They're in the hospitals, courts, behavioral centers, and both the private and public sector, and this month we commemorate and celebrate our island's social workers for their hard work and dedication to those most in need. Social workers are trained to assist those in need at any stage of their life, as Ovita Perez explained, "From birth to the end of life."

A virtual proclamation signing will be live streamed on Governor Lou Leon Guerrero's Facebook page on Friday, March 4 at 10:30 a.m, followed by a wave at 4p.m. at the Chief Kepuha intersection to kick off Social Work Month.

The National Association Workers of Guam Chapter is also gearing up for their annual conference that will unite those on island that are dedicating their lives to human services. Perez, the Guam Chapter manager for the NASW, told KUAM News, "The aim is to bring us all together to discuss and support each other in healthy ways in both mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical beings as we restore ourselves, because while we're out there helping others, we also need to take care of ourselves. This conference aims to bring all of us together to discuss what are the challenges, and while we're helping others how do we also help ourselves."

This year's theme is Coping Through Crisis: Restoring Resiliency and Renewing Hope. The NASW Guam Chapter, in partnership with the Global Learning and Engagement Office will host the two day conference, which aims to enhance social workers by finding healthy ways to manage the stress that comes with the job.

Perez continued, "We hope that we can come and help each other, learn from each other really. It's a learning thing, even if you've been trained over and over again. For some of us, it's a refresher."

"It's a way of collaborating and networking and learning really from each other," she said.

The conference will feature two keynote speakers, ethics training and training in cultural diversity and cultural impacts, and an awards ceremony to commemorate the hard work of our social work frontliners. For more information, email naswgu@gmail.com or contact 671-727-6843.