10 ways to celebrate Public Service Recognition Week 2022

During Public Service Recognition Week 2022, you can show your appreciation for our country’s dedicated public servants, who have worked hard to adjust to a new hybrid work environment and return to in-person work while continuing to provide critical services to the public. Below are 10 ideas—small and big, virtual and in-person—to help you celebrate:

• Spread the word about PSRW on social media using the Partnership’s toolkit. Our PSRW website includes printable whiteboard templates on which you can write a message of appreciation for public servants. Take a picture with your message and upload it to social media. We’ve also put together sample social media posts to share ahead of and during Public Service Recognition Week on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other digital platforms. Whether you’re posting from a personal account or on behalf of your organization, we have you covered!
• Join our #IServeBecause campaign. Share a tweet or record a video of yourself explaining why you work as a public servant and post it with the #IServeBecause hashtag. You can also take the #IServeBecause survey to help us share your public service story on the PSRW website or in a future blog post.
• Thank your employees. If you’re an agency leader or supervisor, you can record a video thanking your employees for the work they do for your organization and our country. Watch President Biden’s thank you video from PSRW 2021.
• Sign up as a participating organization. When you sign up on the PSRW website, your agency or organization will be added to the list of more than 115 participating organizations—plus, you will get PSRW updates sent directly to your inbox.
• Host or join an event. You can find a list of events hosted by the Partnership and other organizations to celebrate PSRW as well as a place to submit your own event. On Monday, May 2, at 10 a.m. EDT, we are hosting a special panel conversation on why public trust in government is so low and what can be done about it. Moderated by Margaret Talev, the managing editor for politics at Axios and a CNN political analyst, the panel, including Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young, will discuss how public perceptions of the federal government can be improved and how to encourage a new generation to enter public service.
• Post to social media with the #GovPossible toolkit. Pass along your gratitude with a message and card in an easy way! This toolkit is a great resource for posting on your personal or organization’s social media accounts. Download the toolkit to view sample templates and share your posts on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
• Share your PSRW story with local media. Write a public service announcement for your local radio stations to read on the air or ask them to interview you about your PSRW activities. You could also write an article for a community newspaper or magazine on how the federal workforce or your organization’s employees contribute to the public good.
• Invite young children to participate. We’ve created several resources for children to participate in PSRW, including a word search, a “thank you” coloring sheet and a public servant coloring sheet.
• Join a celebration to recognize the 2022 Sammies finalists. During PSRW, the Partnership will announce the 2022 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals® finalists. These individuals and teams exemplify leadership in innovation and public service, and have achieved incredible accomplishments on behalf of the people in this country. The Sammies finalists will be recognized by the Washington Nationals during the Federal Workforce Night game on Wednesday, May 11. Join us to cheer on the 2022 Sammies finalists and the Washington Nationals, and use code KPFED22 for 25% off the ticket price.
• Donate to the Partnership. Supporting public servants is a big part of our mission to build a better government and a stronger democracy. Donations help us develop and connect federal leaders, equip agencies to better serve the people, support public servants and improve public understanding of and trust in government.

These ideas—and many more—can be found through the links and toolkits featured on the PSRW website. Whether you’re a leader at an agency or you simply appreciate the people who serve our nation, we invite you to join us in recognizing the hard work of public servants during Public Service Recognition Week from May 1-7, 2022.