The Excitement of Advocacy - A Student's View of Legislative Advocacy Day in PA

by Tyler Woodcook

     On April 14, 2015, NASW-PA held another successful Legislative Advocacy Day! With nearly 900 attendees, social work students and professionals had a major presence in the Capitol.

     Five legislators spoke during the rally, including Sen. Blake, who left Senate session in order to join us. Rep. Frankel added to the excitement of the day with the unanimous passage of a House Resolution recognizing NASW’s 60th anniversary.

     I had the pleasure, as an NASW-PA intern, to get footage of the day from the front line and be involved in planning and implementation of the event. This day helped show me the importance (and frankly the excitement) of advocating on behalf of the field of social work. I would encourage any social worker with interest in policy to get involved in advocacy, even in the form of writing a letter to your legislator. I think you may be excited to see how powerful advocacy can be!

Tyler Woodcook is finishing his undergraduate social work degree at Messiah College in Mechanicsburg, PA. He has particular interest in using his creative skills, such as music and video, to advance the field of social work.