Melissa Box, LCSW, LSOE, LSOTP East Central District Chair
Successful Networking Event
Our networking event on March 30th was a wonderful success, and we are thankful to those of you who were able to join us! We had a great discussion of social work practice in very diverse settings, and the challenges and future of social work. Special thanks to our panelists, Mary Garrison, Candy Gray, Jessica Hill, and Hillary Tanner, for their time and thoughtful contributions to the discussion! Keep your eyes peeled for our next event.
Child Abuse Prevention Month
April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, and social workers across our central Illinois communities are working hard every day to keep children safe. To learn more about how you can spread the word and build awareness about child abuse prevention in your own communities, check out this resource from The Children’s Bureau: Spread the Word - National Child Abuse Prevention Month - Child Welfare Information Gateway
Call for Presenters! 2022 NASW-Illinois Chapter Conference
This year's annual NASW-Illinois Chapter conference has been announced! This year's conference will take place in a blended format with an in-person conference taking place at the Hilton Lisle in Lisle, IL, on Thursday, November 17, 2022, and a live virtual conference on Thursday, December 1, 2022. Presenters will be expected to be available to present on both dates: in-person on November 17th and live virtually on December 1st. Read more here: https://www.naswil.org/post/call-for-presenters-2022-nasw-illinois-chapter-conference
Group Participants Needed for NASW-IL Workforce Diversity Focus Group
In our continued efforts regarding strengthening the social work workforce in Illinois, the NASW-Illinois Chapter received additional funding to develop, Strategies to Strengthen the Social Work Workforce Diversity Pipeline in Illinois, from the Telligen Community Initiative (TCI). Part of this wide ranging grant will be examining barriers to entry to the social work profession by establishing five focus groups across the state of Illinois with under-represented communities (Black Latinx, Asian, Native American) social workers. Find out more here: https://www.naswil.org/post/group-participants-needed-for-nasw-il-workforce-diversity-focus-group
Thoughts on Spring
Once again, I’m turning to poetry to capture the mix of feelings I have with the end of winter and the start of spring. Enjoy this excerpt from Amy Gerstler’s “Perpetual Spring”:
“Even the prick of the thistle,
queen of the weeds, revives
your secret belief
in perpetual spring,
your faith that for every hurt
there is a leaf to cure it.”
Thank you,
Melissa Box, LCSW, LSOE, LSOTP
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