We hope you are participating in and enjoying the first annual #ResilienceWeekVA! Trauma-Informed Community Networks (TICNs) across Virginia are engaging their communities through a variety of resilience-building activities, events, and trainings! Today, we are spotlighting the Alexandria TICN: Resilience Alexandria: Inform Support Elevate (RAISE), one of the 26 TICNs across Virginia participating in Resilience Week VA, and the many ways they are connecting and collaborating to build resilience throughout their region.
In partnership with their City’s Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS), local schools, and various community groups, RAISE shows true teamwork and persistence to promote Resilience Week Virginia. They have had to adapt to respond to the challenging time of COVID-19. RAISE is taking the lead on developing a Resilience Plan for Community Wellness across Alexandria to respond to COVID-19’s impact on mental health. This plan includes targeted outreach to community members (i.e. residents, “helpers” (professional staff), communities of color, immigrant groups, families, and youth) with resources to help them safely cope with COVID-19.
This week, RAISE is partnering with Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS), the DCHS Youth Development Team, and Gina White from Mindful Junkie to engage students of all ages in 30 minutes of mindfulness during each day of Resilience Week. An ACPS Student Support Team member introduces each session with an anecdote from their life that relates to the theme for the day (see suggested themes here). A member of their Youth Development Team then reads a story aloud related to the day’s theme, followed by a mindfulness exercise led by Gina White. These daily mindfulness sessions are airing twice a day on the ACPS station, which students can access from the comfort and safety of their homes!
In addition to all of these tremendous efforts, RAISE is using the #ResilienceWeekVA social media toolkit, created by Greater Richmond SCAN and VOICES for Virginia’s Children, to share daily ideas and resources that help build resilience in citizens’ personal lives, families, professional worlds, and communities. RAISE is also offering two mini-ACE Interface and Resilience trainings, which are being offered virtually to the public on May 7th and 8th from 3:00-4:00 p.m., by Christy Cunningham. These trainings will raise awareness of the ACEs study, the impact ACEs have on our lives, and ways to build community resilience (see more details and register here).
We cannot wait to hear more stories of resilience-building events, connections, and experiences during Resilience Week Virginia! We hope to hear from you with #ResilienceWeekVA with how you are engaging with this week and connecting and collaborating with others to bring resilience to ALL Virginians!
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