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Suggestions for Leveraging Social Work Month
Social Work Month is an excellent opportunity to showcase social workers to key audiences – consumers, media, opinion leaders, and even other social workers. These efforts bring attention to your chapter or organization, while focusing on the extraordinary efforts of local social workers. From small gatherings to large events, the media likes to hear about people in the community. Look for information in the Social Work Month section of the NASW Web site and on the National Social Work Public Education Campaign site.
Here are some suggestions of ways to leverage Social Work Month:
- Town Hall Meeting – Hold a Town Hall Meeting to engage lawmakers, state, city or county officials in a dialogue about the efforts to address the issue of health care in your area. Discuss social work’s vital role in emphasizing the strengths of individuals, families and communities.
- Press Conference – Conduct a press conference at which the mayor and/or governor issues a proclamation designating March as National Professional Social Work Month. Highlight local social workers in your area who are making a difference, as well as initiatives taken on by your organization or chapter this year to promote social work and their work with families and communities.
- Speaking Opportunities – Arrange for speaking opportunities for the executive director or president of your organization or chapter to highlight the important role of social work with families and communities.
- Panel Discussion – Hold a conference or panel discussion about the “strengths perspective” as it relates to families and communities.
- Editorial Board – Set up a meeting with your local paper editorial board to discuss their coverage of the topic of community strengths. You can provide the social work perspective to the conversation to ensure that they know all the efforts that social workers are making.
- Information Dissemination – At every meeting, panel, or conference you attend, make sure that you have information available about Social Work Month and the National Public Education Campaign for those in attendance.
- E-newsletter – Create an e-newsletter that captures all that your chapter or organization is doing surrounding Social Work Month. Rotate different areas of practice each time you send it out so that it appeals to a wide range of audiences. Start with the family and community practice area in March to highlight the theme of Social Work Month 2008.
- CE Workshop – Offer a workshop for CE credits on the topic of families to social workers in your area.
- Exhibit – Set up an exhibition booth at a local hospital, school or community center to disseminate information about social work.
- Banners – Display banners in highly visible areas promoting March as National Professional Social Work Month.
- Web site – Make sure that your chapter or organization’s Web site has the most up-to-date information about the celebration of Social Work Month 2008 and specific information on the topic of family and community strengths.
- Consumer Site – Link from your Web site to the Social Work Consumer Site – www.HelpStartsHere.org.
- Advertise – Advertise in local newspapers and magazines using the National Social Work Public Education Campaign materials. From small and large ads to billboards and banners for Web sites, NASW has advertising that will fit your need. Contact media@naswdc.org for more information on running these ads.
These are just a selection of suggestions that chapters and organizations can use to promote the profession during Social Work Month 2008 and throughout the year.
For more information about Social Work Month 2008, please contact NASW Communications at media@naswdc.org.
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