Across our university, the greater Miami area, and the country, the month of March has been a celebration of social workers and the services they provide to all segments of the population.
Barry University is grateful to Miami-Dade County for honoring National Social Work Month and, specifically, to Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, whose own history as a social worker, lawyer, and activist has been a source of inspiration to many members of our community.
In appreciation of the vital roles social workers play in improving the health and well-being of all people —particularly during our year of civic unrest, racial violence, economic uncertainty, and devastating loss of life from the COVID-19 pandemic — Mayor Levine Cava and the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners issued a proclamation officially naming March 2021 as Social Work Month. “I call upon the good people of Miami-Dade County to join me in recognizing all the great work Social Workers perform in our society,” Mayor Levine Cava said.
In this spirit, Barry University School of Social Work has dedicated the month of March to facilitating a range of training programs, workshops, and group dialogues devoted to amplifying the critical ways in which social workers help build healthy communities. We are proud of all our faculty, staff, students, and greater community members for infusing their talents into this month of programming, which has included mindfulness and yoga practices (presented in both English and Spanish), professional development workshops, guided cross-cultural discussions, and literary gatherings. We were also thrilled to host a special training for law-enforcement officers focused on engaging positively with those with autism.
As Social Work Month comes to a close, all of us at Barry and the School of Social Work are reminded of our ongoing commitment to building healthier communities and forming real-world strategies to implement positive change. We thank Miami-Dade County and Mayor Levine Cava for recognizing this valuable work.