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Assertive Engagement Newsletter
December 2024
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Hello everyone,
We invite you to take some time to reflect back on the past year and practice gratitude. We do this each December because the end of the year can be a busy time where we're caught up in parties, planning, cooking, and general chaos from various celebrations. Taking a quiet moment to reflect on the things in our life we are grateful for at this moment can center us and shift our perspective.
For many, this has been a tough year, but what wonders has it brought? Who do you value in your life? What brings you joy? Maybe it's a good friend or a trusted pet. Maybe you finished a project this year that you are really proud of. Maybe it was finally saying no to something that you just didn't have capacity to do. Naming these and appreciating them is important.
Challenge: Before we jump feet first into 2025, write down five things you are grateful for right now, at the end of 2024. If that list includes names of people you appreciate, let them know!
As always, the Assertive Engagement team is grateful for all of you who do your best each day, read the newsletter, share with your friends, provide feedback, and show up for the people in our community.
With gratitude from your newsletter team,
Helen
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“Gratitude is one of the most powerful human emotions. Once expressed, it changes attitude, brightens outlook and broadens our perspective.”
— Germany Kent
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In Assertive Engagement, we see the full humanity of our clients and coworkers, centering their strengths and knowing they are more that their struggles. This is not toxic positivity where we insist everything is great and avoid hard truths. Rather, we acknowledge the challenges and see how they can use their innate strength and capability to overcome those challenges.
We can look at gratitude practices in a similar way. By regularly taking time to acknowledge and name the things you appreciate in your life, you can see more than just the struggles you experience. The benefits of gratitude practice are not only emotional, but physical, mental, and social as well.
The methods of practicing gratitude can vary, there is no one correct way to do it. What matters is that you are "affirming the goodness in your life and recognizing the sources of that goodness come from outside yourself." (Emmons, 2010) Try out one of our suggestions listed below and see what feels good. Do you have your own gratitude practice not listed here? If so, please share with us!
Gratitude Journal: This could be a regular notebook, a fancy journal, a spreadsheet, or a notes app in your phone. On a regular basis (daily, weekly, monthly), you write something you're grateful for that day or week. You could use a monthly chart like the one pictured here on your own or with your whole family.
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Unplug: Part of gratitude is being mindful about what you appreciate in the present. That can be hard to do in front of a phone or a computer screen. Try taking a walk outdoors and not looking at your phone. See what you see, hear, and smell around you. Bonus if you can be in a natural place to appreciate trees, plants, and wildlife around you.
Gratitude Jars: Similar to gratitude journals, but can be a fun way to revisit appreciations from your past. Get a jar and write down as many things as you can think of that you are grateful for on different slips of paper. Fold them up and put them in the jar.
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If you need a gratitude boost, open the jar and get a reminder of something you value. You can keep adding to the jar and it will work as a time capsule of the people, things, and events that you appreciate. | |
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Share with Others: Recently I was having dinner with a friend and his three year old, and she asked me, "What filled your bucket today?" Every night while they have dinner, they share something good that happened to them that day. I belong to a group chat at the county where we share our Daily Delights (shout out to Lesley Delapaz for putting the group together). Not only can I share something that I delighted in, I get to read all the other wonderful things happening for other folks I work with which also improves my mood and builds connection with others. William Arthur Ward said, "Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it." Telling others you appreciate them spreads the joy around. Try and share with others, especially those you are grateful for: a text, phone call, or letter can really improve someone's day.
Mindfulness Practice: Things get busy, especially this time of year, but gratitude practice doesn't have to take a lot of time or be formal. It can be as simple as taking a deep breath, and naming something you are grateful for in your mind. You can do this as a part of your busy day, at a stop light, in line at the grocery store, waiting for coffee. It can take as little as five seconds to breath deeply and think of one thing going well.
Practice on your own or try this 9-minute guided meditation for the Winter Solstice.
