By Annalisa Enrile
The USC School of Social Work brought its largest-ever contingent of students to the annual National Association of Social Workers Lobby Days in Sacramento, Calif., in March. The two-day event convened more than 100 students who met with state legislators and professional lobbyists, experiencing the political process in action and learning how to organize on issues of importance to social workers.
| |
 |
| |
Students rally on the steps of the Capitol, kicking off a day of lobbying.
|
Among the bills before legislators that participants paid special attention to was Assembly Bill 2543, which will help social workers and other human service professionals pay off student loans if they commit to a minimum of three years of service to geriatric patients and clients.
Participants also vigorously supported the call for social worker title protection, which provides consumer protection by ensuring that positions requiring the skill and training of professional social workers are filled with fully qualified professionals.
For some, Lobby Days began on March 8 with training for team leaders, who are responsible for preparing their members for the lobbying appointment, planning their group's lobbying strategy and evaluating the appointment.
For others, Lobby Days began on March 9 with the spirited roll call of all participating schools. The Trojan cardinal and gold was well represented, not just in the audience but in the day's program with MSW student Diosa Diaz, an NASW student representative, presenting NASW's work on the Delores Huerta Project and Assistant Dean Gil Carmona speaking about the importance of participation in NASW.
On March 10, social workers rallied on the steps of the State Capitol. USC students, who were interviewed by local media, led the 900-plus participants from schools all around the state in rousing chants and challenged social workers to continue their work on key issues.
"I knew that I would learn something during Lobby Days – at the very least, I would put into practice what I was learning in policy class. But, I didn't have any idea how empowering Lobby Days really is,” Michelle Penez said. "Almost a thousand social workers makes you really feel the power and responsibility of our profession.”.”
Students showcased their work on policy and legislation, especially in the areas of homelessness and public child welfare. Networking sessions provided opportunities to interact with students from other schools. USC received special public mention for upholding the social work values of justice in its work around issues of peace and conflict.
"My students felt this was a powerful exercise for practicing the four skills of policy practice we teach: political, analytical, interactional and value-clarifying skills,” Clinical Assistant Professor Gokul Mandayam said.
A longstanding tradition of Lobby Days is the USC dinner planned by the Lobby Days committee and Student Organization. This year's event welcomed students, alumni and community members from Kern County and NASW representatives. Assistant Dean Elizabeth Pringle-Hornsby, Vice Dean Paul Maiden and Carmona applauded students for their work and commitment to the issues. Following dinner, a karaoke reception with other schools was the hit of the evening.
"Without a doubt, participating in Lobby Days has been one of the highlights of being a student at the USC School of Social Work,” Student Organization President Oscar
Gonzalez said. "Lobby Days was not just an event, but rather it served as an extension of foundation-year policy classes. Meeting with legislators demystified the process and allowed us to advocate for the policies that would impact our clients and our profession.”
Lobby Days is an opportunity to see policy classes in action. One of the reasons students are so engaged is the interaction they get with participating faculty.
"Lobby Days is a great venue for policy faculty and MSW students to collaborate and engage in the legislative process,” Carmona said.
The role of faculty members is to mentor inexperienced MSW students about how to navigate the legislative process and advocate for clients' needs. Clinical Assistant Professor of Field Education Brent Barcellona was able to lead students who were clear on the issue but a little nervous about speaking to public officials for the first time.
"I always think of my professors in the classrooms,” a part-time student said, "This is getting to see our professors in their element – as professional social workers advocating for change.”
|
|
|
 |
|
