About 70 UTA School of Social Work students traveled to the state Capitol in March to attend the annual Social Work Advocacy Day.
Advocacy Day at the Capitol is hosted each year in Austin by the Texas chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. This year’s event was held March 7.
The group’s goal is to highlight the social work profession and its work to improve, among other areas, the lives of children and families, those recovering from substance abuse and the effects of various traumas and the needs of veterans and school children.
Social Work students spoke with local legislators and listened to debates on legislative issues including humane treatment of incarcerated women and advocated for childcare subsidies for working families.
Eloisa Bustamante-Oviedo, a UTA Social Work student, said she became more conscious of the plethora of issues to which she could lend her voice after making the Advocacy Day trip.
“I really hadn’t put time and effort into these issues,” Bustamante-Oviedo said. “When you realize that, oh my goodness, I’m absolutely in a little bubble. It makes me aware.”
Share in the students’ experiences by clicking here to see photos from Social Work Advocacy Day at the Capitol.