During university, people would speak over us that our "destiny" as social workers would most likely be burnout. Yup, burnout. How comforting eh?

They taught us how to "survive" the inevitable.

Survive - not thrive - is the vibe our social work culture often sends off.

Before I proceed please hear my heart in all of this. I'm not talking to the individual, I'm talking to the culture of social work. I am not speaking in absolutes. I am not trying to belittle individual experiences of those who have burnt out, nor am I saying they've done anything wrong. In fact, they've given so much of their heart into social services that I am honored to be able to follow in step behind them. I am thankful for all the work they've done in a difficult and complicated system. I commend everyone who has dedicated their lives to empowering, protecting and loving people who deserve better than this world has given them - for the people misunderstood and forgotten. My intention is not to attack or condemn, but rather create a ripple. Sure, I haven't yet experienced a highly demanding job or worked in a backwards system. I mean, I'm just starting my career. And sure, I'm a fresh heart in an area where people experience compassion fatigue. But burnout? You're really going to declare that over us? Hear me out, I'm referring to the settling of mindsets. I'm referring to a culture that seems to have accepted our fate as a career.

So with that being said, don't mind me as I turn my eyes away from the normal. I can understand the frustration when we loose clients through the gaps in our social systems. I can only imagine how the demands for endless hours are debilitating. I can understand how discouraging it is when only a few of the cases we see through have positive outcomes. But why does this have to result in burnout? Wouldn't we want the generations after us to do better? To learn from what made previous generations burnout? Should we not aim to uplift, encourage and remind young social workers that nothing needs to be written in black and white?

I feel as if some people might want to remind me of the familiar phrase "just wait." And to that I say no. I will not settle. I will not wait in fear for that day to come. I know that people who remind me of this aren't intentionally being cruel and I don't believe anyone truly is. I understand this often comes from a place of compassion by trying to warn another of what could happen. But let's not be powerless when it comes to our future. I am working towards proving a culture wrong. I crave to see the mindset of burnout shattered and the culture of social work to be described as one that is progressively alive.

For those who have already done endless work to see this change gain momentum, I know you're out there and I want to say thank you. And for those who haven't thought about it yet, I encourage you to. It just might change your future.

Call me a hopeless optomistic, I wouldn't disagree.

I won't stop until I see a changed world before me.