Look For Hope Everywhere With William "Bill" Vanderwill

Reflecting on his 50-year career as a Social Worker, William "Bill" Vanderwill speaks on the importance of strengths-based practice, intergenerational communication, community organizing, and the grassroots power of everyday people taking actions for social justice. Listen in to hear insights from the man Relando affectionately calls "the Fred Rogers of Social Work." This episode includes: How mistakes can become valuable learning opportunities in social work and advocacy The importance of intergenerational collaboration and recognizing elders as wisdom keepers Practical examples of grassroots community organizing and everyday social justice actions The evolving role of social work, from adaptation to helping clients thrive The power of hope, compassion, and storytelling to inspire future generations and lasting change 🔔 If you haven't already...SUBSCRIBE to Social Justice Origin Stories on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/@socialjusticeoriginstories?sub_confirmation=1 ❤️ SUPPORT THE PROJECT Support this work by becoming a patron: https://www.patreon.com/SocialJusticeOriginStories 💬 SHARE YOUR STORY OR FEEDBACK Your voice helps shape this community and may be featured in a future episode. Email: [email protected] Leave a Voice Note: https://socialjusticeoriginstories.com/contact/ or https://www.speakpipe.com/socialjusticeoriginstories Or leave a comment below 🎧 LISTEN & FOLLOW Website: https://socialjusticeoriginstories.com Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/social-justice-origin-stories/id1771268991 Wherever You Get Your Podcasts: https://pod.link/1771268991 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/socialjusticeoriginstories/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61567841874653 Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/sjoriginstories.bsky.social LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/social-justice-origin-stories/ LinkedIn (Relando): https://www.linkedin.com/in/relandothompkinsjones/ LinkTree for more: https://linktr.ee/SocialJusticeOriginStories?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaZzPfl3gCm5NY9C_Y-glRzwDu-8BvHfkCJaQlDihfrQxbYWC1dnxgRL2kU_aem_kmgEcokBmDt8WaAtlWQMQQ Social Justice Origin Stories is produced, edited, and hosted by Relando Thompkins-Jones. 00:00 Learning From Mistakes 01:15 Fifty Years In Social Work 04:48 Show Intro And Guest 10:49 Detroit Roots And Empathy 14:51 Intergenerational Wisdom 17:40 Youth Inspired Hope 22:14 Belonging And Inclusion 26:55 Mistakes In Practice 33:57 Hope Scrolling And Service 39:15 Key Takeaways For Listeners 41:58 Future Of Social Work 43:51 Stories For The Future 47:15 Closing And Credits