental Health Care for Cancer
30 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Breast cancer survivor Diane M. Simard is a member of GSSW’s newly established Board of Advisors and a friend to the University of Denver. She has...
Advancing Health Equity Across the Lifespan
19 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
GSSW Assistant Professor Tyrone Hamler discusses his work to advance health equity across the lifespan.
Expanding Mental Health Care Access for Adolescents
05 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
GSSW Professor Johnny Kim is working to expand adolescent mental health care access through approaches such as solution-focused brief therapy, an evid...
Advancing Interspecies Justice
18 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
GSSW Clinical Professor Philip Tedeschi extends the concept of social justice to include nonhuman animals, noting that animal, human and environmental...
Leveraging Artificial Intelligence for Social Work
02 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
GSSW Associate Professor Anamika Barman Adhikari discusses the use of artificial intelligence in social work research and practice.
Advancing Liberation and Justice
16 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Equity Labs Executive Director Chenthu Jayton discusses the organization’s work to advance liberation and justice and steps that individuals can tak...
Religious Congregations as Social Problem-Solvers
25 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Assistant Professor Marquisha Lawrence Scott discusses the role of congregations as social problem-solvers, today and into the future.
Learning to Listen Bravely
26 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Associate Professor Stacey Freedenthal discusses her latest book — “Loving Someone with Suicidal Thoughts” — and the concept of listening brav...
Reimagining the Future of Social Change
09 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Assistant Prof. Sophia Sarantakos focuses their research, writing and organizing on how professionalized social-change work — including social work ...
Advancing Antiracist and Antioppressive Social Work Research
26 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Professor and Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development Jenn Bellamy teaches research and theory courses at GSSW and has been working to adv...
Recognizing Weight Stigma in Social Work
04 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work Assistant Professor Erin Harrop works to increase awareness of weight stigma in social work.
Healing through Storytelling
23 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Associate Professor Ramona Beltrán highlights the role of storytelling in articulating creative responses to pressing issues, including historical tr...
Addressing Health Disparities Among Older Adults
29 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Assistant Professor Kaipeng Wang works to understand how social determinants — such as discrimination, acculturation, and food insecurity — contri...
Advancing Justice through Human–Animal–Environment Research
21 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Graduate School of Social Work Research Professor Kevin Morris discusses how the Institute for Human–Animal Connection advances social justice throu...
Reckoning with Social Work’s Past to Repair Harm
17 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
GSSW Professor Emeritus John Kayser discusses the role of historical consciousness and imagination in reckoning with our past, repairing harms, and im...
Creating Conditions for Justice and Healing
12 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Associate Professor Shannon Sliva shares her ideas on restorative justice and how we can create conditions for justice and healing, creating a world t...
Moving Beyond Critical Race Theory in Social Work
15 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Professor Deb Ortega discusses key concepts of critical race theory, how it can improve understanding of social problems and development of interventi...
Innovations in Housing and Homelessness
22 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Professor Daniel Brisson discusses recent innovations in housing and homelessness, including trauma-informed design and the Denver Basic Income Projec...
Creating a Regenerative Future
20 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Social workers can address climate change and environmental justice by developing regenerative futures solutions in the communities where they live an...
Transforming Moral Distress into Moral Courage
09 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
How social workers can transform moral distress into moral courage to advocate for and affect systems change.