The 2008 IFSW Medal and Diploma in Memory of Andrew Mouravieff-Apostol goes to two candidates, Professor Carlos Eroles from Argentina and Terry Bamford from the United Kingdom. The medals and diplomas will be presented at the IFSW General Meeting in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil August 13, 2008.
Andrew Mouravieff-Apostol was IFSW’s Secretary General from 1975 to 1992 and later lifelong Honorary President until he passed away in 2001.
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The prestigious medal and diploma is given every second year to an individual or organization that has stimulated the further development of international social work and over time made an outstanding contribution to the social work profession on an international level, transcended national borders and reflected social work values.
Professor Carlos Eroles from Argentina is a trained social worker, has a Master in Applied Ethics and taught social work at the University of Buenos Aires for many years. He showed much courage during Argentina’s military dictatorship assisting people who fought against the generals.
Terry Bamford has made an outstanding contribution to social work both internationally and in the UK for more than 30 years. He served as the first Secretary of the IFSW Human Rights Commission from 1988 to 1998 and was a member of the IFSW Executive Committee form 1996 to 2002. He has been IFSW’s special representative to Amnesty since 1990 and has been Chair of the British Association of Social Workers.
The Committe deciding on the medal consists of Andrew Mouravieff-Apostol’s widow Ellen Mouravieff-Apostol, the IFSW President David N Jones and the former Medal receivers Evelyn Balais-Serrano from the Philippines and Richard Ramsey from Canada. The third previous receiver, Gayle Cilchrist James from Canada passed away in May this year.
The Committee had a difficult choice among the five well qualified candidates. The three other candidates were Dr. Irina Zvereva from Ukraine, Leticia Diaz from the USA and Odalys de la Luz Gonzalez Juban from Cuba. Irina Zvereva has been a main architect in developing social pedagogy in Ukraine and also one of the founders of the Ukrainian Association of Social Pedagogues and Specialists in Social Work, which she now chairs. Letica Diaz is Senior Policy Advisor for Practice, Human Rights and International Affairs in the National Association of Social Workers (US) and has vast international experience with the USAID and Peace Corps. Odalys de la Luz Gonzalez Juban is President of the Cuban Association for Health Social Workers and has arranged a number of international social work conferences in her country and published widely in Latin America.