Stories are powerful.  Through story telling we make sense of our world, spread ideas, and document our history. the stories of the social work profession represent the efforts of social workers, the communities they served, the lives they changed, and the policies they drove. 

The history of the social work profession is long and deep—marked by the deeds of advocates who led us, teachers and who inspired us, colleagues who mentored us, and coworkers who uplifted us on the hardest of days.  Their stories are those of change agents, leaders and helpers—generations of social workers who uplifted communities and the legacies they have built. 

These stories must be documented and preserved for generations to come.  They enrich our understanding of our past, allow us a glimpse into the lives of those on the front lines, and help us understand how our profession changes the lives of everyday people, families, and communities across our nation. 

We are proud to launch “Stories of Change: The Social Work Oral History Institute” in collaboration with StoryCorps. These stories will be preserved for generations to come in the American Folklife Center at the U.S. Library of Congress. 

We invite you to listen to the stories we’ve captured already and also to help shape the institute as well by capturing the stories you hold and those of the colleagues you know. 

Each social worker has a powerful story to tell—a story of a life touched, a community uplifted, a project that affected change, and more.  We invite you to share yours. 

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