Social work students from several schools in the greater Washington, DC area and from as far away as Kentucky and California, will gather in the Members Room of the Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress from 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. on March 17, 2015 preceding the Social Work Day on the Hill reception that will be held in the Rayburn House Office Building from 2:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m.
Social Work Advocacy Day will feature a panel discussion on the Dorothy I. Height and Whitney M. Young Jr. Social Work Reinvestment Act, a bill before Congress to create a commission to examine the state of the social work profession and to provide funding for several initiatives designed to strengthen social work education and practice.
Former Congressman Edolphus “Ed” Towns will be on hand to present an overview of the bill he first introduced in 2008. Mr. Towns founded the Congressional Social Work Caucus in 2010. ”I am honored to play a leading role in the important forum in our nation’s capital,” said Ms. White. ”I think it is important for clinical social workers to be active advocates for policies that impact the clients they serve.”
The student event is being organized by Shauntia White, a student at the National Catholic School of Social Service at the Catholic University of America and member of the sponsoring organization, the Greater Washington Society for Clinical Social Work (GWSCSW).
Ms. White was recently honored by the Prince George’s County Social Innovation Fund during their third annual Forty Under 40 awards ceremony as one of society’s future leaders. She participated in the Hillman Entrepreneurs Program at Prince George’s Community College and the University of Maryland.
She also received the University of Maryland’s School of Public Health Dean Senior Scholar award and was a member of the Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) Scholars Program and the Entrepreneurship and Empowerment in South Africa (EESA) Program at Oklahoma State University.
Ms. White holds a master’s degree in Human Development and Family Science from Oklahoma State University. She currently works as a research assistant at the Center for the promotion of Health and Mental Health Well-Being at The Catholic University of America.
Students will meet in the Members Room of the Jefferson Building to register and to participate in a panel discussion about the Social Work Reinvestment Act. Following the panel, students will form groups to visit offices of Members of the Congressional Social Work Caucus to encourage them to co-sponsor a bill that will be re-introduced in the 114th Congress by Congresswoman Barbara Lee, the Chair of the Social Work Caucus.
For more information about the program and how you might participate, please send an email to ysocialwork2015@gmail.com. Please click on the button below if you would like to register for this event.
