Providence, RI - Aspiring social workers from Providence College and Rhode Island College will learn the fundamentals of legislative lobbying firsthand at the Social Work Legislative Education Day, to be held at the Rhode Island State House on Thursday, February 12, 2004 beginning at 2:30 p.m.

The event is being coordinated by Providence College's Department of Social Work, the Rhode Island chapter of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW-RI), and the Rhode Island College's School of Social Work, which is celebrating its 25th year anniversary as an accredited social work program. At the event, students will be provided with details about their legislative district representatives, information about how a bill becomes a law, and a listing of Internet Web sites where they can track the process of legislation under consideration.

Rhode Island's General Treasurer Paul J. Tavares will bring greetings from the State. NASW-RI Board President Ellen O'Hara, and Nancy Gewertz, chair of the Poverty Institute's One RI Platform, will describe how the experience and commitment of social workers can and should influence public policy decisions and legislation.
Students also will hear about the role of leadership in the Rhode Island General Assembly from a panel of state legislators led by Senate Majority Leader Teresa Paiva-Weed. 

Senator Elizabeth H. Roberts, Chair of the Health and Human Services Committee, will lead the presentation on the role of committees in the General Assembly. Following the panel discussions, students will meet with legislators.

"Our goal is to encourage our social work students to see themselves as powerful advocates for themselves, as constituents, and for the clients they will serve through their profession," explains Dr. Susan Griffith, assistant professor of social work at Providence College. "It is critical for these future social workers to understand how to be effectively engaged in the legislative process."

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