By Karen Johnson and Kelly Martin

A mid our day-to-day work to partner with families and children, especially during an ongoing pandemic, it often is challenging to stay apprised of and incorporate the advancing knowledge, research, and evidence around brain science. However, brain science holds great promise in helping us to increase equity, support all families, and strengthen our workforce. The science is clear—adversity and toxic stress can change the brain’s architecture—and preventing and mitigating both are critical in every facet of our work (National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, 2005/2014).

The Texas Change in Mind initiative, convened and led by Social Current, supports 10 community-based organizations that are working to create impact through intersecting levels of change (Social Current, n.d.). Funded by the Episcopal Health Foundation, The Powell Foundation, St. David’s Foundation, and an anonymous donor, the initiative uses a learning collaborative model that allows the organizations to learn from one another, Social Current, and other experts. The Texas organizations are using brain science and equity practices to effect transformative change by promoting the foundations of safe, stable relationships; positive childhood experiences; healthy development; and individual and collective resilience.

This work is guided by the Texas Change in Mind initiative’s theory of change that includes six key areas: Brain science, racial equity, organizational resilience, community impact, communications, and evaluation. Through a wide array of learning engagements over two years, the teams are incorporating new knowledge into their own organizational theories of change and determining their paths forward.

Staff and Organizational Resilience

As the initiative launched in spring 2021, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of the participating organizations noted this opportunity could not have come at a better time. They already had been working to embed brain science and equity and were eager for additional support in building capacity and resilience in their workforces.

“So many staff have experienced firsthand inequities regarding COVID-19 in their families and personal lives,” said Nadine Scamp, CEO of Santa Maria Hostel. “We have been thinking about how we can support our staff so they can support our families. Change in Mind is an opportunity to put thought and resources behind this question.”

To equip staff with resilience-building tools, organizations are teaching them brain science concepts, including executive functioning (National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, 2020), and the sequence of engagement: regulate, relate, reason (Perry, 2020). These concrete strategies are being integrated into work with families and helping staff to stay regulated, build psychological safety, and engage in conversations that advance equity practices.

Hand in hand with embedding brain science principles, the Texas organizations are advancing their equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) journeys by administering the Intercultural Development Inventory® (IDI®; see www.idiinventory.com) to key staff. This cross-cultural assessment of intercultural competence is a first step in developing a plan for personal growth. In addition, the organizations’ executive leaders are receiving consultative support from Social Current’s EDI experts on advancing their organizational efforts. This work is stretching teams to, “reach across the organization, be inclusive of staff and team up with cultural proficiency and inclusion folks,” noted Dr. Teri Wood, a Trust Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) clinician and coordinator with the Austin Ed Fund, which supports the Austin Independent School District (AISD).

“Working to grow our EDI skills can be uncomfortable at times and is often hard, but we know you can’t have trauma-informed, brain-based learning/services without EDI. They are interwoven,” said Karen McWhorter, director of development at Family Service Center of Galveston County, who is seeking funding to expand administration of the IDI® across the organization.

Children’s Museum Houston (CMH) has been advancing the work of its Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion (DEAI) Committee, which was started before the pandemic and seeks to make improvements to how it designs and provides programs. The CMH team is adding brain science modules to its new employee onboarding and equity training and regularly engaging with all staff in advancing racial equity.

Texas Change in Mind

“We think of this as a journey—a process. It’s called “Change in Mind” for a reason—it’s really a shift. It makes us put things in perspective,” said Lisa Williams, director of gallery programs at CMH. “Children in this pandemic have suffered in a way that we don’t even know at this point. We are trying to position ourselves to give our families and communities what they need from us.”

Child and Family Well-Being

By focusing on supporting staff, building capacities, and strengthening organizational resilience—all through the lens of brain science and a commitment to equity and justice—the participating organizations are already seeing positive impacts in organization culture shifts and their ability to support children and families.

“We have appreciated the intentionality of bringing the equity, diversity and inclusion conversation into brain science conversations,” said Scamp. “Having the space for staff to wrestle with their perceptions and to support participants in moving beyond stigma and bias regarding their substance use and mental health challenges is foundational change.”

Santa Maria Hostel primarily works with mothers who are experiencing the interwoven challenges of substance use, housing insecurity, and mental health concerns. Santa Maria Hostel’s recent work has focused on supporting healthy relationships between parent participants and their infants and toddlers. They also are building out-of-schooltime programming to focus on school age children.

Originally this looked like a traditional afterschool program. However, given what the team is learning about brain science and intentionally centering families in their children’s development, the program is morphing into a family-based afterschool program with an emphasis on strengthening attachment and serve-and-return communication (National Scientific Council on the Developing Child., n.d.).

