As the clock struck midnight on Jan. 1, I began my new stint as ACOSA Chair. I had chaired the organization before, some 20 years ago, but a lot has changed and I’m excited to get started on this new phase of the organization. If the last few years have taught us anything, it is that macro knowledge and skills are needed now more than ever.
One important recent accomplishment has been the restructuring of the ACOSA board. We now have two new (and fabulous) vice chairs: Michelle Livermore, Programming, and Alberto Cifuentes, Resources. They will guide the planning that is attached to the work of the newly created board positions: Awards, the Certificate Program, Communications/Website, Gatherings/Events, COSA Track (CSWE), Governance, LEAD, and the Student Network. We still have our Regional Reps as well as one At Large member on our board. Rounding out the board are the secretary and treasurer positions. In the next month, we will engage in strategic planning and will get the ACOSA website updated so everyone can connect with board members. I want to thank everyone who ran, and everyone who agreed to serve. ACOSA is only as good as the collective energy and work of its members.
In the coming year, there are several initiatives that I hope we can pursue. First, let’s continue to grow our presence as macro social workers at various social work and related conferences. See the blurb in this e-blast on the upcoming SSWR conference. We also want to know about your engagement in CSWE, BPD, ISP, International Federation of Social Workers, the International Association of Social Work with Groups, and probably many more. Let’s fly our macro flag! Second, I hope we can build on the invigorating discussion on Eco Justice that occurred at the recent membership meeting. This is a critically important issue that intersects with several other areas of concern. I hope to convene a workgroup based on interest from that meeting; if you are interested, please let me know. Third, sparked by last year’s overwhelmingly popular presentation by long time ACOSA member, Steve Burghardt, the Social Work Equity Campaign was launched. This effort has strong ACOSA support, and I hope we can continue to collaborate with them. For more information on the campaign:
https://sites.google.com/view/social-worker-equity-campaign.
In addition to these broad initiatives, there are many other ways to get involved in ACOSA. Membership recruitment on individual and organizational levels is vital. If every member convinced their Dean or Director to become a sponsoring or institutional member, that would make a huge difference. If every member got a colleague to join or renew, that would also make a huge difference. Involvement in board committees is vital to getting our work down, and it’s a great way to network and learn more about ACOSA. So, if there’s a board area that tickles your fancy, please contact that board rep. Promotion of ACOSA, specifically, and macro social work, in general, to colleagues, students, and really anyone who will listen. If you are on twitter, include @acosaorg and #MacroSW in your tweets. Active on Facebook – let us know. Have an idea for a webinar that we could co-sponsor – let’s plan something. Want to pen something for our blog – start writing. Let’s make our voices, perspectives, knowledge, and skills known.
I often think of the words of the late John Lewis – "let’s make good trouble." When we founded ACOSA in the 1980s, that spirit was in the room. I think it continues today. No one makes better "good trouble" than ACOSA members. Let’s lift up and celebrate our work and support one another. I look forward to working with all of you and especially hearing from you (
chair@acosa.org).
In solidarity,
Cheryl Hyde
ACOSA Chair