History

With all that's been going on and the running around that I've been doing, it's been pointed out to me (numerous times) that I'm young. This can be a disadvantage or work in my favor - either way, it can be quite intimidating to present myself to groups and other professionals.

Last week I was in D.C. for the 2010 Social Work Congress. It's a national gathering of social workers from all across the country (and US Territories). This was the 2nd gathering with the first one being held 5 years ago. Each Congress has a mission for the social workers that have been selected to attend. The first one was focused on clinical goals. This year was the year to plan the future of social work. Across the country, a majority of social workers are of the Baby Boomer generation and are nearing retirement. That can be a scary thought when you think about all the knowledge and processes that will be exiting the field.

This year's theme was "Reaffirm, Revisit & Re-imagine the Profession." They also had to get 30 social workers under the age of 30, to help represent the up and coming leaders of the field. I was honored to be one of the 30 (and surprisingly I wasn't the youngest...). But I was the youngest Masters graduate, which I did feel put some pressure on me.

Not to say this is anywhere similar, but I've heard an individual of a race or gender say they feel that they are being heard as the entire race, but it's just their opinion. That is what I felt like. I was say something and as soon as I'd start to speak, everyone within ear shot would stop and listen and say, "say that again, we need to better understand the young people that will be replacing us," whether or not it had anything to do with social work. No pressure. I've just been working for 2.5 years as a Master graduate social worker, and now I'm expected to help form the social work goals and values for the next 10 years...are you kidding me?

It was a very informative and interesting process. We were split into work groups where we would come up with a vision for that topic. Each group had 100 people in it, but were broken down into 10 smaller groups. The topics I was assigned to was Leadership Development and Influence. At my tables I had people of various ages, experiences, backgrounds and practice. I really enjoyed and learned a lot. I also feel that some people were able to walk away with some new thoughts or beliefs after hearing my (the younger, more conservative) side of things. Haha, I think it was more eye opening for them to hear the conservative point of view vs. the younger...not many Republican social workers now-a-days...or ever.

With that, I just want to thank people of all ages and walks of life. Everyone has impacted me and my belief system in some way or another. I would not be who I am today. The social work field will feel some great losses with some of my colleagues that will soon retire, but I hope I will do them proud and become a great leader in my profession. And someday, I can help educate young, newer, social workers on the history of social work =)