The multi-generation approach, a hallmark of brain science-based strategies, is also being used by the Austin Independent School District. As Becky Murillo, LCSW and TBRI clinician, said, “This is going to make our support to schools, students, and families even stronger.” They are working with a group of parents to help them learn about brain development and how they can support their children’s cognitive, social, and emotional development. “Parents understand how it better equips them as caregivers and as parents,” said Murillo. “As they learn, they say, ‘We need to get more parents at this table!’ It feels like an empowerment model to me.”

As the work of the initiative continues, NORC at the University of Chicago (see www.norc.org) is overseeing multiple evaluation objectives, including evaluating the effectiveness of the Change in Mind learning collaborative model in helping sites achieve positive results at individual, organization, and community system levels; building the capacity of sites to use developmental evaluation; and assessing the uptake of racial equity at organizational and community network levels.

We will know more about impact of this work as evaluation results come in. For now, we can attest that the Texas Change in Mind Learning Collaborative is an exciting opportunity to accelerate the application of brain science and equity into systems change efforts in the communities served by the 10 participating organizations. These leaders are being supported to rethink, reflect, and reimagine at all levels of their work—personally, organizationally, and systemically. They’re sharing ideas, supporting each other, and creating a ripple effect in their networks. As Dr. Wood says, “This has brought life, excitement, and hope to our work. Our team is excited for every meeting and asking, ‘What can we do next?”

---

Karen Johnson, MSW, LCSW leads the development of Social Current’s Change in Mind Institute (see https://www.social-current.
org/engage/change-in-mind-institute/) and the Texas Change in Mind Learning Collaborative.

Kelly Martin, MS, is the Director of Practice Excellence at Social Current. Her work focuses on applied developmental psychology,
educational success, policy, and advocacy, and supporting the work of the Change in Mind Institute.

References

• National Scientific Council on the Developing Child. (n.d.) A Guide to Serve and Return: How Your Interaction with Children Can
  Build Brains. Harvard University. https://developingchild.harvard.edu/guide/a-guide-to-serve-and-return-how-your-interactionwith-children-can-build-brains/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=september_2019
• National Scientific Council on the Developing Child. (2005/2014). Excessive Stress Disrupts the Architecture of the Developing Brain:
  Working Paper 3. Updated Edition. Harvard University. https://developingchild.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2005/05/Stress_Disrupts_Architecture_Developing_Brain-1.pdf
• National Scientific Council on the Developing Child. (2020). Connecting the Brain to the Rest of the Body: Early Childhood Development and Lifelong Health Are Deeply Intertwined: Working Paper No. 15. Harvard University. https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/connecting-the-brain-to-the-rest-of-the-body-early-childhood-development-and-lifelong-health-are-deeply-intertwined/
• Perry, B. (2020, April 20). Regulate, Relate, Reason (Sequence of Engagement): Neurosequential Network Stress & Trauma Series.
  NN COVID-19 Stress, Distress & Trauma Series. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNuxy7FxEVk
• Social Current. (n.d.) Change in Mind Institute. Author. https://www.social-current.org/engage/change-in-mind-institute

This article was originally posted in CWLA’s Children’s Voice Magazine – Vol. 32 #1, 2023. To read through the entirety of Vol, 32, purchase the issue on the Child Welfare League of America’s website.

On Jan. 14, President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris unveiled their American Rescue Plan. This proposal has a price tag of $1.9 trillion and aims to build off of some of the investments in the end-of-the year package that became law in late December. This initial proposal did not include legislative language, so some details still aren’t clear. Ultimately, it will be up to the new Congress to review and pass legislation. They will likely put their own stamp on it, with some changes and additions of other programs and funding. The biggest obstacle to passage will be the United States Senate, which has a 50-50 split, with a tie-breaking vote by VP-Elect Harris. Senate Democrats are considering a process, called budget reconciliation, that would allow them to pass such a bill with a simple majority. We anticipate the process of passing this bill will take several weeks or months, with no guarantees.

Some of the key provisions impacting our network include:

• A $350 billion investment in state, local, and territorial governments to help them keep services afloat;
• Provides an additional $40 billion, on top of the $10 billion provided in the end of the year package, to total $50 billion in child care relief funding;

There are many other provisions to review in the below summary. The Alliance for Strong Families and Communities and the Council on Accreditation will continue to fight for additional relief funds for state and local government, loans, and grants for nonprofits of all sizes (including those with more than 500 employees), an increase in the FMAP Medicaid match, and other key priorities in as this process unfolds in early 2021.

State/Local Aid

• $350 billion in emergency funding for state, local, and territorial governments to ensure that they can keep front line public workers on the job and paid, while also effectively distributing the vaccine, scaling testing, reopening schools, and maintaining other vital services.

