Each Monday is Method Monday at Packaged For Success. On Method Monday I will share a method (strategy) to help you move closer to your goals and turn your dreams into reality. Today’s method is to join a professional membership organization.
This past Friday was the first Frontier Friday for Packaged For Success. On Frontier Friday I will post ideas for discovering new frontiers or updates on new frontiers that you or I or some other awesome dream chaser has explored. I commemorated my first Frontier Friday by attending the NASW-MD Second Annual Macro Social Work Conference. I knew that the conference was the perfect place to continue to develop my professional skills but what the day delivered was so much more. This blog post will connect Frontier Friday with Method Monday.
As you know I am not a clinician. I was excited to attend this conference specifically because the focus was on macro social work. It’s not often that I have the opportunity to surround myself with a group of professionals who understand not only what I do but the reasons why I do them. The conference linked the origin and history of social work with current trends and future growth opportunities. The presenters were excellent but the sharing and discussion in each session may have been most valuable.
I didn’t expect to reconnect with three of my past professors from the University Of Maryland School Of Social Work but I’m so glad that I did. It was great to see them and learn more about what is happening to advance the field of social work and expand macro social work. I learned about opportunities to support the university and current students. I definitely plan to become a more active alumnus.
In addition to hearing from brilliant, experienced professionals I also learned about two additional professional organizations which I have already joined. The Network for Social Work Management is a membership organization for social workers, working in all levels of management, across a broad and diverse range of human services organizations. The Association for Community Organization and Social Administration (ACOSA) is a membership organization for community organizers, activists, nonprofit administrators, community builders, policy practitioners, students and educators.
I love the career I have had. There is nothing I would change. I am so proud to be able to do the work that I love in my own way. I was in a great place professionally but after this conference I am so much more energized. I have the energy, ambition, and resources to go to the next professional level. Of course after seeing more of the great work of this NASW chapter, I definitely plan to become a more active member. Now is the time for social workers to advocate for ourselves and shed labels that no longer define us and by doing that we can help those who have been oppressed and discarded to do the same.
What professional organizations are you a member of?
Nicki Sanders, Chief Visionary Officer of Packaged For Success, helps both youth and adults discover their personal power, dream big, and achieve success on their own terms. Ms. Sanders is an experienced trainer, group facilitator, and program manager who holds a Master’s degree in Social Work. Ms. Sanders has over fifteen years of direct experience with diverse populations in residential, school-based, and community based agencies.
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