The Greater Richmond TICN (GRTICN) has rallied around the message of Resilience Week, strengthening community connections even in the era of physical distancing. Staff from Greater Richmond SCAN, the backbone organization of the GRTICN, and Sacred Heart Center have filmed Virtual Storytimes in Spanish and English. GRTICN members Connie Honsinger from Chesterfield Pubic Schools and Keith Cartwright of the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services facilitated two virtual ACE Interface trainings. Virtual training on Building Resilience at Home was facilitated by Amanda Lynch, Rachael Kaufman, and Margo Buchanan from Greater Richmond SCAN, and John Richardson-Lauve from ChildSavers offered Trauma and Resilience Basics training. Humble Haven hosted a free yoga class, and Richard Baker led free HIITS style strength-training. Henrico County Public Library created a virtual bookshelf of Resilience Reads for children and teens, and Chesterfield County has been sharing daily videos on their YouTube celebrating the week.
Greater Richmond SCAN collaborated with Voices for Virginia’s Children to create a social media kit for the week. SCAN also created an infographic with themes for each day of the week, like Mindful Monday and Friendly Friday, to help guide participation and bring everyone together. When the realities of coronavirus became clear and the Governor issued stay-at-home orders, SCAN offered 20 Ways to Build Resilience at Home handouts for kids and adults in response. All of these handouts were translated into Spanish as well thanks to Señora Welles and Maggie Walker student helpers. SCAN also created book and film lists on the theme of resilience for different age groups that can be shared and used during the week and beyond. All Resilience Week VA 2020 materials were created for statewide (and now nationwide) distribution. SCAN staff also designed Resilience Week t-shirts to celebrate individual and state-wide resilience.
These are only some of the ways that the GRTICN, which has 475 members and 165 different organizations represented, is celebrating the first annual Resilience Week Virginia. Member organizations and individuals in the GRTICN, which is coordinated by Lisa Wright and Melissa McGinn of Greater Richmond SCAN, have been using the hashtag #ResilienceWeekVA as well as hashtags for the days of the week to celebrate and stay connected on social media. Members who participated in the Resilience Week Work Group, which started in January 2020, are already looking forward to planning for next year and beyond, knowing that resilience is something we always need in this ever-changing world.
Written by Charlotte Eure, MSW (who graduated virtually today from Virginia Commonwealth University with her Master's in Social Work - CONGRATULATIONS CHARLOTTE!!)
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