Social Work Month 2020 - "Thank You" and Join Us for a Spectacular Month of Social Work Celebration

by Linda May Grobman, MSW, ACSW, LSW

     It is OUR time of year again! March is Social Work Month, and The New Social Worker invites you to spend it with us. Of course, I want to THANK you for all you do.

     I said this before, and I'll say it again. Social work is HARD work, and social workers don't usually ask for praise. During Social Work Month, we raise awareness about what social workers do EVERY day, throughout the year. It's a time to thank our colleagues for important work well done. It's a time to recognize the commitment social workers make to serving others while respecting the dignity and worth of the person, with competence, with integrity, with a recognition of the importance of human relationships, and with a dedication to social justice. These are the core values that guide our work as professional social workers.

     Social Work Month allows us to make a concentrated effort to educate the public about social work as a profession, a crucial task that must also continue throughout the year.

Celebrating Social Work and Themes

     Each year, the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) chooses a theme for Social Work Month. This year, the theme is Social Workers: Generations Strong. According to NASW, "The theme has various meanings. As we enter a new decade it is important to look back and honor the powerful, positive impact the social work profession has had on our society for generations. We also want to spotlight the life-affirming work that social workers from all generations - from the Greatest Generation to Generation Z - are doing."

     In addition, Social Work Week is celebrated in Canada March 2-8. 2020. The theme is "Social Workers: Leading Positive Change Across Systems & Settings." 

     March 1-7 marks School Social Work Week. "Beacon of Hope: School Social Workers - Lighting the Way" is the theme for this week, announced by the School Social Work Association of America. 

     This week is followed by Social Work Management Week on March 9-13. Check out the Network for Social Work Management for resources on leadership.

     Finally, World Social Work Day is on March 17. The 2020 theme is "Promoting the Importance of Human Relationships." 

     Have I missed a celebration in this list? Please comment and let us know what and how you are celebrating!

The New Social Worker Social Work Month Project 2020

     For The New Social Worker's Social Work Month Project 2020, we will publish items throughout the month in the following main areas:

• Leaders in the social work profession and The New Social Worker columnists have written Social Work Month greetings, focusing on inspirational topics for all social workers.
• Social workers and social work students submitted essays on specific areas of social work that have special meaning to them.
• Social workers and social work students also submitted essays recognizing a social worker or social workers who have influenced them.

     I am excited about this year's series, and I hope the selected essays will inspire you to think about who has had an influence on you, or maybe to look at some new areas of social work you haven't thought about before.

Linda's Social Work T-Shirt Project

     Many who know me know that I am a "t-shirt and jeans" kind of person. (Hey, I grew up in the '60s and '70s.) I have a pretty extensive collection of social work and social justice t-shirts in my wardrobe. My personal commitment is to "wear my heart (social work) on my sleeve" during Social Work Month. The weather is turning to Spring where I am (some days, at least), and wearing these shirts is a way to advocate and educate about social work in my community. I am curious to see what kinds of conversations the t-shirts might spark!

     I hope you'll join me in this project. Take Linda's Social Work T-Shirt Challenge! If you have a social work or social justice t-shirt, wear it during Social Work Month and see if you can use it to start conversations with others about what you do. Take a picture of yourself in your social work t-shirt and send it to me (Linda), and I might include it on our Instagram feed. (Let me know if it's okay to include it there.) If you want to send me a t-shirt, I'll wear it, too!

     Please watch The New Social Worker's website throughout the month of March, as we will post new items daily. Follow us on Facebook (click "Like" and then "Following" and "See first") and Twitter, or subscribe to our publications, to make sure you don't miss anything! We'll also be celebrating on Instagram and LinkedIn.

     So, let's get ready! HAPPY SOCIAL WORK MONTH from me to you. Please join me.

              Linda

Linda May Grobman, MSW, ACSW, LSW, is the publisher, editor, and founder of The New Social Worker® magazine.