CELEBRATE THE SUCCESS OF LEARNING

GRADUATION marks the end of a long and arduous journey for most students.  It also represents something amazing and powerful to us, as educators.  We have the pleasure to teach, instruct, share, and learn in a program whose purpose is to bring about change in the lives of clients and those who serve them.  We consider the most important work in the education process to understand the complexity of oppressive systems that impact the day-to-day lives of the clients we serve.

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics states "The primary mission of the social work profession is to enhance human well-being and help meet the basic human needs of all people, with particular attention to the needs and empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty. A historic and defining feature of social work is the profession’s focus on individual wellbeing in a social context and the well-being of society. Fundamental to social work is attention to the environmental forces that create, contribute to, and address problems in living" (1996).

It is a powerful transformation to watch students gain a new understanding of privilege and power instrumental in defining what life looks like for those trying to meet their basic human needs.  We often describe this change as a "GRADUATION" of it's own.
This "education graduation" is a powerful liberation on their journey to the development of cultural competency.

Again, the NASW Code of Ethics is clear regarding the development of cultural competencies critical for optimum client outcomes.  "Social workers should obtain education about and seek to understand the nature of social diversity and oppression with respect to race, ethnicity, national origin, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, political belief, religion, immigration status, and mental or physical disability" (NASW, 2008).

BUILDING AN EFFECTIVE LGBTQ KNOWLEDGE COMMUNITY

More than two years ago we set out to create a Knowledge Community (KC) that addressed the needs of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) people across their lifespan.

The purposes of building a Knowledge Community focusing on LGBTQ people are to give voice to the issues impacting this population and provide comprehensive resources, strategies for effective policy-advocacy, clinical practice and research.  In addition, the Knowledge Community will serve as a portal for best and promising practices for the education and training for social work practitioners, students, faculty, community partners, and members of the LGBTQ community, their allies and other stakeholders.

The goals of the KC are to reduce health disparities and enhance the human well being of LGBTQ persons by ensuring culturally competent persons are involved at the macro, mezzo, and micro levels of policy, practice, and research.

We are happy to announce the launch of the LGBT Social Work website, LGBTSocialWork.com and the creation of our LGBTQ Social Work Knowledge Community (LGBTQSWKC).  In addition to the website, the LGBTQSWKC will be supported through our Facebook LGBT Social Work Facebook and on Twitter @lgbtsocialwork.

Our email address is: LGBTSocialWork@gmail.com.

We invite you to become an active part of our collective creative efforts as teacher, student, consultant, and contributor or as a member of the LGBTQ community through these processes.

HERE IS HOW YOU CAN GET INVOLVED

• Go to the LGBTSocialWork.com site and access the "CONTACT US" tab and send us an email indicating your interest in participating in our Knowledge Community.
• While on our site, please take a look around and identify areas of the site that you'd like to help further development.  Remember this is a Knowledge Community and the depth and breadth of the information will grow through the contributions of its members.  Send any additions to the Knowledge Community either as attachments or links to LGBTSocialWork@gmail.com
• Join our Facebook group LGBT Social Work Facebook
• Follow us on Twitter @lgbtsocialwork

Thank you for being a part of our community,

Michael A. Freeman, MSW

Mary Mann, MSW

Effectively Serving Our LGBTQ Clients

Nearly two years ago, Mary Mann and I set out to create a Knowledge Community (KC) that addressed the needs of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) people across their lifespan.

The purpose of building a Knowledge Community focusing on LGBTQ people is to give voice to the issues impacting this population and provide comprehensive resources, strategies for effective policy-advocacy, clinical practice and research.  In addition, the Knowledge Community will serve as a portal for best and promising practices for the education and training for social work practitioners, students, faculty, community partners, members of the LGBTQ community, their allies and other stakeholders. 

The goals of the KC are to reduce health disparities and enhance the human well-being of LGBTQ persons by ensuring culturally competent persons are involved at the macro, mezzo, and micro levels of policy, practice, and research.

We are happy to announce the launch of the LGBT Social Work website, LGBTSocialWork.com  and the creation of our LGBTQ Social Work Knowledge Community (LGBTQSWKC).  In addition to the website, the LGBTQSWKC will be supported through our Facebook LGBT Social Work Facebook and follow us on Twitter @lgbtsocialwork.  

Our email address is: LGBTSocialWork@gmail.com. 