Financial Relief for Nonprofits

• Grants to hardest hit small businesses (not clear if nonprofits are included in this program, didn’t include details) 
  • Provides grants to more than one million of hardest hit small businesses. $15 billion in flexible, equitably distributed grants.
• Low-Interest Loans – $35 billion for state, local, tribal, and nonprofit small business financing programs to help generate $175 billion in low interest loans and venture capital to help entrepreneurs create and maintain jobs, build wealth, and provide essential goods and services. (did not say if nonprofits are eligible for these loans)

Hazard Pay

• No funding for hazard pay. Instead, the proposal calls on employers to take actions to provide frontline essential workers with back hazard pay.

Minimum Wage

• Raises the minimum wage to $15 per hour and ends the tipped minimum wage and the sub-minimum wage for people with disabilities.

Paid Leave

• Requires employers, regardless of size, to offer paid sick leave during the pandemic to workers.
• Parents and family members caring for sick relatives or out-of-school children could receive more than 14 weeks of paid sick and family leave. 
• Plan would provide as much as $1,400 per week in tax credits to employers with fewer than 500 employees to reimburse them for the cost of paid leave. Tax credits will reimburse employers under 500 employees for 100 percent of the cost of the leave.
• Eliminates exemptions for employers with over 500 and less than 50 employees, so that they must offer leave. 
• Provisions extended until September 30, 2021.

Child Tax Credit

• Expands child tax credits for low- and middle-income families and makes them refundable for 2021. Would expand the child tax credit to $3,000, from $2,000, for each child 17 and younger. Children under age six would be eligible for $3,600.

Child Care

• $25 billion emergency stabilization fund to help hard-hit child care providers, including family child care homes, to cover costs and operate safely.
• $15 billion for the Child Care and Development Block Grant program.
• Families will get back as a tax credit as much as half of their spending on child care for children under age 13, so that they can receive a total of up to $4,000 for one child or $8,000 for two or more children. The tax credit will be refundable, meaning that families who don’t owe a lot in taxes will still benefit. The full 50 percent reimbursement will be available to families making less than $125,000 a year.

Earned Income TaxCredit (EITC)

• Raises the maximum Earned Income Tax Credit for childless adults from roughly $530 to close to $1,500, raises the income limit for the credit from about $16,000 to about $21,000, and expands the age range that is eligible, including by eliminating the age cap for older workers so that older workers can claim the credit.

School Funding 

• Education Stabilization – $130 billion
  • Provide resources to support schools safely reopening. Funds can be used for reduced class size, modifying spaces for social distancing, improved ventilation, hiring more janitors, PPE for staff, ensuring schools have accesses to a nurse, etc. 
  • Districts must ensure that funds are also used to meet students’ academic, mental health, and social and emotional needs in responses to COVID-19. Examples include extended learning time, tutoring, and counselors. 
  • Funding can be used to prevent cuts to state pre-k programs. 
  • A portion of funding can be used for a COVID-19 Educational Equity Challenge Grant, which will support state, local, and tribal governments in partnering with teachers, parents, and other stakeholders to advance equity – and evidence-based policies to respond to COVID-related educational challenges, give all students the support they need.

Nutrition Assistance

• Extends the 15 percent Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit increase through September 2021. Temporarily cuts the state match.
• Invests $3 billion for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children.

Direct Payments (Stimulus Checks) 

• Gives families a $1,400 per-person check, in addition to the $600 stimulus checks provided to families in December, for a total of $2,000.

Unemployment Insurance

• Extends and expands unemployment insurance benefits, including a $400 per-week unemployment insurance supplement. Proposes extending emergency unemployment insurance programs through September 2021, allowing workers not traditionally included in the unemployment insurance program to participate.

Rental and Housing Assistance 

• Extends the eviction and foreclosure moratoriums and continues applications for forbearance on federally-guaranteed mortgages until Sept. 30, 2021.
• $30 billion in rental and critical energy and water assistance, including $5 billion to cover home energy and water costs and arrears through programs like the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program. 
• $5 billion in emergency assistance to help secure housing for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)

• $1 billion for states to cover additional cash assistance that Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) recipients needed as a result of the pandemic crisis.

Behavioral Health

• $4 billion to enable the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the Health Resources and Services Administration.

Healthcare Coverage

• President-elect Biden is calling on Congress to subsidize continuation health coverage (COBRA) through the end of September 2021. He is also asking Congress to expand and increase the value of the Premium Tax Credit so that families don’t pay more than 8.5 percent of their income for coverage.

Community Health Worker Workforce

• Funding for 100,000 public health workers, nearly tripling the country’s community health worker workforce. These individuals will be hired to work in their local communities to perform vital tasks like vaccine outreach and contact tracing in the near term, and to transition into community health roles to build our long-term public health capacity that will help improve quality of care and reduce hospitalization for low-income and underserved communities. 

