Advocacy Day

Brought to you by NSCSW for March 2022

Often social workers feel isolated and alone against a mountain of systemic injustice. Wouldn’t it be amazing to come together with other social workers, along with social work students, professors, allies and non-profits, as well as clients themselves, in order to effect change at a macro level?

Stay tuned, because this coming March, as part of National Social Work Month, the Social Justice Committee is organizing a massive provincial Advocacy Day to advance our broader social justice agenda and ensure action on mental health.

It may be easy to dismiss one of us when we seem tospeak alone, but this day is designed to combineour efforts, break down silos, and inspire change.

We often speak about how the defining characteristic that differentiates social work from other helping professions is our focus on social justice. We recognize the larger systemic injustices that contribute to the challenges that our individual clients face. Unfortunately, many of our clients internalize the stigma of their oppression, which many of us believe is –in itself– a strategy designed to prevent them from taking action.

A core component of how we, as social workers, can help those we are called to serve, is to empower them and amplify their voices. This is a central part of the work that we do at the College, and is at the heart of this first Advocacy Day. This event will be the first of its kind in our region, thereby reflecting the ways in which Nova Scotia’s College of Social Workers aims to be a leader, not only in the province, but across our country.

In the United States, the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) holds regional Legislation Education & Advocacy Days (LEAD) every year as part of their National Social Work Month. These are designed to support the profession and advocate on behalf of clients and programs, and they gives social work professionals, students and educators a chance to convene with allied advocacy organizations, non-profits and clients themselves, in order to effect change.

This year, the NSCSW Social Justice Committee is working on ways to create a uniquely Nova Scotian approach to this event, working in partnership with the social work programs at Dalhousie University and Université Ste. Anne. All members who are interested in getting more involved are invited to contact nadia.siritsky@nscsw.org.