We have had another busy year in the Association of Social Workers in Northern Canada and are looking forward to a productive year in 2009. I would like to start by saying thank you to the social workers who maintain their membership with us, to members who volunteer in communities across the North to promote the development of the profession of social work, and to the Board Members who meet regularly to work on the strategic priorities of the Association.
At this time, the ASWNC is not a regulatory body; our strategic priorities focus on promotion of the profession, advocacy, professional development and promoting regulation of social work in the North. We need more members to help us do this. A 2008 survey of Yukon social workers indicated that social workers would be more likely to become a member of the ASWNC if the ASWNC provided funds for training and engaged in social advocacy. Our volunteers work hard to meet the needs of social workers in the North, but because we have limited funding and membership base, we are only able to achieve some of our goals each year. Please consider becoming a member and becoming involved.
Even if you are not able to participate as an active member with your territorial colleagues, your membership is valuable. Having a large membership demonstrates a connectivity and power base of social workers in the North when we are working on promoting the profession or responding to social justice issues.
We promote our profession through activities such as Social Work Week. Social Work Week 2009 was held between March 2nd to 6th and focused on the national theme “Social Workers Making a Difference in Senior’s Lives”. One new event for this year was the audio webcast that was hosted in Whitehorse and Yellowknife in association with CASW. Watch for opportunities to gather with other social workers and hear guest speakers in your community!
Our annual conference and AGM was held in Yellowknife, NT on October 3rd and 4th, 2008. The Yellowknife AGM committee did a marvelous job organizing the event and it was a great success! Cindy Blackstock, from First Nations Child and Family Caring Society was our keynote speaker. She offered stories and ideas on how social workers can engage in macro-based practice to improve the lives of First Nation children in Canada. Many other social workers in Yellowknife presented on their areas of expertise ranging from “Creating FASD Friendly Environments” to “Reflecting on Spirituality in Social Work Practice”. Our next AGM and conference will be held in Whitehorse, November 6-7 2009. Please check our website regularly for details as they will be posted soon!
Another focus the last year has been on developing professional regulation of social work in the Northwest Territories. The ASWNC has been pivotal in seeking input from its members as well as other social workers in the Northwest Territories so that the voice of social workers is strongly represented in the discussions the Government of Northwest Territories is having about regulation. Thank you to those who participated in the poll; your feedback was valuable and was incorporated into feedback to the GNWT regarding the move towards regulation.
Yukon social workers remain in the beginning stages of developing professional regulation in their territory as well. A larger group of volunteers is needed to work on this project, so consider becoming involved if you are interested!
Professional regulation in Nunavut is not being pursued at this time. However, they are closely watching the progress made by the NWT and Yukon in hopes to follow in their footsteps.
Other activities for 2008 included responding to questions about Northern Social Work practice and related issues from social workers across Canada, having ASWNC members participate on local committees that require a social work representative, writing letters of support for social justice groups and Board members hosting monthly meetings in their respective communities so that social workers can connect with each other or listen to a guest speaker.
I am honoured to represent social workers in the North and am looking forward to fulfilling my role as President of the ASWNC. If you have any ideas, comments or questions, please feel free to contact me at
or our Executive Director, Geri Elkin at
.
