Last month, social work students from across New York State convened at the Capitol for Legislative Education Advocacy Day (LEAD), an annual event that gives social work students a platform to speak directly to state legislators and advocate for bills with the potential to have a strong positive impact on the populations that social workers serve.  

University at Albany’s Alexis Candido and Jacob Schoff, both Master of Social Work (MSW) students at the School of Social Welfare (SSW), played leading roles in organizing this year’s event.

“For over 20 years, social work students have gathered in the Capital to advocate for key legislative issues that are important to social work students and social work professionals,” Candido said. “Much of the social work profession — our careers, the future of our careers, and the communities we serve — is regulated by state policies. LEAD gives social work students a voice in legislation, which is important because we are the future of the field.”

This year’s advocacy focused on bills related to child welfare, a longstanding and central issue in the field of social work. Students spoke with legislators about the importance of Kira’s Law, which would amend the process by which courts award custody and visitation rights, the Family Miranda Rights Act, which would ensure caregivers are properly informed about their rights at the beginning of an interaction with child protective services, and the Anti-Harassment in Reporting Bill, which aims to deter false reports of child abuse and neglect.

[Hear more about these issues from Candido and Schoff in their interview with The Capitol Pressroom.]

“Alexis and Jacob did a tremendous job and had to work with a range of people – from legislative staff to school deans to students – to make this statewide event a success,” said UAlbany’s Linda Mertz, director of special projects at SSW. “After selecting issues with guidance from legislative advocates, they guided over 70 students in educating themselves on the pros and cons of each issue. They scheduled appointments with senators and members of the assembly and were able to pivot quickly as things changed. The whole day was a lesson in understanding all facets of a proposed policy and making a coherent, professional argument.”

Candido, who will graduate with a macro concentration in May, has been involved in the LEAD event for three years, having served on the planning committee for two. This year, she was the primary organizer, which meant leading all aspects of event coordination, from liaising with key stakeholders including legislators and professional social workers to creating briefing packets and fact sheets.

“Having been involved in LEAD for several years now, I’ve been able to observe important changes thanks to the efforts of our organizing team. This year, we held three preparatory events with students to help them hone their advocacy skills and become experts on the bills we were advocating for. This time together was vital to our success.

“Our group was so well-informed and navigated the day with expertise. During our debrief at the end of the day, students said they felt confident in their discussions with legislators and their ability to field difficult questions from members of legislative staff. I truly had a feeling of pride that afternoon as I left the NYS Capitol, knowing how large of an impact our group would have on the vulnerable populations we were aiming to protect.”

Jacob Schoff, who currently works as a Student Series and Program Evaluation Intern at the National Association of Social Workers New York State Chapter (NASW-NYS), will also graduate with his MSW in May. In his role at NASW-NYS, Schoff has supported Capitol Action Day, an annual advocacy event tailored to social work professionals. Through this work, Schoff connected with Candido to get involved in LEAD.

“On the day of the LEAD event, I was responsible for refreshing students on the bills we were advocating for, as well as speaking at the press conference, introducing legislators and speakers, and discussing the Family Miranda Rights Act,” Schoff explained. “I also led a group of students who had never been to the Capitol through meetings with Senators and Assembly members.

“What really stood out to me was the power of the student voice. We had about 70 students present at the press conference, but their passion and commitment made it seem like there were over 200 students yelling, advocating and demanding for the passage of crucial bills. I think that many people are discouraged from advocacy because they don’t feel that their voice alone can make a difference. However, this event showed students that their voices really do matter. In our legislative meetings throughout the day, this was so evident. Students realized that our legislators are here to represent us, and what we feel is important. Legislators were receptive to our voices, the bills we were advocating for, and many agreed to sign onto, or look further into our bills.”

Candido credits her ability to navigate organizing an event of this magnitude to MSW coursework that addresses community organizing, effective communication, advocacy, research and policy analysis.

“I chose the MSW program with a macro concentration at UAlbany because of its location in the seat of NYS government,” Candid said. “The macro track includes courses that have developed my skills in policy, program structure and development, and research. I’ve also learned to apply a lens of social justice, diversity and inclusion to things like program evaluation and implementation, organizational change, policy analysis, advocacy, and research evaluation. I’m excited to apply this knowledge to the populations I know I want to work with.”

After graduation, Candido aims to pursue her interests in domestic violence and sexual assault prevention. She is currently a finalist for the 2024 Excelsior Service Fellowship Program, which would place her in a branch of New York State government for a two year appointment.

“I’m interested in working in larger systems and engaging in policy work, advocacy and event planning to enact change,” Schoff said. “This kind of work relates closely to the work and activities underpinning LEAD. This experience taught me a lot about how policy works, the process of getting a bill passed, and community organizing. It also taught me about what it really takes to get legislators to take notice.

“Bringing people together to support a common issue is so important, and creating a like-minded front is crucial. The process of educating students on bills, teaching students how to communicate with legislators, and advocating for crucial issues can extend into so many different areas of social work practice. Everyone can be an advocate and we must use our power and voices as students to effect real change and progress.”

Schoff currently works with unhoused populations in Albany. He hopes to continue engaging with this kind of work post-graduation.

“Through my work with Albany’s unhoused population, I have seen the systemic injustices and inequities they face. After graduating, I hope to work in supportive housing, that is, working with individuals to gain the housing rights they deserve. I hope to continue to learn and grow with this population, eventually moving into a position where I am able to enact policy change and eliminate barriers found in systems of health care and incarceration, that uniquely impact unhoused people. This is a population that has been repeatedly ostracized, and they deserve so much dignity and respect that has been taken from them.”