Social Work Month
Social work students plan to help others instead of promoting themselves during Social Work Month. The month of March marks the month long celebration of social workers nationally. The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) created the month to draw public awareness to the social work profession.
But, Bennett’s Social Work Club has chosen to focus on helping others instead of promoting themselves.
“We focus on community service because that is what our advisors encourage us to do. They motivate us towards community service,” says Dyamond Myers, president of the Social Work Club.
Throughout the month, the club will be hosting events and completing community service projects. The events are open to the Bennett College community, while the community service projects are for social work majors only. The community service projects will help the social work students prepare for their professional lives.
“I hope they learn a little more about diverse populations at risk in order to be able to help them when they get out into their field practicum, and also once they start their professional careers,” says Dr. Mary Stephens, assistant professor of social work.
Dr. Stephens encourages all students to attend their events.
“I think that it’s important for the Bennett community to know about these events because Bennett sisters may have issues they need to talk to someone about.”
The social work professor also says her students should be able to help students find the help they may need when a stressful situation arises.
“Social work majors should know the resources of the community as well as the counseling center. We have two on campus. If a Bennett sister needs support or emotional uplifting then the social work student should be there to help them,” Dr. Stephens says.
One social work student shares why she chose to pursue a career in the field.
“When I was young, I saw that I had a bed to sleep in and other people were sleeping under the bridge. That made me realize there are people out here that don’t have what you have and just don’t have anything. That’s what really made me want to pursue degree in social work,” says Kimberly Harrison a senior from N.C.
Harrison says she learned that some people need more help than others.
“As I have gotten older, I understand that society is built in a way that some of those people that I thought that just couldn’t do it or didn’t want to do it didn’t necessarily have the means to do it. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to and so that ultimately shaped my decision to do social work.”
For more information on the Social Work Clubs event this month, contact any social work member. For more information on local NASW events visit NASWNC.org.
By: Ratasha Smith
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