For Black History Month, the Social Current Knowledge and Insights Center is highlighting resources related to Black Health and Wellness, which is this year’s theme chosen by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. The Center has examined resources on initiatives focused on reducing health disparities; increasing preventive care and body positivity; and fostering emotional and mental health.

Below are examples of how Black doctors and nurses are focusing on strengthening well-being and opportunities for Black families through representation and community conversations. In addition, learn about the organizations working on the front lines to provide resources, treatment, and other supports to support the BIPOC community in reducing health disparities and building capacity for conditions that sustain positive social determinants of health.

Health Equity and Shared Accountability

Strategic partnerships and other health equity initiatives are most effective when there is a shared understanding that families caught in entrenched poverty caused by institutional racism can benefit from multigenerational approaches to family and community success, along with collective action to gain access to the resources and supports necessary for well-being. For example, Social Current is part of a national collaborative with the National COVID-19 Resiliency Network focused on mitigating the negative impact of COVID-19 on racial and ethnic minority and American Indian and Alaska Native communities. We are also partnering with Unite Us to advance health equity and improve health and social outcomes through innovation and technology. These relationships will add necessary investment and accountability with communities and support the leadership of Black and Brown health care professionals in health systems across the country.

Health Representation and Community Leadership

The following examples show how Black doctors and nurses are focusing on strengthening well-being and opportunities for Black families.

The Struggle and Triumph of America’s First Black Doctors
African American physicians have dealt with distrust and misperceptions for more than a century. Their story has been one of both incredible achievement and deep-seated discrimination.

The Creator of a Viral Black Fetus Medical Illustration Blends Art and Activism
Chidiebere Ibe says his work is not just about the lack of representation in medical illustrations. It’s also about the beauty of African culture.

How to Get Up to 3,000 More Black People in Physician Pipeline
Physician leaders argue the time is now for bold thinking to dramatically increase the number of Black students who enter physician training.

Black Nurses Matter: On the Frontlines
The Black Nurses Matter (BNM) network emerged to empower and amplify the voices of Black nurses and organize and mobilize the nursing community to be active in the pursuit of racial and social justice.

Between Us, About Us: A New Campaign By Black Health Care Workers for Black People
Black doctors, nurses, and researchers dispel misinformation and provide accessible facts in 50 FAQ videos that deliver the COVID-19 vaccines information Black people are asking for.

Reducing Health Disparities On the Front Line

These are examples of organizations that are providing resources, treatment, and other supports to help the Black community with health disparities.

We Need More Black Doctors: These Organizations Can Help
To combat the effects of racism and lack of Black representation in the medical field, these organizations are advocating for BIPOC students and doctors with the goal of breaking barriers and diversifying the health care industry.

The Center for African American Health
The Center is committed to improving the health and well-being of the African American community by offering community-based, evidenced-based, disease prevention and disease management programs, events, and services.

The Center for Black Health & Equity
The Center for Black Health & Equity is committed to the pursuit of health justice for people of African descent, particularly to address prevention and treatment of cancer, tobacco-related disease, and HIV/AIDS.

Innovating Doula Program to Address Racial Health Disparities
Doulas play a crucial role in combating the discrimination, racism, and loss of autonomy that Black and Brown birthing people experience due to historical disinvestment. This program develops referral pathways with healthcare systems and federally qualified health centers to facilitate care.

Milwaukee Health Services
This center has served low-income populations since 1989 and is committed to removing barriers and improving health outcomes that promote quality of life and reduce disparities among racial and ethnic communities.

California Black Health Network
CBHN conducts outreach, education, and advocacy to achieve health equity for Black Californians through the lens of understanding critical issues that lie at the intersection of racial justice, social justice, and environmental justice.

Building on Strengths

Raising up Black children, mothers, fathers, and their family members advance society as a whole. Throughout the month, Social Current is highlighting Black voices and stories, focusing on strengths-based and collaborative socioeconomic mobility solutions, sharing emerging research and best practices, and extending opportunities for learning and action.

Here are some ways to join our work on equity, diversity, and inclusion today:

1. Participate in workshops, learning collaboratives, and consulting services
2. Connect with peers and industry experts with SPARK Exchanges (formerly APEX Groups) (Sign up now for the Feb. 8 orientation webinar)
3. Enroll in courses focused on building community health and well-being
4. Subscribe to policy and advocacy updates
5. Sign up for the National COVID-19 Resiliency Network’s pandemic response updates
6. Browse the Knowledge and Insights Center (formerly Alliance Library) for Black health and wellness research and resources (Social Current network exclusive)

September 12, 2023 @ 2:00 pm – 2:30 pm

Free

Register

This free 30-minute webinar provides an introduction to Social Current and COA Accreditation. It is perfect for anyone seeking accreditation for the first time, interested in what is required to become accredited, or mandated to become accredited by state or federal legislation. Participants will gain an understanding of the key concepts that define COA Accreditation, the steps toward becoming accredited, and the benefits of accreditation. There will also be a Q&A portion for us to answer any questions you might have.

