March Is National Social Work Month

PITTSBURGH—From public agencies, schools, and hospitals to military units, businesses, and think tanks—the efforts of our nation’s 640,000 social workers make a daily impact in improving the well being of our citizens, particularly the most vulnerable. 

The following are story ideas from Pitt’s School of Social Work related to March being commemorated as National Social Work Month by the National Association of Social Workers.

• Ten Pitt social work students will get a first-hand look at the roles social workers play in Cuba and how that nation’s social policies have evolved over the past 50 years in a educational trip to Havana March 2-11. The one-credit study-abroad course, Cuban Social Policy Issues, is offered by Pitt’s Center on Race and Social Problems (CRSP). School of Social Work Dean Larry Davis and CRSP Associate Director Ralph Bangs will be among those accompanying the graduate students as they meet with government officials and observe social services for the elderly, agencies for infants, and urban farming. For interviews with the students or faculty upon their return, contact Sharon Blake.

• Pitt’s social work students will learn about the importance of professional social workers advocating for their clients during a one-day trip to Washington, D.C., on March 20. Accompanied by associate professor of social work Aaron Mann, the students will meet with U.S. congressmen Tim Murphy (R-18) and Mike Doyle (D-14) and other congressional representatives. For interviews with the students upon their return, contact Sharon Blake.

• The next generation of social workers will receive career advice and network with successful alumni working in the field from 5 to 7 p.m. March 22 at the School of Social Work’s fifth annual March Career Madness, 2017 Cathedral of Learning, 4200 Fifth Ave., Oakland. For more information, contact Keith Caldwell at 412-648-9441.

• What role do social workers play in the identification and awareness of child and elder abuse? This topic will be explored in a joint child welfare-aging symposium, Abuse Identification Across the Life Span, from 9 to 11 a.m. March 28, 2017 Cathedral of Learning, 4200 Fifth Ave., Oakland. Keynote speaker Elizabeth McCabe, director of social work at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic; a panel of professionals will address financial abuse of the elderly and children’s exposure to domestic violence, among many other issues. For more information, contact Helen Cahalane at 412-624-6386.

• The Homewood Children’s Village (HCV), of which Pitt social work professor John Wallace is one of the founders, is gearing up this month for a first-time summer initiative to help young people prepare for college.  Its new Bridge to College program includes college prep coursework in math and English, financial aid application workshops, and service learning projects throughout Homewood. The initiative is part of HCV’s Office of Promise Fulfillment, designed to prepare students to graduate from high school and qualify for the Pittsburgh Promise scholarship. For more information, contact Walter Lewis at 412-540-5249.

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