“Social workers are needed now more than ever,” says NASW CEO Dr. Anthony Estreet in a Social Work Month welcome message that was sent out via social media. “In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics says social work is one of the fastest growing professions in the United States.” Pictured at left: NASW CEO Anthony Estreet, PhD, MBA, LCSW-C, presented a video message that was sent out via social media to help kick off Social Work Month 2024.
Social workers are needed to address the nation’s mental health crisis, rising suicide rate, and income inequality that led to more than 650,000 Americans being unhoused in 2023, Estreet explains.
“That is why this year’s Social Work Month theme is ‘Empowering Social Workers: Inspiring Action, Leading Change,’” he says.
Each March, social workers and their supporters celebrate the profession and help raise awareness of social workers’ contributions to the betterment of society. Learn more at SocialWorkMonth.org.
The focus for this year’s campaign highlights ways the nation can support the critical work social workers do, Estreet said. “This includes pushing for higher wages, lower caseloads, higher clinical reimbursement for clinical social workers, and an interstate licensing compact that will allow social workers to practice in several states,” he said.
The campaign also included some celebrity endorsements that proved to be very popular.
Actor and rapper Chris “Ludacris” Bridges sent a congratulatory video message to social workers. It generated 2.2 million views on NASW social media channels. It was the most popular message ever shared on the association’s social media platforms, noted NASW Communications Director Greg Wright. Pictured at right: Actor and rapper Chris “Ludacris” Bridges sent a congratulatory video message to social workers via social media, generating a record number of views for NASW.
“I am sending this video out to the National Association of Social Workers,” said Bridges, who starred as a social worker in the Netflix holiday film “Dashing Through the Snow.”
“You have my heart, you have my respect, you have my love,” he said. “People do not talk about the work you all do enough. I want to let you know; you are the true superheroes in this world.”
Wright said other highlights of Social Work Month 2024 include:
Estreet hosted a Facebook Live event on March 7 with social work influencers and a human resources expert. They discussed steps social workers can take to empower the profession. The event garnered more than 7,500 views—the most-watched NASW Facebook Live event in two years.
NASW Public Policy and Advocacy Manager Ja’Bree Harris helped secure a congratulatory message from President Joe Biden. The message reached more than 125,000 people on NASW Facebook and Instagram channels alone.
Social worker and U.S. Rep. Hillary Scholten, D-Mich., sent a Social Work Month video message highlighting the key roles social workers play in all parts of society, including government.
Social work influencers Jacqueline Garcia, Tashara Robinson and Jade Tuttle offered social workers advice on social work jobs that offer better compensation. They were joined by human resources expert Ryan Namata, who shared tips on how social workers can ask for and get better compensation.
Estreet hosted a special Social Work Month podcast with Jay Miller, dean of the University of Kentucky School of Social Work, to talk about the national Social Work Month campaign and the University of Kentucky’s “Social Work is Everywhere” campaign. The episode has garnered more than 2,800 downloads.
NASW’s #EmpoweringSocialWorkers campaign elevated NASW’s social reach. The association added more than 200,000 followers across its social sites. NASW national now has about 650,000 followers. Pictured at left: Social work influencers Jacqueline Garcia, Tashara Robinson and Jade Tuttle offered social workers advice on social work jobs that offer better compensation. They were joined by human resources expert Ryan Namata, who offered tips on how social workers can ask for and get better compensation.
Approximately 600 U.S. media outlets ran Social Work Month stories in March with a collective potential audience of more than 320 million people.
Some news hits included Social Work Month coverage on WJLA TV in Washington, D.C., CBS News in Detroit, and a NJ.com article on Social Work Month and how social workers help newly arrived migrants.
Several chapters secured proclamations from state or territorial governors, including Michigan, Guam, North Carolina and municipalities like the city of Pittsburgh.
Some chapters held public events, such as advocacy days in government offices. One example is NASW-Ohio, where the city of Columbus set aside a day to recognize social workers.
Some colleges hosted similar Social Work on the Hill activities or held events, such as the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and Hawai’i Pacific University.