Takeaways

• What is the value of accreditation
• What is the accreditation process
• How to become accredited

Who Should Participate

Anyone who is interested in learning more about accreditation for their organization, whether it be first-time accreditation or reaccreditation.

Joe Perrow

Network Growth Manager
Social Current

Biography

Joe Perrow

Network Growth Manager
Social Current

Joe Perrow is the network growth manager for accreditation services at Social Current. His role allows him to work closely with organizations that are seeking accreditation for the first time by helping them to navigate standards, establish a timeline, and proactively prepare for the process. Perrow has a master’s in business administration from Campbell University and more than eight years’ experience in business development, marketing, and partner management.

Outlook Live

Outlook 365

Google Calendar

iCalendar

Related Events

• 

  Introduction to COA Accreditation

  June 4 @ 3:00 pm – 3:30 pm
• 

  COA Accreditation and Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs)

  June 12 @ 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
• 

  Introduction to COA Accreditation

  August 6 @ 3:00 pm – 3:30 pm

“I want to make the world a better place. I want to help vulnerable people in my community. I want a career where I feel like I’m making a difference.”

Are any of those sentiments familiar to you? They are to me and to many of the social workers I know. After all we were drawn to this profession for those reasons.  After completing school, many of us found work in social services and therapeutic clinical settings. We take the skills we’ve acquired in life and in school out into our chosen field of practice – schools, non-profit organizations, mental health clinics – and we employ our strengths-based, person-in-environment framework to engage clients and communities in meeting their goals and improving their circumstances.

When we look at what we call our environments, however, our focus as social workers leans heavily on our social environments, and looks less at our natural environmental landscape and the impact that nature has on us as human beings and on our communities at large.

As a result, historically, social work has mostly seemed to leave the work of environmental justice to others. We’re doing so much already, we’re not superheroes! If we shift our thinking a bit however, and begin to examine the connection between the natural environment and our clients’ well-being, there is a strong case to be made that the environmental justice work that’s being done is more related to our mission as social workers than ever before.

Environmental justice

The concept of environmental justice isn’t new, but in my experience, it’s not something that is discussed very often within the framework of social work. Here’s a quick layman’s overview pulled together by this laywoman. The Environmental Protection Agency has defined this concept as “The fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.”

From the social work perspective, the Council for Social Work Education developed a nuanced definition emphasizing not only the equal involvement and treatment of all people, but the right of all people to high levels of environmental protection: “Environmental justice occurs when all people equally experience high levels of environmental protection and no group or community is excluded from the environmental policy decision-making process, nor is affected by a disproportionate impact from environmental hazards. Environmental justice affirms the ecological unity and the interdependence of all species, respect for cultural and biological diversity, and the right to be free from ecological destruction. This includes responsible use of ecological resources, including the land, water, air, and food.” By emphasizing not only that all people have the right to be treated equally, but that all people have the right to be treated well, the focus is not only standing for equality. Its also standing up for all of us and our quality of life on earth.

When you begin to look at the connection between the natural environment and climate, and how this matters to social work, and the communities we serve, it’s pretty straightforward. Consider these scenarios: oil spills, air pollution, hurricanes and then of course Flint, Michigan.  Way back in 1987, when some of us were in diapers and some of us were in hair bands, Toxic Wastes and Race in the United States showed that race was “the single most important factor in determining where toxic waste facilities were sited in the United States.” In the years since this study, mounting evidence has developed around the connection between environmental issues and racial and socio-economic justice issues and awareness of the intersection between these areas has grown. We now know that “people from marginalized and underserved communities are disproportionately impacted by climate change, drought, and pollution.”

The bottom line: this is another factor negatively impacting the communities we work to serve.

Nurturing through nature

So, that was a bummer. On the flip side though, I think it’s important to highlight that not only are the communities we serve disproportionately impacted when the natural environment is polluted, but that there are many potential benefits that can be gained from interacting with the natural environment. That is, of course, another reason for us to fight to preserve it.

The benefits of exposure to nature are real and spectacular. Whether it is walking in the forest to lower blood pressure or increasing ability to focus, or as this National Geographic article, This is Your Brain on Nature discusses, spending time outside to improve problem-solving, the benefits of exposure to the natural environment have been well documented. The field of ecotherapy for example, explores the therapeutic value of exposure to nature as an alternative tool for improving mental health. Programs like the Fresh Air Fund and Outward Bound provide opportunities for participants to gain skills and experience interacting with nature through immersive programming. And for those interested, COA’s research-based standards for Wilderness and Adventure-Based Therapeutic Outdoor Services outline best practices for implementing services based on this premise.

