Episode Details
Back to Episodes
Look For Hope Everywhere With William "Bill" Vanderwill
Description
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
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
Support the podcast by becoming a patron: https://www.patreon.com/SocialJusticeOriginStories
Visit the Social Justice Origin Stories Project Website: https://socialjusticeoriginstories.com Subscribe to Social Justice Origin Stories on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SocialJusticeOriginStories
Listen to Social Justice Origin Stories on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/social-justice-origin-stories/id1771268991 Listen to Social Justice Origin Stories on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5iBn70HzO4lFxk7sN3gwAf
Follow Social Justice Origin Stories on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/socialjusticeoriginstories/ Follow Social Justice Origin Stories on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/sjoriginstories.bsky.social Like Social Justice Origin Stories on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61567841874653 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.