Voices Social Work
Background Information about the Project
Voices Social Work (VSW) has a priority to acknowledge the extensive role the social work plays in society. The goal of VSW is to create a platform where social workers who received formal education (BSW, MSW) or are in training (students) can share their perspectives to celebrate our profession using variety of social media tools.
The VSW project is dedicated to collaboration, communication and bringing awareness to the social work profession. Through the distorted representation of the social work profession and limited attention given in the literature to the everyday experiences of the social worker, the profession is often misunderstood. VSW is looking to educate the public and look beyond adverse media stories of social workers particularly in the area of child protection. Our commitment to improving communication, presence, and collaboration with social workers and the public is crucial to best practice and beginning new relationships based on honesty, humility and partnership.
VSW was co-designed by social work educator Dr. Oleksandr (Sasha) Kondrashov, MSW, RSW; Master of Social Work Student and practicing social worker Sierra Israel, BSW, MSW (Candidate), practicing social worker Ani Dingamtar, BSW and, BSW students Amanpreet Madan, Jeanne Mikaela Albutra, Sara Gilles and Alexzandra(Sasha) Anzulovich, all of whom reside in Canada and contribute to the implementation of the project.
The intention of this collaborative approach is to not only share education within the social work community but also educate the public on the diverse role social work plays in activism, health and wellbeing, leadership and more. The VSW project team developed 12 core questions and invite social workers to share their stories on how they define social work and the guiding values which underpin their work. There are also some additional questions for those who want to share more stories. The interview uses audio, video, photo and text on various media platforms, such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, to reach a wider global community and raise public awareness of our profession.
Our intention is to remove barriers by using social media and other online formats and invite interviewees from around the world to participate and engage in cross-cultural social work experiences, networking and storytelling. VSW is looking to humanize the social work profession and validate the global community of social workers.
Social Work is based on the fundamentals which embrace humility, social change, empowerment and liberation of people. The principles of social justice, human rights, collective responsibility and respect for diversities are imperative to the social work profession. Therefore, creating a platform uniting the international social work community will strengthen our global knowledge, and bring awareness to issues outside our regions.
If you have any questions please e-mail voicessocialwork@gmail.com and one of our team members will get back to you.
Invitation https://tinyurl.com/trq83b6
Consent Form https://tinyurl.com/ra5nxpk
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/VoicesSW
Twitter https://twitter.com/voicesSW
Dr. Oleksandr (Sasha) Kondrashov 