Celebrating Social Work

Peter Chernack, D.S.W., associate dean and president of NASW’s New York State chapter (NASW-NYS)

“Social Work Paves the Way for Change”: There could be no more appropriate a theme for Social Work Month 2015.

As we prepare to celebrate at Adelphi’s Garden City campus and our centers in Manhattan, Hudson Valley and Hauppauge, we join with social workers across the nation in looking back and looking forward, reflecting on the social work profession’s significant contributions to society and embracing the important role for social work into the future.

And how will we celebrate? By engaging in social action, advocating for social change, strengthening programs and services, advancing our skills through continuing education and professional development seminars and hosting colleagues from abroad as we explore social work from a global perspective.

We kick off Social Work Month on Monday, March 2, as our entire School community comes together for Social Action Day. This year’s theme is “Fighting the War on Mental Illness,” with a keynote by Paula Tusiani-Eng, M.S.W. ’14, and Bea Tusiani, who have coauthored an emotionally moving memoir of their family’s experience with mental illness.

On March 10, Adelphi students will join a delegation organized by the National Association of Social Workers-New York State chapter (NASW-NYS) in our state capital for Legislative Action Day.

On March 20, as president of the NASW-NYS, I will deliver a plenary address at the chapter’s annual conference in Albany. On the same day, here on our Garden City campus, the School of Social Work Department of Continuing Education and Professional Development will present the latest in its series of highly regarded and often sold-out workshops: “The Distracted Couple: The Impact of ADHD Upon Adult Relationships.” The School’s popular continuing education program reflects our commitment to social workers’ lifelong learning and our effort to support social work practitioners as they acquire new knowledge and skills to address complex and emerging social needs.

These are just a few of the events planned. For more information, download our Social Work Month calendar, and remember to check our events page for any impromptu additions, as our faculty and students can’t seem to get enough of all things social work related.

So, please join us this month as we celebrate. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and join in the conversation as we “pave the way for change.”