Shout Out to Some of the People I love!
I love the month of March! My first born arrived on the 27th, and lots of other people I love have birthdays this month. My brother Jason, Grammy Grace, my godmother, My Aunt Di-Di, my buddy Adam, and my spouse's bestfriend Bob. I'm sure there are other birthdays of fabulous peeps I know so Happy Birthday!
Lots to celebrate this month… Especially Women & Social Workers!
What is also super special about March is that it is Social Work Month and today is International Women's Day!!
I'm bummed that we won't have a woman president anytime soon, but will remain hopeful. When we do get a woman president, she is going to be extra awesome and be a change maker! In my opinion, our girls and teens need to see a woman in office. We must break the ultimate glass ceiling. I want my daughters to see that anything they desire to do in this world is possible and obtainable. I'm sure I'm not alone with this sentiment. We all know that women are more than capable as other countries have voted women into power. If women can wear pantyhose, girdles, bras, dresses, heels, have menstrual cycles, birth babies, serve in the military, work in factories, or farms, or do any work that men can. It's time that we become true equals in all spheres of our lives including our Government!
Social Work Month
We have a whole month to celebrate social workers. The ‘jack-of-all trades' profession that includes workers in the trenches as well as in the corporate world. I can't imagine serving in any other profession. Being a social worker is a huge part of my identity and the identity of most social workers I know. We advocate for equity and stability for our clients. We see people suffering daily, yet seeing a client or patient improve or transform is the highlight of our day. It is a profession of serving, growing, advocacy, and transformation. In honor of social work month, I salute all social workers that are professionals in the ultimate helping profession. I am grateful to all my professors, supervisors, peers, employees, and students/interns over the years. I've been a social worker since 1996 and I'm still learning, growing in my field. I think I'm talented at what I do, (trying to be humble), as even clients I wonder if I'm really helping, later write me emails to thank me. Do I know every therapeutic technique? No. What makes me talented in my profession? I connect to others and encourage those suffering to unburden their pain – to let me help them hold it while we figure out how to recover or get to a place of peace. It's often a spiritual connection and it's imperfect as both the client and I are imperfect. Yet by being genuine, sincere, and actively listening – much is accomplished. Never underestimate the power of a relationship.
YSocialWork (Ysocialwork.com/)
My dear friend Shauntia is the master mind behind YSocialwork. She's a true public servant and an advocate for our disenfranchised populations. We were board members together for NASW-DC and we also co-chaired the Social Advocacy committee. We didn't get very far with our efforts as we continuously ran into obstacles and bureaucracy but we did walk away with a friendship and a vow to work together on special projects. I want to highlight her passion with creating YSocialWork because of it's uniqueness. It's geared towards mentoring high school students in inner cities to consider a career in social work. Instead of random community hours, students can learn and intern in social work while in high-school.The students will be closely monitored by social work supervisors. It's a cool program. Check it out and see how you can support! https://ysocialwork.com/
Happy Social Work Month!
