March is an important month in the social work calendar. Since the 1960s March has been observed as Social Work Month and has become a time to recognize the importance of social work and raise awareness about the profession. The Katherine A. Kendall Institute was proud to participate in activities recently to celebrate this observance.
On March 25, 2013, the Institute was a sponsor of Social Work Day at the United Nations. Representatives from national and international social work organizations were in attendance for the celebration, the theme of which was Social Work Partnering With the UN on the Post-2015 Development Agenda. This year marked the 30th anniversary of Social Work Day.
The Kendall Institute also sponsored a World Social Work Day celebration at the University of Sarajevo in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Darja Zaviršek, president of the East European Regional Association of the International Association of Schools of Social Work, gave the keynote lecture, titled “Social Work Between Structural Inequalities and Human Rights Principles in Eastern Europe.” The third Tuesday of March each year has been designated as World Social Work Day.