March is Social Work Month, and the Yellowhead East branch of the Saskatchewan Association of Social Workers was out in the community giving social workers and people with social work degrees a break, bringing coffee and donuts to different workplaces around the city.
Twila Seeley, co-chair of the Yellowhead East Branch, says that it’s a simple gesture to show appreciation for a line of work they feel does not get as much recognition as they might otherwise deserve.
“It’s a profession we feel are giving a lot and not always receiving.”
The goal was to give people some recognition for the work they do, and the difficult environment the job often involves.
“We’re dealing with vulnerable people, we’re dealing with people who have suffered a lot of trauma. It’s a very fine line to work in this field, continue to care, and not be overwhelmed with vicarious trauma yourself.”
The purpose of the coffee break is more than just coffee, but to provide an excuse for people to actually take a break from their jobs when they might otherwise be unwilling to do so.
“Social work is not a notoriously high paying job, often we are working around the clock in this field. The resources are few, to be honest, and the trend in government in the last few decades doesn’t necessarily throw money and resources at social programs and social workers. Case loads are huge, people work hard because they care, and sometimes it is hard to take a break but it is important.
One of the stops was SIGN on Broadway, but Seeley visited many different agencies within the city. The goal was to recognize social work no matter what field people were in.
“Social work isn’t one thing. Contrary to popular belief, social workers are in many, many fields. We’re in the health region, we’re in the schools, we’re in Sask Abilities, in non-profits, in places here in SIGN, we’re really represented across the board in the community, not just in one place.”
Yellowhead East is “reinventing itself,” Seeley says, moving away from “meetings for the sake of meetings.” There is a focus on having social support for members, as well as giving back to the community, most recently putting a team into the Coldest Night of the Year fundraiser for homeless people in the area through Yorkton Transitional Homes for Youth.
“It’s a way to organize ourselves as social workers and show that we do care about our community and we do give back to it.”
