News

In March of each year, social workers across Canada celebrate National Social Work Month.  This year’s theme was “Social Work: Profession of Choice.”  Students and faculty in the Dalhousie School of Social Work marked the occasion by organizing and participating in a number of activities aimed at fostering collegiality; reflecting on the study and practice of social work; promoting awareness of the profession; and recognizing the achievements of colleagues:

• Members of the School community participated in the campus wide discussion on fostering a culture of respect by developing a number of posters encouraging viewers act compassionately and speak out against injustice both on campus, and in practice settings.  This initiative will continue throughout the year, with the posters displayed campus-wide.
• Students, staff, faculty and alumni reflected on choosing social work as a profession by responding to the invitation to share their stories on the Canadian Association of Social Workers (CASW) website.  They were also invited to share their stories by writing on participatory posters displayed throughout the School, with those at a distance submitting their stories by email.
• The Social Work Student Group organized two panels of practitioners to share their experiences in the fields of community outreach, community organizing, mental health, addictions, street involvement, law and child welfare.  The panels – which included social work professionals Gregg Lambert, Jennifer MacLennan, Tammy Gloade, Tamsyn Brennan, Jackie Barkley and Shawna Hoyte – also gave students the opportunity to get advice on balancing personal and professional concerns in their chosen field.
• The School, in partnership with the Association of Black Social Workers, the James R. Johnston Chair in Black Canadian Studies and the Dalhousie Black Student Advising Group, presented two sessions of the “Racism: Still Killing Us Softly” lecture series, facilitated by Dr. Wanda Thomas Bernard.  Panels focused on racism in employment as a human rights issue and lessons learned from African Canadian activism.  Social Work students also made contributions to each session, with BSW students from the “Africentric Perspectives in Social Work” class presenting posters as part of the “Lessons Learned” discussion, and MSW students sharing their research on a human rights tribunal case as part of a discussion on racial profiling.  Both events were well attended, with over 100 students, faculty and community members coming out to participate.
• Students from the “Cross Cultural Social Work Practice” class designed dioramas highlighting challenges faced by equity seeking groups in Halifax.  The dioramas were displayed in the foyer of the School to give visitors the opportunity to view and reflect on local equality issues.
• Faculty member Mandeep Mucina presented the findings of her recently completed PhD thesis to an audience of faculty and students.  Dr. Mucina’s research focuses on the notion of Izzat (honour) and how it affects the lives of East Indian families in Canada. Her research also provides an opportunity for women and other equity-seeking individuals and groups to challenge family honour scripts and receive support from social work professionals.
• Faculty member Sasha Kondrashov facilitated “The best social work job for me” - an interactive workshop for students.  Through sharing stories collected from more than 1000 former students and social work practitioners, Dr. Kondrashov encouraged students to think about their professional careers and ask questions about opportunities and challenges when applying for their first jobs.

The energy and enthusiasm displayed both in the School, and the wider social work community, during Social Work Month 2015 made the celebrations a great success! Plans are already underway for Social Work Month 2016.