We invite you to become an active part of our collective creative efforts as teacher, student, consultant, contributor or as a member of the LGBTQ community in our collective creative processes.

HERE IS HOW YOU CAN GET INVOLVED - 

• Go to the LGBTSocialWork.com site and access the "CONTACT US" tab and send us an email indicating your interest in participating in our Knowledge Community.
• While on our site, please take a look around and identify areas of the site that you'd like to help further development.  Remember this is a Knowledge Community and the depth and breadth of the information will grow through the contributions of its members.  Send any additions to the Knowledge Community either as attachments or links to LGBTSocialWork@gmail.com
• Join our Facebook group LGBT Social Work Facebook
• Follow us on Twitter @lgbtsocialwork

Thank you for being a part of our community,

Michael A. Freeman, MSW

Mary Mann, MSW

2013 World AIDS Day

December 1st was the 25th Anniversary of World AIDS Day. There is much to be grateful for over the last 25 years. It is no longer a death sentence. But realities such as quality of life, mortality and morbidity measures mean very little if you are living with HIV and have no idea. The CDC estimates there are nearly 20% of those with the disease who have no idea. Get yourself tested!

If you have no place to go for your HIV test, I would invite you to come see me at UCF's Wellness and Health Promotion Services office. I will be more than happy to test you. It's a simple oral swab; no needles! The best part is, it's free!!

So when you're making out that "New Year's Resolution list; why not put "be responsible for and care more about my sexual wellness?"

To those that continue to live with and who are impacted by HIV and AIDS, be strong, live each day with purpose and intention. I need your voices in this army.

The next couple of articles speak to "Zero New HIV Infections" campaign.  The first one is an article from Dr. Ronald Valdiserri, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health, Infectious Diseases, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in which he directly speaks to the challenges in achieving "zero new HIV infections."

The final entry, AMERICAN LEADERSHIP TO REACH AN AIDS-FREE GENERATION, reflects on President Obama's continued commitment to the National HIV/AIDS strategy originally created by President Bush and handed off to President Obama.

THE CHALLENGE OF ACHIEVING AN AIDS-FREE GENERATION

World AIDS Day will be celebrated on December 1. 

The World AIDS Campaign sponsors this day, which promotes an international commitment to fighting AIDS through policy, practice, and resource allocation. Dr. Ronald Valdiserri, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health, Infectious Diseases, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is a nationally recognized public health physician who has worked tirelessly to promote sound public health approaches to HIV/AIDS. 

In this column, Dr. Valdiserri provides insight into the challenges of achieving an AIDS-free generation. For more information on World AIDS Day, please visit http://www.worldaidscampaign.org/world-aids-day.

AMERICAN LEADERSHIP TO REACH AN AIDS-FREE GENERATION

December 1, 2011 • By Gayle Smith, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Development and Democracy and Eric Goosby, Ambassador, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator

Cross-posted from The White House Blog - See more at: http://blog.aids.gov/2011/12/american-leadership-to-reach-an-aids-free-generation.html#sthash.x86Nqu32.dpuf

- See more at: http://blog.aids.gov/2011/12/american-leadership-to-reach-an-aids-free-generation.html#sthash.x86Nqu32.dpuf

Today President Obama was part of a very special World AIDS Day event. It is a day for solemn observance, to remember all those who have been lost to this disease over 30 years, and those still living with HIV today.

Yet today’s event was a joyous occasion as well, as it celebrated all those who have done – and are doing – so much to respond to HIV/AIDS. Despite all the challenges, the history of this virus is also one of remarkable people coming together to make a difference.

The PEPFAR program – a program created by one president and handed off to another – has benefited from widespread support, and today’s event demonstrated American unity in this fight. The ONE Campaign and Product (RED), who have done so much to get people involved, were our hosts. President Obama was joined by President George W. Bush and President Clinton, each of whom played key roles in the AIDS fight while in office and continue their efforts today. Bono and Alicia Keys represented the artistic community that has been so important in the response, while Kay Warren represented the commitment of people of faith. Senator Marco Rubio and Representative Barbara Lee represented both the critical role of Congress in this effort and the power of bipartisanship of our work. The African leadership that has played such a vital role was exemplified by Dr. Patricia Nkansah-Asamoah of Ghana and Florence Ngobeni of South Africa.  And last but by no means least, many of the advocates and practitioners from the AIDS and global health communities were in attendance, making clear the fact that every individual’s contribution makes a difference.

