The UBC School of Social Work and the British Columbia Association of Social Workers celebrated the 2020 Paul Cheng Memorial Lecture on September 7, 2021 (postponed from 2020) during the School’s orientation.
The 2020 winner of the Inspiring Social Worker of the Year Award is Alex Sangha.
Many thanks to our donor, Marion Man.
Biography
Alex is an accomplished social worker with extensive experience in the healthcare, social service, non-profit and volunteer sectors. He is passionate about equality and empowering marginalized and vulnerable populations.
He is the founder of Sher Vancouver, a social, cultural and support non-profit organization for LGBTQ South Asians and friends. He is also a founding member of the Dignity Seniors Society, which aims to build affordable housing for vulnerable seniors in Vancouver.
Alex is the author of the book “Catalyst” and also produced an award-winning short documentary film entitled My Name Was January. He is currently working on his first feature film, Emergence – Out of the Shadows.
Alex has a Masters in Public Administration and Public Policy from the London School of Economics, a Master of Social Work from Dalhousie University, and a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of British Columbia. Alex was awarded a Meritorious Service Medal (MSM) from the Governor General of Canada.
Background
Social work is a discipline and profession that requires practitioners to have a strong commitment to caring and social justice. Despite the tremendous pressure of limited resources and heavy workloads, many dedicated social workers in British Columbia work promote social justice and equity on a regular basis at many levels of practice and policy.
The UBC School of Social Work is proud to commemorate the contributions an outstanding social justice activist and social work leading-light, Paul Cheng. Paul was a social worker who immigrated to Canada from Hong Kong and dedicated himself to serve refugees, new immigrants, youth in care, street-involved youth, people with addictions, and many others in Hong Kong and Canada for over forty years. It is widely recognized by his colleagues, clients, students, and friends that Paul’s deep caring, enduring social justice ethics, strong professional practice, and tireless personal efforts touched and inspired many people in the social work and larger community. In memory of Paul, the Inspiring Social Worker of the Year Award was established to recognize social workers in British Columbia whose professional and personal efforts and dedication to people from marginalized communities has inspired others to care and contribute to social justice.