Social workers are natural helpers

Most of you reading this are probably aware of the unique skill set of social workers, but nevertheless, let’s take an opportunity to remind you (#notsohumblebragalert): social workers are known as strong empathizers, communicators, advocates, and organizers. Those skills are critical in not only traditional social work settings, but valuable in almost any work setting — traditional or non-traditional. And so while we often examine the concept of person-in-environment, (this blog has discussed the impact of built environments), how often do we specifically include our ecological or natural environment? If we choose to use these skills in the environmental justice realm, think of the power that could have to shape not only our built environments, but our natural environment as well. In that regard, a relatively new field, being referred to as Green Social Work, has developed around the emerging realization of the connectedness between our natural environment and our quality of life.

For social workers, how exciting is it to think about how we can use those advocacy skills to fight for access to clean drinking water? We can use our communication skills to break down what can feel overwhelming and hopeless (what if we looked at the way people use aversion of fear as a form of denial not only in our clients’ personal lives, but in regard to these global environmental concerns as well — hello, coping skills 101). And we can use our social justice lens to examine the need for equality not only in regard to social equality, but in regard to natural resource equality.

It’s worth looking at the following statement within the context above — “Social workers should promote the general welfare of society, from local to global levels, and the development of people, their communities, and their environments. Social workers should advocate for living conditions conducive to the fulfillment of basic human needs and should promote social, economic, political, and cultural values and institutions that are compatible with the realization of social justice.” That’s the NASW Code of Ethics in regard to Social Workers’ “ethical responsibilities to the broader society.” It goes on to say that in regard to social and political action, social workers “should engage in social and political action that seeks to ensure that all people have equal access to the resources, employment, services, and opportunities they require to meet their basic human needs and to develop fully.” It’s hard to argue that clean water, air, and land are not part of that tenet.

Team green: How your organization can make a difference

So, what should we do? Take a hike? Well, in the literal sense, YES! In the figurative sense, NO!

As social workers, as leaders of our organizations, as human beings on this planet — starting from our favorite strengths-based perspective — are there ways your organization already takes steps to reduce the environmental impact of its daily operations? Examples might include instituting a recycling program, using environmentally friendly products, and/or reducing water and energy consumption. This is a great start! Give yourself a goldish-green star. To formalize this, if you haven’t already, you might consider creating a Green Team of interested employees who want to work on environmental initiatives for staff inside and outside of the office. Many benefits of this can overlap with those of an employee volunteer initiative, if you have established one of those. Speaking of which…we already discussed the benefits of having an employee volunteer initiative when we explored ways the principle of corporate social responsibility (CSR) might be applicable to social service organizations on this blog. If this is something that you have implemented or are thinking about doing, it’s great to consider the opportunities to partner with environmentally-focused organizations. It switches it up from your day-to-day work, and might lead to future collaboration. At the very least, it exposes your staff to environmental activism and provides support in a needed area.

More broadly, CSR programs often encompass “a company’s sense of responsibility toward the community and environment (both ecological and social) in which it operates.” Viewing your for-profit or non-profit organization through this lens, as an entity with responsibility for the community and the environment in which you operate, it’s important to consider all ways in which you operate within, and have an impact on, the broader environment. While it may not be the ideal motivator, there is certainly a case to be made that there is an overlap between some of these efforts and your financial bottom line (hello, lower paper and energy bills). As a social service provider, you are already contributing to educational and/or social programs. Are there ways you can examine your impact on the environment as well?

The end of the rainbow is green

The point of this isn’t to scare you, overwhelm, or green wash you. The hope is that this emphasizes perhaps a new, personal connection between two traditionally disparate areas of justice, and makes us think about some ways in which they truly intersect. There is a case to be made that social workers are uniquely equipped and also ethically bound, to include environmental justice in our framework, even if it means expanding our purview of what it means to be social workers. Because at the end of the day – what are we fighting for, if not a better world, in every sense of the word.

P.S. One final note: if all of that isn’t moving you to take action, if you, like me, like brunch, maybe this will.

September 12, 2022 @ 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm

$195 – $255

This workshop is a pre-conference session of the SPARK 2022 conference.

Organizations and staff working to advance equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) require more than just technical knowledge and the desire to act. They also must understand the multiple ways in which bias manifests in our daily lives and working relationships in unconscious ways. This interactive workshop will help participants build their understanding of how implicit bias operates at the individual and organizational levels, along with a variety of strategies for addressing bias and building inclusive habits and practices.

