Peace As We Envision It

As social workers, we help our clients with their day-to-day lives. And as Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs points out, this is an important framework for us to work within. But there's more than one way to look at a client's situation; we need to keep the bigger picture in mind. That's what makes a social worker a social worker.

The passionate social workers in the Peace Special Interest Group(SIG) have expanded the scope of their work on behalf of people in need. Peace can seem unobtainable, yet violence is all around us. The social workers in our Women and Social Justice SIG seek to aid survivors of domestic violence, and the social workers in the International SIG are advocating for the rights of detained immigrants in the U.S.

NASW-NJ/s newest social work intern, Leah, will be starting an SIG that will focus on children and family issues. Almost certainly, this newest SIG will tackle the issues of preventing violence, coping with gangs, and other issues.

If violence is pervasive in our society, we need to make peace pervasive too.

We are delighted to have 2900 of our Jersey National Guard troops safely home, as you can see in this clip of the parade in Trenton last week: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Jp_mqRMCbI.

We are saddened to see the violence in Tehran as the result of the recent election, as you can see here: http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/06/irans_disputed_election.html.

We are ready for change and want to reduce what the World Health Organization has estimated is $300 billion/year in costs related to interpersonal violence (war-related costs excluded). You can find out more and join us by clicking Here.