The Social Work Lens

Immigration is a Human Right (revisited): Detained & Interrogated

On July 22, 2025, Winooski School District Superintendent Wilmer Chavaria was detained and questioned by federal agents for four and a half hours at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport. Wilmer is a US citizen and despite holding valid travel documents and a Global Entry pass, he was neither told why he was being held nor given any explanation when his pass was subsequently revoked by email.

Wilmer is a previous guest on our podcast and did an episode with us last spring titled “Immigration is a Human Right”. Today we are bringing you an interview with Wilmer about his recent detention and a re-release of his original episode.

Please note- due to the urgent nature of this content we wanted to expediate the release of this episode, so we are pushing it out on our streaming platforms before adding it to our webpage and archive webpage. Transcript & show notes are coming soon to https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/

Restoring Connection: Paul Nixon on Transforming Child Welfare Through Relational Practice

What would it take to transform child welfare into a system rooted in healing, trust, and human connection?

 

In this powerful episode, we speak with Paul Nixon, an independent social worker and internationally recognized leader in restorative practices. From his early work in the UK to consulting across Australia, New Zealand, and beyond, Paul has spent decades championing relational approaches that honor the voices of those most impacted.

 

Now contracted with Vermont’s child welfare system, Paul shares insights from his current work helping transform services to become more relational, connected, and family-centered. He explores how restorative practices challenge punitive models and instead prioritize listening, accountability, and meaningful engagement with children, families, and communities. This conversation is both deeply practical and visionary—highlighting what’s possible when we lead with empathy and prioritize relationships at every level of the system.

Transcripts & show notes @ https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/

Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/thesocialworklens/

 

Human Rights & the work of VT’s Human Rights Commission with Big Hartman

Did you know Vermont has a Human Rights Commission?  Are you curious about what rights and protections you and/or your clients have under Vermont state law? Join Cassie as she speaks with Big Hartman, the Executive Director & General Counsel of VT’s Human Rights Commission (HRC) about what the VT HRC does, and how their work promoting full civil and human rights in Vermont is being impacted in this current moment.

Available wherever you get your podcasts.

Show notes & Transcripts available at: https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/

Affirm, Connect, Resist: How Community Shapes Trans Liberation - Part 2

PART 2- On January 20th, the current administration launched targeted actions against transgender Americans—moves that didn’t emerge in isolation, but deepened a long, painful struggle for dignity and recognition. Disguised as policy, these decisions struck at the right to exist safely, access care, and live authentically. They echoed decades of systemic neglect, reminding us that for trans people, political shifts aren’t abstract—they’re personal, urgent, and too often, life-threatening.

This begs the question- who gets to define whose life has worth? Whose identities are real? Who deserves basic human rights and bodily autonomy? An attack on healthcare, bodily autonomy, dignity, and respect against our transgender community is an attack against us all.

This week, we speak with three professionals who help us to define what gender affirming care means, why it’s important for trans youth, and how being affirming and respectful is a movement toward a stronger community for us all.

 

Show notes & Transcript @ https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/

Follow us on IG  @thesocialworklens

Affirm, Connect, Resist: How Community Shapes Trans Liberation - Part 1

PART 1- On January 20th, the current administration launched targeted actions against transgender Americans—moves that didn’t emerge in isolation, but deepened a long, painful struggle for dignity and recognition. Disguised as policy, these decisions struck at the right to exist safely, access care, and live authentically. They echoed decades of systemic neglect, reminding us that for trans people, political shifts aren’t abstract—they’re personal, urgent, and too often, life-threatening.

This begs the question- who gets to define whose life has worth? Whose identities are real? Who deserves basic human rights and bodily autonomy? An attack on healthcare, bodily autonomy, dignity, and respect against our transgender community is an attack against us all.

This week, we speak with three professionals who help us to define what gender affirming care means, why it’s important for trans youth, and how being affirming and respectful is a movement toward a stronger community for us all.

 

Show notes & Transcript @ https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/

Follow us on IG  @thesocialworklens

“Immigration is a Human Right”

We recently brought you an episode on the political and legal landscape of Immigration. In this episode, we take it down to the personal level and bring you the voices of two Vermont high school students who talk about their daily experiences in the midst of this national conversation. Join us as we talk with students Gabby & Stacey, their teacher Caitlin Macleod-Bluver, and their Superintendent Wilmer Chavarria.

Shownotes & Transcripts available @ https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/

Please note – Gabby & Stacey were very active in the movement to have their high school designated as a sanctuary school. If you are interested in more information about this work please see the links below, or watch Wilmer, Caitlin, Gabby & Stacy in action at the school board meeting here https://www.mediafactory.org/winooski-schools?modal=45,episode,235066

 

Immigration 101 with Jill Martin Diaz

Are you wondering what is actually going on with Immigration in the United States right now? Are you curious about what these executive orders mean and how the system is ‘supposed’ to work? We are too! Join us as we speak with Jill Martin Diaz from the Vermont Asylum Assistance Project about immigration, and what social workers and helping professionals need to know.

Shownotes & Transcripts @ https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/

 

HOW THE STORY IS TOLD: Part 3- The child welfare that can be realized through our imaginations and life's work.

In this moment, as many of us experience a shift in what we are allowed to talk about at work related to DEI and identity, we are sharing this series of episodes exploring how Vermont is talking about antiracism and abolitionism in child welfare. Please join us in this series: How the Story is Told: An Abolitionist Child Welfare Conference. This is Part 3: The child welfare that can be realized through our imaginations and life's work featuring Dr. Brenda Solomon.

Show notes & transcripts available @ https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/ 

Follow us on IG: @thesocialworklens  https://www.instagram.com/thesocialworklens/

HOW THE STORY IS TOLD: Part 2- Voices from the Conference

In this moment, as many of us experience a shift in what we are allowed to talk about at work related to DEI and identity, we are sharing this series of episodes exploring how Vermont is talking about antiracism and abolitionism in child welfare. Please join us in this series: How the Story is Told: An Abolitionist Child Welfare Conference. This is Part 2: Voices from the Conference.

Show notes & transcripts available @ https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/ 

Follow us on IG: @thesocialworklens  https://www.instagram.com/thesocialworklens/

HOW THE STORY IS TOLD: Part 1 - What is a Title IV-E Roundtable Anyway?

In this moment, as many of us experience a shift in what we are allowed to talk about at work related to DEI and identity, we are sharing this series of episodes exploring how Vermont is talking about antiracism and abolitionism in child welfare. Please join us in this series: How the Story is Told: An Abolitionist Child Welfare Conference. This is Part 1: What is a Title IV-E Roundtable Anyway?

Show notes & transcripts  available @ https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/ 

Follow us on IG: @thesocialworklens  https://www.instagram.com/thesocialworklens/