Learning Objectives

• How brain function, culture, and society contribute to implicit bias
• Conduct a self-reflection on personal biases
• Common ways that implicit bias is present in the workplace, and how mental processes and culture contribute
• Strategies for disrupting bias in daily work and in organizational culture and practices

Facilitators

Phyllis Richards

Director of EDI ad Research
Social Current

Romero Davis

Senior Program Manager
Social Current

Jerica Broeckling

EDI and Engagement Partner
Social Current

Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor

401 West Pratt St.
Baltimore, MD 21201 United States + Google Map

View Venue Website

Outlook Live

Outlook 365

Google Calendar

iCalendar

Related Events

• 

  Advocacy Amplified Training and Hill Day

  June 11 @ 8:00 am – June 13 @ 6:00 pm
• 

  Advancing Equity Workshop: Fundamentals to Support Your Journey (July Session)

  July 9 @ 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm
• 

  Intensive Accreditation Training (IAT)

  December 2 @ 10:00 am – 1:00 pm

Take Action

View Our Action Items

Support the Streamlining Federal Grants Act

More than 800 nonprofits have joined this sign-on letter in support of the Streamlining Federal Grants Act (S. 2286/H.R. 5934). Federal grants play an important role in supporting the work of nonprofit organizations and the vital services we provide to communities. This legislation addresses critical issues in managing federal grant programs and would help enhance the efficiency and performance of federal grants and cooperative agreements.

SIGN THE LETTER

 

Visit the Policy and Action Center for more policy and advocacy opportunities. 

Consider donating to help us continue voicing sector concerns.

In the case of Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College, the Supreme Court ruled against affirmative action in college admissions. The historic 6-3 decision last Thursday overturned decades of precedence. The majority ruled that “Affirmative Action,” the practice of considering the race of prospective students when determining admission, violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. Chief Justice Roberts wrote, “The Harvard and UNC admissions programs cannot be reconciled with the guarantees of the Equal Protection Clause. Both programs lack sufficiently focused and measurable objectives warranting the use of race, unavoidably negatively employ race, involve racial stereotyping, and lack meaningful endpoints. We have never permitted admissions programs to work that way, and we will not do so today.”  

In her dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Kentanji Brown Jackson, wrote, “The result of today’s decision is that a person’s skin color may play a role in assessing individualized suspicion, but it cannot play a role in assessing that person’s individualized contributions to a diverse learning environment. That indefensible reading of the Constitution is not grounded in law and subverts the Fourteenth Amendment’s guarantee of equal protection.”  

President Joe Biden condemned the decision, along with many public figures, including Barack and Michelle Obama, saying that he “strongly, strongly” disagrees with the ruling and urging that the “decision must not be the final word” on the matter. Former President Trump applauded the ruling, calling it “a great day for America.” Former Vice President Mike Pence, Florida Gov. Ron Desantis, and other conservative politicians expressed similar sentiments.   

Some states have already banned race-based affirmative action, resulting in declining enrollment of students from underrepresented communities. Public opinion polls have shown mixed approval for the practice, with many voters conflicted. Knowing that the ruling would likely not rule in their favor, elite colleges and universities have been preparing for a change in their admission processes, with one dean stating, “We don’t want tools taken away from us or our hands tied behind our back. … I’m extremely worried.”

Supreme Court Releases Batch of New Decisions

The Supreme Court released a batch of new opinions last week in the final days of its term. On Wednesday, it released opinions ruling against the Independent State Legislature theory, clarifying when online harassment can be prosecuted, and upholding a Pennsylvania law allowing any company doing business in the state to be sued there. Later in the week, the court also ruled on cases dealing with trademark infringement, religious liberty, affirmative action, and President Biden’s student loan forgiveness program.

In the two cases involving the law and religion, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of religious liberty and freedom of expression in certain contexts. In Groff v. DeJoy, the court sided with Gerald Groff, an evangelical Christian suing the U.S. Postal Service for religious discrimination. Groff, who observes the Sabbath, faced punishment for refusing to work on Sundays. Lower courts ruled in favor of the Postal Service, agreeing that accommodating Groff’s beliefs would cause an “undue hardship” for the employer. However, in a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court ruled that under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, “it would not be enough for an employer to conclude that forcing other employees to work overtime would constitute an undue hardship. Consideration of other options, such as voluntary shift swapping, would also be necessary.” The lower courts will now decide Groff’s case under the new clarified standard.

In 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis, the Court ruled 6-3 that an evangelical Christian website designer had the right to refuse service to LGBT customers under the first amendment. The Court ruled that a Colorado anti-discrimination law requiring the wedding website designer to create wedding websites for same sex couples was a violation of the designer’s right to freedom of speech. In the majority opinion, Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote “The First Amendment’s protections belong to all, not just to speakers whose motives the government finds worthy”, continuing “In this case, Colorado seeks to force an individual to speak in ways that align with its views but defy her conscience about a matter of major significance”. In her dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote “Today, the Court, for the first time in its history, grants a business open to the public a constitutional right to refuse to serve members of a protected class”.