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Let us know at aeinfo@multco.us if you tried one of these practices and if they worked for you. | |
Nikki Giovanni on Self-Love
The world lost a treasure this month with the passing of Nikki Giovanni, poet, educator, author, and activist. With over 25 works of poetry, essays, and children's literature, Giovanni wrote on topics of love, feminism, race, and history. If you aren't familiar with her work, here's an excerpt from her 1968 poem "Nikki-Rosa."
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Watch this 30 second short of Giovanni discussing self love | |
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“and I really hope no white person ever has cause
to write about me
because they never understand
Black love is Black wealth and they’ll
probably talk about my hard childhood
and never understand that
all the while I was quite happy”
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Native American New Year's Eve
Powwow 2024
The Native American Rehabilitation Association of the Northwest presents the Annual Sobriety Powwow.
The NARA New Years' Eve Sobriety Powwow is one of the country’s largest sobriety new year powwows. It is undoubtedly the largest sober New Year’s party in Portland, where thousands close out the year with drums, songs and dance (all alcohol-free).
Free Family Event, Open to the Public.
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Date: Tuesday, December 31
Time: 6:00 pm - Midnight
Cost: Free
Location: Oregon Convention Center, Exhibit Halls A-A1, 777 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Portland, OR 97232
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Ending the Year with Laughter
One thing I am always grateful for is laughter and finding joy in the world. That is at the heart of the Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards. Conservation is serious business, but it can also be fun. If you need a little joy in your day, like this Overall winning photo by Milko Marchetti, check out the link to see the winners from each category.
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Multnomah County has updated their website, and with it their resource page for Domestic and Sexual Violence. Please share with your contacts!
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Photos from the AE Community of Celebration held December 5, 2024 at the PCC Opportunity Center. Photo credit: Helen Vank | |
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Community of Ongoing Practice
(COOP)
Our December 5 Community of Celebration event was a great success, with over 20 people gathered to practice gratitude and embrace hope for the upcoming year. Folks made gratitude wood cookies, decorated journals, wrote notes to people they appreciate, and planted the seeds of of possibilities for 2025. Thanks to all who attended this event and we hope to see you online at our next COOP!
Next COOP Session Virtual
Ambivalence
January 23
2:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
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What is a Community of Ongoing Practice?
A group of people who share a common interest and interact often to learn from each other and advance their work. It is open to all, but is most valuable to folks who have already completed the Assertive Engagement 101 training and are seeking ongoing refreshers of the curriculum, supplemental training to deepen their understanding of AE core concepts, and community building with AE practitioners.
Sign up to join our community of practice email list and get updates on future programming and events.
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Question(s) of the Month
Who is someone you are grateful for in your life? How could you let them know?
Share your ideas with us at aeinfo@multco.us!
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What are you grateful for today? | |
November Poll Results
Last month we asked what practice your organization could implement to create a culture of community care. Here is what you said:
Shift to a four day work week 37%
Higher wages 27%
Staff voice in organizational strategy 27%
Scheduled time for staff to connect 9%
If you have some power in your organization, could you make these changes happen? If you don't have the ability to make these changes, spread the word to those who can!
Thanks to everyone who completed our poll last month!
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AE Blended
Learning Course
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Assertive Engagement certification is now available to contracted community partners via our Blended Learning Video Series | |
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Community partners are able to register for six self-paced video learning modules to watch when and where it works for you.
After successful completion of the e-learning modules, you'll enroll in a four-hour Skills Practice & Demonstration Workshop where you'll actively practice Assertive Engagement skills in community with other AE learners. Upon successful completion of the workshop and e-learning modules, you'll become AE certified!
We hope by offering training in this format we can better meet the needs of our learning community. Thank you all for your patience as we've developed and launched this training series!
For now we are offering the training to community partners who contract with Multnomah County's Department of Human Services (DCHS) and the Joint Office of Homeless Services (JOHS). If you work with one of our contracted partners, please visit our website to register.
Upcoming Skills Practice and Demonstration Session dates:
Tuesday, January 7 - 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Thursday, January 16 - 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Tuesday, January 21 - 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
We will post all new training opportunities in this newsletter.
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