Washburn University to Host Social Work Legislative Advocacy Day March 11

Topeka, Kan. - About 230 future social workers will be at Washburn University and the Kansas Statehouse on March 11 for Social Work Legislative Advocacy Day. The annual event attracts social work students and faculty from around the state, as well as professional social workers, for networking and advocacy training.

The morning session begins at 9 a.m. in the Washburn Room in the Memorial Union and concludes in the afternoon with a trip to the Kansas Capitol, where attendees will visit legislators. A key initiative this session is helping students learn how to participate in policymaking or become policymakers themselves at the state, local or even national level.

"Understanding policymaking within the organizations where social workers will work, as well as our democratic policymaking process at the local, state and national levels, is critical to the profession of social work. Social workers must advocate for their clients and the systems that impact them," said Dr. Tonya Ricklefs, president of the Kansas Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers and associate professor, social work department, Washburn University.

Social Work Legislative Advocacy Day is sponsored by the NASW-KS Chapter in partnership with the Kansas Council on Social Work Education. This year marks the 28th year of the advocacy event, which attracts students from undergraduate and graduate social work programs at universities across the state.

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