Sonoma County ACES Connection members participated in a daylong training on Talking about Trauma: Tips and tools for communicating effectively presented by Berkeley Media Studies Group. The Prevention Institute in the heart of Oakland was the site of the training. This beautifully repurposed warehouse was the perfect location to learn how values / voice / landscape all collide to tell a powerful story.
Our team of ten ACES enthusiast included folks from Friends Outside, Child Parent Institute, First 5, Public Health, Hanna Boys Center, Gang Violence Prevention, Health Policy, and DHS Communications. Together with technical support from the media experts, we practiced honing our messages around ACES, and learned to include the “larger landscape” in storytelling so the community and societal influences are brought into the picture. We learned how “values based” messages like fairness and responsibility, resonate more deeply and can have a greater impact. We also learned about the power of using your authentic “voice” which is so different from our usual report writing style.
Being in one space with others who share our passion and vision was inspiring! We met with Butte, Yolo, San Francisco, Santa Clara, Napa Counties, and others! We shared our struggles and strategies and by the end of the day we were filled with inspiration to continue on our journey of building the ACES movement in Sonoma County!
Learn more: http://www.preventioninstitute.org/ & http://www.bmsg.org/
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