Macro Summit Brings Much Needed Conversation to Michigan Social Workers

On Friday, May 10^th, over 80 social workers gathered in Novi, Michigan for the first Macro Social Work Summit. The Macro Social Work Summit was hosted by the National Association of Social Workers – Michigan Chapter (NASW – Michigan), along with The Children’s Center of Detroit. Participants included social workers in all levels of practices, and in areas from program development, marketing, policy writing, community organizing, agency management, to name a few. The day began with a welcome from Maxine Thome, PhD, LMSW, ACSW, MPH, the Executive Director of NASW – Michigan, who explained that the event was formed after years of conversations and meetings with macro practitioners expressing a desire for networking, education, and collaboration.

The morning panel consisted of social workers Marijo Upshaw, LLMSW, Shantalea Johns, LMSW, Tamarie Willis, LLMSW, Dominique Golden, MSW, and Miriam Issa, MSW, from Wayne State University and focused on social entrepreneurship and innovation. Ms. Upshaw helped participants understand what social entrepreneurship looks like in social work practice, as well as how to shape the future direction of social entrepreneurship. One example of social innovation that Ms. Upshaw discussed was Dr. Muhammad Yunus’s Grameen Bank, which was established in Bangladesh in 1983. The Grameen Bank was founded because Dr. Yunus believed that all people had a right to credit, despite socioeconomic status. Dr. Yunus provided loans to impoverished people based on merit, and found a successful model for reducing poverty in his home country.

Ms. Willis then described the social entrepreneurship approach at the Wayne State University School of Social Work. Recent graduates of the program, Dominique Golden and Meriam Issa, described their inspiring nonprofit organizations that provide support and advocacy for refugees and equity for the Arab-Canadian community. The program merges business models, ethical consumerism, best social work practices, with a strong lens on social justice and community building.

Presenters Joanne Sobeck, PhD, MSW and Elizabeth Agius, PhD Candidate, from Wayne State University provided tools for assessing research in macro social work. Dr. Sobeck and Dr. Agius also described the tools utilized across various levels, including the individual, community, collective, and societal level, and provided examples to aid in learning. The presenters emphasized the importance of the continuous project evaluation cycle and how it can be utilized to define the question, create the evaluation plan, interpret the results, and implement changes in macro social work research.

During lunch, Carlynn Nichols, LMSW, of The Children’s Center gave the keynote on the future of macro social work practice. Ms. Nichols took participants on a journey through the past, asking them to reflect on how they got to this point in their social work careers, leaving participants feeling motivated and inspired. A video of Mr. Nichol’s address is available on NASW-Michigan’s YouTube channel at https://bit.ly/2QGQGUY.

Dr. Jonah Siegel, PhD, MSW, from the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission presented after lunch on social work, community organizing, and the transformation of the criminal justice system. Dr. Siegel engaged participants in a discussion surrounding the evaluation techniques utilized to assess Michigan’s first four standards for indigent defense. He also discussed difficulties of evaluating indigent defense and criminal justice-related policies in Michigan, as well as sustainable implementation methods for such policies.

The Macro Social Work Summit concluded with a panel discussion surrounding the current challenges in the field of macro social work, predicted changes in the future of macro social work, and advice for new macro practitioners. The panelists represented various areas of macro social work practice and included Danielle Dillard, BSW, of the Detroit Justice Center, Bryanna McGarry, MSW, of the Michigan State Senate, Jonah Siegel, PhD, MSW, of the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission, Joanne Sobeck, PhD, MSW, of the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission, and Marijo Upshaw, LLMSW, MBA, of Wayne State University.

Several resources are being developed with input from the attendees, including a macro social work job title list, as well as future webinars and educational events. Due to positive feedback concluding the Macro Social Work Summit, the event will likely occur annually.

Photo captions:

• Macro Summit attendees identify themselves by areas of practice, including management, community organizing, and academia.
• Carlynn Nichols encourages the audience to reflect on their social work journey and to provide macro opportunities to the next generation of social workers
• Danielle Dillard with the Detroit Justice Center discusses community political participation and challenges within macro social work. Other panelists include Bryanna McGarry, Jonah Siegel, Joanne Sobeck, and Marijo Upshaw.