Vol. 48, No. 6, June 2003

From the President

Presidency Saw Change, Connection

By Terry Mizrahi, MSW, Ph.D

With Gary Bailey assuming the NASW presidency on July 1, I wanted to take time to reflect on what we’ve accomplished during the last two years. More important, I want to highlight key opportunities for continued growth at NASW and for developing the social work profession.

First, let me note that my presidency occurred in a world of cataclysmic changes unanticipated when I was elected in 2000. These included a controversial presidential election outcome with a resulting administration whose policies are often antithetical to social work priorities, policies and values. There was an assault on U.S. security and safety in the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, a controversial war with Iraq and a continuing war on terrorism — all in the midst of an economic recession. This atmosphere increases challenges for social workers and requires NASW leaders and the social work community to stand firm on basic social work principles. But we must also act strategically by building alliances with political, economic and organizational leaders who support our programs regardless of ideology and policy.

During my presidency, I have used the metaphor of a kaleidoscope for our profession to express the interplay among social work’s impressive history, struggles for recognition and never-ending quest for social justice, as well as its myriad professional organizations, educational programs, fields of practice and practice methods. The challenge is to keep molding a coherent and compelling whole from these extraordinary parts — to create unity from diversity.

For example, I have worked to foster closer connections between social work organizations on a variety of fronts. During my term, international social work relations and interorganizational collaboration have gained in strength. NASW’s International Committee has been bolstered, and we have enjoyed solidarity with the international social work and human service community, including the International Federation of Social Workers and its United Nations team. Our contribution to and increasing visibility in IFSW continue. And our outreach to the Canadian Association of Social Workers has resulted in a historic memorandum of understanding for collaboration on issues of mutual interest.

To build mutual support, I also called for Social Work Summit II, held in December 2002. This two-day meeting brought together more than 40 national social work organizations to identify new ways to collaborate while boosting the image and influence of our profession. The summit also laid the foundation for joint political-action campaigns among social work organizations and, I hope, will produce a common agenda to significantly increase recognition for the profession.

Additionally, to augment practice diversity within NASW, we have added new specialty practice sections for members interested in child welfare, poverty and social justice, health and mental health issues. These vibrant communities of practice provide a way for the organization as a whole to benefit from the specialized knowledge of its members.

Lastly, we created a new program that invites allied organizations and agencies to support NASW and, in doing so, increase our collective strength as advocates for common constituencies.

Also during my term, we strengthened the association’s governance structure by reconfiguring the Delegate Assembly to improve communication among chapters and between chapter and national leadership.

As to the future, we need to understand that policy, research and practice are inextricably linked. We need to continue building the base of our membership, supporting diverse social work organizations and fields of practice and strengthening the profession through coalitions and collaborations. We need to end the belief that there is a contradiction between promoting the social work profession, protecting clients’ rights and providing quality services. Each function complements the others.

I want to publicly thank the NASW elected and appointed leaders at the national and chapter levels. You have given so much to better the association and to support social workers everywhere. Your commitment and competence have contributed to building a better society. And to Betsy Clark, our executive director, and to the national and chapter staffs: Our hats are off to you for your dedication and skill in propelling NASW forward.

And finally, let’s continue to increase our membership as we have done in this last year. All it takes is for each member reading this column to recruit one new colleague. Three hundred thousand professional social workers speaking with one voice is a powerful idea. Good luck to everyone working to make this happen.

To contact Terry Mizrahi: president@naswdc.org