SOCIAL WORKERS and graduates celebrated National Social Work Week with speakers, a ceremony for the graduates and workshops at the UNBC campus March 5.
Five graduates, who make up the sixth class of graduates in the program, were honoured at a ring ceremony that included experienced social workers who welcomed and offered their support to their new colleagues.
A silver ring is given to grads to wear on their pinky finger of their working hand much as engineers wear an iron ring to remind them of the high standards they strive for, explained emcee and part-time social work instructor Robert Hart.
It is worn "by social workers who obligate themselves to their profession's code of ethics...symbolizes the pride which social workers have in their profession and the humility with which they practise it. The ring is made of silver to symbolize the worthiness of the values by which we practise and the worth of each human being with whom we work," Hart said, reciting the first part of the ring ceremony.
"The ring serves as a reminder to social workers and to the community our obligation to practise by the highest standard of professional conduct...The ring is a symbol of personal and professional obligation, accountability, commitment and responsibility to the trust placed in us by society."
Then the graduates read the second part of the ring ceremony, which was the obligation of a social worker and the experienced social workers and mentors read a third part to welcome the new social workers to the profession.
With this being the sixth graduating class of social workers, there are about 50 social workers out there and many have stayed in the region, said Hart, adding that means there is far less turnover in the area now than in the past.