Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Leadership, Social Work, and the Military

On November 2 Dr. Griffin Lockett will be speaking about Leadership, Social Work, and the Military, exploring (among other things) issues of functioning as a social work leader within a military culture.

Dr. Lockett will be in Room 300 TTK from 12:15-1:30 All are welcome.

Leadership and Courage

Really interesting article on leadership and courage. Starts with the quote from Andrew Jackson "One person with courage is a majority."

Check it out at http://www.centerforcommunityleadership.com/static/centerforcommunityleadership/newsletter.php?file=/centerforcommunityleadership/newsletter/1-9.php

Monday, October 19, 2009

Leadership and International Social Work

UNC School of Socail Work Leadership Series presents Dr. Gina Chowa speaking on "Leadership and International Social Work" tomorrow at 12:15 in room 300

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Effective Leadership and Advocacy

Yesterday a coalition of advocacy organizations and consumer groups gathered for a press conference in Raleigh, demanding that the Governor call a special session of the General Assembly to deal with the mounting disasters in the mental health, developmental disabilities, substance abuse services system.

Never let it be said this kind of action has no impact! The evening before the event occurred (but after the word had leaked)our Secretary of DHHS announced the state had "found" an additional $15M for mental health services. For a great summary of the issue see Chris Fitzsimon's column at http://www.ncpolicywatch.com/cms/2009/10/14/a-timely-demand-for-action/

Effective leadership and advocacy combined with collaboration can make a huge difference. What was the Margaret Meade quote..."Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed people can change the world...indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

Friday, October 2, 2009

Quick quiz--what do the following political and social leaders have in common: Abraham Lincoln, Dorothea Dix, Winston Churchill, Florence Nightingale, Abbie Hoffman?

Give up? They all lived with a serious mental illness.

As social work leaders, one of our tasks is to be inclusive, not to dismiss anyone because of their label. Mental illness is one of the most difficult labels to live with; the stigma in our society against people who live with mental illnesses is severe. This despite the fact that 1 in 4 of us will experience a mental illness in our lifetime.

October 4-10 is National Mental Illness Awareness Week. So take a little time, learn more about mental illnesses, read about recovery, and step forward to dispel myths and decrease stigma.