On Friday March 19, 2010, Medgar Evers College, in conjunction with the New York City Department of Education and the Staten Island Integrated Service Center’s Office of School and Youth Development, will hold the Seventh Annual National Professional Social Work Month Conference beginning at 8:00 am in the Founders Auditorium at 1650 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11225.
Over the past six years, the conference has grown from an initial idea of bringing together members of the social work community with other disciplines to celebrate National Professional Social Work Month, into a highly anticipated symposium that has been attended by social workers, guidance counselors, public sector administrators and staff, and students from community schools.
This year’s conference offers an opportunity for social work colleagues to gather together with the college administration, faculty and staff and administration and staff including guidance counselors, educators and other personnel form the NYC Department of Education to exchange ideas, and discuss strategies for working more effectively with each other and with youth and families.
The conference will focus on the role of professional social workers working collaboratively with schools, families, and communities to help build resiliency in young people, many of whom are succeeding despite daunting odds. Special sessions targeted to youth will address strategies for building leadership skills, self esteem and self reliance, and communication skills. In addition, adult attendees will find sessions that are of special appeal including Care for the Care Giver and Effective strategies for working with today’s youth in challenging economic times.
Previous conferences have featured special guest speakers such as New York City Deputy Mayor Dennis Walcott; CUNY Trustee Carol Robles–Roman; Brooklyn District Attorney Charles J. Hynes; Nan Henderson, a nationally renowned expert on resiliency and student support; Elayna Konstan, CEO of New York City Department of Education Office of School and Youth Development; and Terri Williams, leader of one of the nation’s most successful public relations firms, and a clinical social worker.
The conference is free and open to the public. Pre-registration is required. For further information, contact Dr. Eda F. Harris-Hastick, Professor of Social Work, and Conference Convener, at [email protected].
About Medgar Evers College, CUNY
Medgar Evers College was founded in 1970 through the efforts from educators and community leaders in central Brooklyn. The College is named after Medgar Wiley Evers, a Mississippi-born black civil rights activist who was assassinated on June 12, 1963. The College is divided into four schools: The School of Business; The School of Professional and Community Development; The School of Liberal Arts and Education; and The School of Science, Health, and Technology. Through these Schools, the College offers 29 associate and baccalaureate degree programs, as well as certificate programs in fields such as English, Nursing, and Accounting. Medgar Evers College also operates several co-curricular and external programs and associated centers such as the Male Development and Empowerment Center, the Center for Women’s Development, the Center for Black Literature, and The DuBois Bunche Center for Public Policy.