As President Obama said in his remarks and his World AIDS Day Proclamation, scientific advances have provided us with a unique opportunity for dramatic gains in the global response to HIV/AIDS. The concept of ‘combination prevention,’ through which we rely on multiple prevention interventions tailored to needs in the countries where we work, is at the center of this effort. The President outlined plans to expand our combination prevention work, including prevention of mother-to-child transmission, voluntary medical male circumcision, and condoms.

Among the most exciting new scientific discoveries is that antiretroviral treatment can reduce HIV transmission by as much as 96 percent. The U.S. now supports treatment for nearly 4 million people through PEPFAR – and the President electrified the audience by announcing an historic increase in PEPFAR’s treatment goal, to support for 6 million people by the end of 2013. The impact of this commitment will be extraordinary, for those on treatment and for the many more who will benefit from its preventive effect.

As President Obama made clear, the fight against global AIDS is a shared responsibility, not one the U.S. can meet alone. This week he asked the leaders of the donor and partner nations that are standing up in this fight, to join this effort and redouble their own efforts.  As we move forward, we will work with a growing number of partners as the global community joins the U.S. in a heightened focus on this fight.

The American people can be very proud of the leadership our nation has shown through 30 years of AIDS. On World AIDS Day 2011, it is clear that that legacy of leadership continues.

Gayle Smith is the Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Development and Democracy at the White House. Ambassador Goosby is the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator.

- See more at: http://blog.aids.gov/2011/12/american-leadership-to-reach-an-aids-free-generation.html#sthash.x86Nqu32.dpuf

The Fine Art of Building Community

When Mary and I set out to create LGBTSocialWork.com, we did so with several purposes in mind:

1. To create a learning community where the excellence of knowledge and experience was held in the community; not by one or two people but with the belief that the domains of learning would all increase by the very presence of the community.
2. To empower social workers and other students and professionals in the human service fields with the information to best serve their clients.
3. To engage in advocacy for changing what social work education looks like in serving LGBTQ people.

Our work continues on the website and we are hopeful to have it launched by the end of January.  We continue to work on our "brand" for what this looks like.  Here is our new logo, created by an amazing artist, Dayanara, who recently joined the Office of Diversity Initiatives as a program assistant.  She also has an amazing portfolio of her work as an artist. 

Look for that soon.

So what do you think??  I think it will make some great shirts and other items.

Our journey begins...

Creating a Better World for All of Us

Happy New Year 2012 and welcome to the launch of the LGBT Social Work blog.  We are pleased to finally bring our dream of this blog and our website, LGBTSocialWork.com to reality.  


Our goal in creating both the website and blog is to support LGBTQ people across the life span by building a comprehensive collection of resources, research, evidence-based practices, education and training to those individuals and agencies providing services and addressing environmental factors at micro, mezzo, and macro levels. The core values guiding our purpose and perspective are; service, importance of human relationships, social justice, integrity, dignity and worth of the person and competence. 


Our intention for this blog is to create a process for members of our knowledge community to engage in critical thinking, problem solving, and cultural competence development to better serve our LGBTQ community.  We also recognize the vital role allies play in the support of this often marginalized population.


We will post current events, questions, relevant articles, and case studies to engage each other in the potential micro, mezzo, and macro implications of each.  We will also discuss their impact to social work practice, public policy, advocacy, as well as social work education.


We also believe the collective brilliance of any learning community is far superior to that of any one individual member.  So we invite you to participate in the learning and creating, that will benefit us, as social workers and helping professionals, our profession, and most importantly, the clients we are committed in serving.


If you have questions, suggestions for bettering our knowledge community, areas of exploration and research, materials to contribute or challenges you've encountered, do not hesitate to let us know.  You can contact us at: LGBTSocialWork@gmail.com.  We also have a brand new facebook page at LGBTSocialWork and follow us on Twitter @LGBTSocialWork.


Happy new year and welcome to our learning community.

It's all about the journey, 


Mary Mann, MSW
Michael A. Freeman, MSW Candidate (2012)


2011 was a year filled with many gains for the LGBTQ community.  Many have referenced Hillary Clinton's "Free and Equal in Dignity and Rights"speech as the "greatest moment for the LGBTQ community"of 2011.  Her term, "gay rights are human rights" has become the mantra for activists, LGBTQ people and their allies in defining participation in the benefits afforded by this country as full citizens.  Here is Secretary Clinton's full speech.

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter"

-Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.-