TURN UP THE VOLUME

rkoliver84
Jun 2
2 min read

Music is powerful. It stirs emotions, sparks memories, energizes action, and unites people. Whether it's the calming rhythm of a soft ballad, the drive of a high-energy anthem, or the pride of a school song, music speaks—and it gets heard. Some play it in the background; others crank it up when they need motivation (hello, vacuuming playlist!). In many ways, music is a metaphor for what we’re trying to do with School Social Work: we’ve been playing the tune for decades—it’s time to turn it way up.

School Social Work has been an impactful profession since the early 20th century. For over 100 years, we’ve supported students, families, and school communities—often without fanfare or recognition. Despite our essential role, too many decision-makers in education still don’t understand who we are or the full value of what we do. We’ve been speaking—but our message hasn’t been loud enough.

That’s why SSWAA launched the National Awareness Campaign: to amplify our voice, clarify our message, and elevate our profession. This campaign is about more than visibility—it’s about shifting perception, correcting misunderstandings, and inspiring support. Each intentional action we take is like turning the dial higher—until our profession can no longer be overlooked.

Just like a song is created by many voices—singers, instrumentalists, producers—we need many School Social Workers, in many roles, to build this movement:

As social media advocates who speak the language of our digital age.
As presenters to school boards, PTAs, and staff teams.
As storytellers who write letters and share lived experiences with legislators and local media.
As collaborators who unite with others in their state to tailor and spread our campaign materials.

Every effort matters. Every voice counts. And when we join together, the message becomes impossible to ignore.

SSWAA is actively recruiting Campaign Ambassadors—passionate School Social Workers who are willing to take action and help lead this movement. Our goal? To have ambassadors in every state and Washington, DC. Right now, we’re almost there! We have 157 Ambassadors across the country, representing more than 1,850 years of collective experience. Only Oklahoma, Hawaii, and DC are still missing—we need your help to cross the finish line!

Want to turn up the volume on our profession?

Here’s how you can take action today:

Sign up to be a Campaign Ambassador and receive access to ready-to-use resources: https://www.sswaa.org/national-awareness
Connect with others in your state or district to collaborate on campaign efforts. (Use our toolkit as a flexible guide—it’s meant to be localized!)
Share the campaign materials on your social media accounts and professional networks.
Schedule a presentation for your school staff, administrator, or school board.
Write a short op-ed or letter to the editor in your local newspaper.
Create a 1-minute video explaining what School Social Workers do and why we matter—then tag SSWAA and share with the hashtags: #UnitetoIgnite #SSWawareness #SSWimpact

Let’s make this a chorus. Let’s make it a movement. Let’s turn it all the way up—because our students, families, and schools deserve to hear us loud and clear.

This content has been enhanced using AI.  Content has been reviewed by and edited by SSWAA staff and/or committee members.