ACT Branch

Branch Spotlight

Thank you to everyone who participated. We had 27 entries and they were all impressive. The ACT Branch would like to acknowledge each and every one of you as special people studying towards a very important career.

The winners are happy to share their entries. Happy reading!

Larissa C: My journey to study social work began with witnessing and experiencing mental health within my family and how when one person is affected, the whole family is affected. Observing firsthand the benefits of having a social worker made me want to immerse myself into the field and help others the way my family has been helped. Whilst mental health has been my most desirable area to work in, I have branched into disability, and I absolutely love it! Having an AASW membership will allow me to connect with like-minded social workers and provide me with further information on events and training to go towards my professional development. Social work isn’t just a career for me, it is who I am. I see my colleagues as family, and I would love the opportunity to continue to expand this family of mine with AASW.

Tegan K: During my first years of high school and my nan being the Aboriginal student liaison officer she often asked me what I wanted to be and my response was always “I don’t know”. That response was purely due to suffering domestic violence as a child and then rebelling at school, being told by the teacher that I would not amount to anything. They didn’t know what was happening at home and why I was acting that way. I didn’t have the support around me. Until one day (age 14) I decided to leave home to live with nan. Nan arranged for me to see a social worker in hope to support me. This was a life changing moment for me and I instantly knew what I wanted to do when I got older. When I realised I had to attend Uni I put off study because of self doubt. I am now 4 subjects off completing my degree and I’m an extremely proud of myself. I believe this is a massive achievement, especially being Aboriginal and almost completing my degree. I also believe this has inspired other Aboriginal people in my community to study. I know that being rewarded a membership and having access to the AASW will assist me in gaining my dream job. It will help me to be the best social worker I could possible be to support those who need extra support.

Lucy M: Ever since I can remember, I have been incensed by social inequalities and injustice. As a child, I knocked on the door of the house where a kid who had bullied my older brother lived and asked him to stop. My older brother has Autism. As an adult, I began to understand the complex experiences of our most marginalised and vulnerable people and became aware of the systems that oppressed them. I grew less naïve, but more committed to supporting people to remove those barriers. It is these experiences that have led me to choose Social Work as a career. AASW Membership would give me the opportunity to learn from other professionals and stay up to date with the latest research. It would help me develop my knowledge and skills to be the kind of social worker who continues to knock on doors, to bring about individual and collective change.

Scott W: I am autistic which means I have a unique lens for identifying ableism. In my life ableism has manifested in bullying or having people feel the paternalistic need to try and correct my “weird” behaviours thinking they are “protecting” me from the wide world. But in my life too I have seen how autism is my strength. My unique autistic traits make me enthusiastic and optimistic which means I often have great attention-to-detail; am committed to doing my best; and find it easier to view people with unconditional positive regard. As an AASW member I would bring my autistic “use of self” through my strengths, my unique understandings of ableism, and a practice framework that champions the innate strengths of clients’ neurodiversity.

Claudia S: From a little girl, I have always been a peaceful, yet determined warrior for social change. Throughout years of volunteering and working in caring roles, my ambition for equal opportunity, and the fulfilment of human rights has amplified. However, despite my enduring passion, even skilled warriors require knowledge and understanding to perform to their best. This for me involved working towards a Bachelor of Social Work, which is preparing me page by page, lecture by lecture to become empowered to assist others in achieving their self-determination. To be effective and create positive change, warriors also need boundaries and ethical guidelines, as well as their own advocator and protector to assist them when fighting against injustices and oppression. I believe, to become the best warrior for social change I can be, an AASW student membership is vital for equipping me with the ethical wisdom and professional shaping that I require.

Note: the Social Warrior infographic was created by Claudia S.

Branch Management Committee

What the BMC do:

Planning activities of the ACT Branch:

• joining committees / working parties for projects
• 1- 2 hours per week including a monthly meeting
• create the events you and your peers want to experience!

Representation:

• raise the voice of social work by participation in agency / advisory meetings (usually monthly)
• gather input from members on key ACT issues for our profession
• influence social policy discussions by contributing a voice of experience!

What is involved:

• you must be a member of the AASW
• the BMC meets once a month on a Wednesday from 6.30pm - 7.30pm via Zoom
• if you have an area of interest or expertise you may be asked to represent the AASW ACT Branch to help advocate Social Work by assisting in writing a submission or sit on a working party
• even if you are not available now to offer your interest to the BMC there are several positions becoming vacant in November at the ACT AMM you may like to consider volunteering.

If you wish to discuss your interest please contact the ACT Branch via email.

Branch Quick Links