Mr. Speaker, Ubuntu: ‘I am because we are’ is a concept and philosophy that resonates with the social work perspective of the interconnectedness of all peoples and their environments. It is a Zulu word that President Obama spoke about at Nelson Mandela’s memorial when he said:

“There is a word in South Africa – Ubuntu – a word that captures Mandela’s greatest gift: his recognition that we are all bound together in ways that are invisible to the eye; that there is a oneness to humanity; that we achieve ourselves by sharing ourselves with others, and caring for those around us.”

Mr. Speaker, On the first day of March, I was delighted to participate in the formal launch of social work month by reading the official proclamation and announcing the month of March as social work month. The event of the proclamation was held virtually and included the participation of actively engaged social workers from various sectors of our community. Each contribution was an emphasis on the significance of the career of social work in a variety of domains including child protection, public welfare, mental health services, hospitals, direct practice with males, charities, probation services, corrections, and seniors. All social workers should feel proud about the ongoing contribution they make to our Community.

Mr. Speaker, for a number of years, our local social workers have followed the mantra and themes set down by our overseas counterparts. In addition to the mantra for social Work Day, the National Association of Social Workers have announced this year’s theme as “social workers are essential”, a very fitting theme considering the times that we are in and what we have all collectively experienced due to the world wide impact of the coronavirus. Just last year, the theme was “social workers, generations strong” and under the auspices of that particular theme, the input of the past, current and even future social workers was highlighted during a series of events some of which had to be cancelled due to the island-wide, pandemic-influenced shut down in mid-march 2020.

Mr. Speaker, the career of social work is one that is significant and very important to our community. Their work touches all aspects of a person’s life from birth until death. However, the one thing that stands out is that there are not enough males in this demanding field. As a community we need to encourage males to be a part of the helping profession. Fathers and boys who are using the various helping agencies need to have the experience of sharing their personal challenges with males who can mentor them.

Mr. Speaker, as I share with this Honourable House the importance of recognizing the work of social workers, I am pleased to report that there are so many dedicated and focused social workers in our community and they continue to serve our communitydespite the restrictions of the pandemic.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage all honourable members of this house along with all of the citizens of Bermuda to salute our social workers. We must highlight their significance and their collective contributions of help and advocacy on behalf of all of those whom they serve. Please join me in wishing all social workers a happy social work month!

Mr. Speaker, in closing I will leave you with this. We are all inextricably linked to the well-being of each and every resident as their well-being affects ours. I therefore encourage you to consider the philosophy of Ubuntu and what we can individually do to embody it.Honor our shared humanity with kindness, compassion and interconnectedness to help people reach their full potential.