Two other cases, Department of Education v. Brown and Biden v. Nebraska, overturned President Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan. While the decision on the first case concluded that the respondents lacked standing to bring a procedural claim against the program, Biden v. Nebraska ruled that the program was unconstitutional.

Once again in a 6-3 vote, the Court ruled that Biden’s plan to forgive up to $20,000 in student loan debt relief to borrowers under the HEROES Act, which gives the executive branch the ability to waive or modify student loan debt terms during a national emergency, exceeded his authority. The majority opinion, written by Justice Roberts, stated that the plan was in violation of the highly subjective “major questions doctrine”, that states that any executive action not approved by Congress which the Court declares to be too “major” of a policy is unconstitutional. In her dissent, Justice Elena Kagan accused the court of “once again ‘substituting’ itself for Congress and the Executive Branch – and the hundreds of millions of people they represent – in making this Nation’s most important, as well as most contested, policy decisions.”

New Bill Introduced to Ensure Continuity of Exemptions to SNAP Work Requirements

On June 13, Ranking Member on the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Nutrition Jahana Hayes (D-Conn.) and Representatives Yadira Caraveo (D-Colo.) and Emilia Sykes (D-Ohio) introduced the Food Access and Stability Act. The proposed legislation would make permanent specific changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) implemented in the recent bipartisan budget deal. Though the agreement required more adults without children to work to receive SNAP benefits, it exempted veterans, unhoused people, and former foster youth from work requirements until 2030. The Food Access and Stability Act would ensure that these exemptions become permanent. In introducing the legislation, the representatives reminded the public that over 41 million people, or 1 in 8, relied on SNAP benefits last year to avoid hunger.

Appropriations Process Already Hitting Hurdles

Just a month after reaching a bipartisan deal on the outlines of next year’s federal budget, members of Congress are already nervous about the prospects of passing a full budget by the end of the year. According to the debt limit deal, Congress must pass the 12 bills that are part of the federal budget by New Year’s Eve or else trigger an automatic 1% reduction across all areas of the federal government, also called sequestration. There is even disagreement over the deadline, with some lawmakers arguing that the bills can be passed as late as April of next year. Another issue is the spending caps included in last month’s debt deal. Republican House members are marking up bills that spend $119 billion less than the targets—a symbolic protest against the debt deal, which didn’t cut spending enough in their view. The Senate, on the other hand, is preparing bills that go above the agreed-upon spending targets. How these approaches will be reconciled into a final budget package is unclear. Rumors are already swirling that each chamber will spend the summer marking up its bills, and then a handpicked team of negotiators will come together in the fall to hammer out the final deal.

Federal Judge Shoots Down Arkansas Gender-Affirming Care Ban

On June 20, a federal district court judge struck down an Arkansas gender-affirming care ban after finding the law violates the constitutional rights of transgender youth, their parents, and health care providers. A coalition made up of parents of transgender youth, as well as doctors and major medical organizations, opposed Arkansas House Bill 1570 (also known as Act 626) and sued the state (Brandt et al. v. Rutledge et al.). Act 626 was enacted by the Arkansas state legislature, overriding the previous veto by the Gov. Asa Hutchinson in 2021. The bill barred state funds and insurance coverage for gender-affirming care and allowed private insurance to refuse coverage. Act 626 also prohibited health care professionals from providing “gender transition procedures” to individuals under 18. The federal district court judge found Act 626 to be unconstitutional.

Administration Rolls Out New Broadband Funding

Last week, the Biden administration announced the launch of Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD), a $42.45 billion grant program to fund high-speed internet infrastructure for each state, territory, and the District of Columbia. Each state will receive a minimum of $107 million. The funding for the program was authorized under the $1 trillion infrastructure law that President Biden passed through Congress in 2021. To receive the first 20% of the funding, states have until the end of the year to submit proposals to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) on how the money will be allotted. By the end of 2025, all the funds will be dispersed. The Biden administration argues that the internet is as vital of a utility as water and gas, and all families should have access to reliable and affordable internet.

Broadband companies have hesitated to provide internet access for rural areas, as it is not a lucrative venture, even though over 8 million homes need access. During the COVID-19 shutdown, the lack of stable internet access in rural areas emphasized the crucial need for these areas of the country to have broadband access. Earlier this month, NTIA announced $930 million for 35 “middle-mile” broadband construction projects connecting large fiber and local networks. NTIA administration Alan Davidson said earlier this month, “Middle Mile infrastructure brings the capacity to our local networks and lowers the cost for deploying future local networks.”

Subscribe to the Policy and Advocacy Radar to receive our biweekly policy roundup, which includes commentary on issues in Social Current’s federal policy agenda, opportunities to take action, and curated news and opportunities.

Opioid Settlement Toolkit for
Community-Based Organizations