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Assertive Engagement Newsletter
June 2024
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June is a month of celebration, beginnings and endings. Many students have graduated from college, high school, middle school, elementary school, or kindergarten. One phase of their life is ending as another begins.
We observe Pride Month in June and celebrate LGBTQIA2S+ folx as we also fight against the push to deny our community's basic human rights. We believe everyone should be able to love who they love and live as they are, freely and without fear.
Last week was Juneteenth and we honored the strength and resilience of the Black community as we recognize that racism and oppression still abounds and threatens even the teaching of Black History in our schools across the country. We believe everyone's story should be told.
This month we also celebrate an accomplishment for the AE Team that has been nearly two years in the making. Yes, we have finally launched our Assertive Engagement Blended Learning Series for our community partners. We did it! 🎉 (See further down in this newsletter for more information on how to register.)
Throughout this entire process, we've had to rely on the principles of Strengths Based Practices. Staying goal oriented, seeing our environment as rich in resources, and keeping hope, despite several setbacks. We are so excited to launch this learning series to our community partners and meet the need and requests for a more flexible training option.
Stay strong and never give up hope,
Rhea, Helen, & Anne
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“May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.”
-Nelson Mandela
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A core Assertive Engagement tenet is that everyone is an expert in their own life. This tenet comes, in part, from a strengths-based approach to working with others. Because Assertive Engagement is deeply rooted in–and a proponent of–strengths-based approaches to social service delivery, we find ourselves talking about this approach a lot. (Take a peek back at our August 2023 newsletter for a refresher!) A strengths-based approach to social work and social services was developed as an alternative to a deficit approach that fundamentally focuses on clients’ problems and needs–potentially creating a disempowering cycle of dependency and reliance on an inequitable system (Foot & Hopkins, 2010). Instead, a strengths-based approach starts “with what’s working, what makes people feel well and what people care about” (Caiels et al., 2021). A strength-based approach starts with the client and their lived experience, their strengths and their assets; it acknowledges that the person seeking services will have the best understanding of where they are and what they need. | |
Researchers have described several principles that comprise a strength-based approach. First, the principles undergirding a strength-based approach include: the importance of relationships, collaboration, self-determination, curiosity, hope, and resilience (Blood & Guthrie, 2018). These qualities are certainly positive, but can be hard to nurture–especially when facing inequality, discrimination, and poverty. | | |
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One technique researchers suggest as a way to build these capacities is called positive risk taking. Positive risk taking requires the client and their social service provider to explore together the risk of the options before them, like the risk of doing nothing in comparison with the risk of taking some action that may or may not pay off (Morgan & Andrews, 2016). | |
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This technique allows clients to make their own informed decisions, and with support, assess the outcome.
Have you tried positive risk taking in your life, or with a client? Let us know!
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Another principle of strengths based practice is a systematic assessment of strengths (Rapp, Saleebey & Sullivan (2008). To do that, we have to have a few strength finding tools in our toolkit. The folks over at Positive Psychology have put together a collection of 9 free Strength Finding Tests and Assessments. You can use these when trying to identifying your own strengths or with folks in your work. | | |
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When you can identify your strengths, or help someone identify theirs, you can start from a place where things are already going well, before digging in to the tougher stuff. Sometimes just knowing there are things you are good at can be a boost. | |
This year marks 30 years of Pride Northwest, with a theme of Feast and Love. The organizers invite everyone to "come together as a community, as a family" and celebrate. All are invited "regardless of age, gender or background, to bring your authentic self to the table of LOVE that Pride Northwest has prepared for you." | | |
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Portland Pride Waterfront Festival
Saturday, July 20
12:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Sunday, July 21
11:30 AM - 6:00 PM
$10 Suggested Donation
Portland Pride Parade
Sunday, July 21
Parade begins at 11AM from the North Park Blocks and ends on Naito Pkwy at the Festival
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More Ways to Celebrate PRIDE
Want to celebrate Pride Month, but don't want to leave the comfort of home? Check out the collection of documentaries and series PBS has put together featuring people and stories from the LGBTQIA2S+ community.
If a good book is what you're looking for, Multnomah County Library has curated several reading lists for readers of all ages who want to hear stories from and about the LGBTQIA2S+ community.
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National HIV Testing Day: June 27
First observed in 1995, National HIV Testing Day encourages people to get tested, know their status, and get linked to care and treatment. The theme for this year is Level up your self-love: check your status. Valuing yourself by assessing your health needs and showing yourself compassion and respect. Testing yourself is valuable no matter your result, you are playing an active role in your health whether the focus shifts to treatment or prevention.
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Bike Summer 2024
The sun is out, we hate a carbon footprint, so let's get out there and ride this summer! Throughout June, July, and August, there are hundreds of bike rides as part of Pedalpalooza, an annual festival of bikey fun.
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Help Others When It's Hot
During weather emergencies, Multnomah County opens life-saving Disaster Resource Centers (DRCs) across our community that offer people — especially those who are at greatest risk of harm — safety, resources and connection. That could include overnight shelters and daytime centers. Community members like you can support the County’s severe weather response when the need arises.
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Info Session July 1
1:00 pm
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AE Blended Learning Course Launch | | |
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We have launched the Blended Learning Video Series to contracted community partners! 🎉 | |
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Community partners are now able to register for 6 self-paced 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 participate and 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 community of learners. 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.
We will post all new training opportunities in this newsletter. See the link at the bottom of the page to subscribe.
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Question(s) of the Month
Who considers you a resource in their community? Who are the people who turn to you?
Share your ideas with us at aeinfo@multco.us!
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Where do you find strength in your community? | |
May Poll Results
We asked how you would show empathy in a digital world and here is what you told us:
Using emojis or GIFs in messages 🎉 36%
Using chat reactions to affirm someone's statement 27%
Taking time at the start of a meeting for folks to connect 18%
Opening or ending an email with a personal greeting 9%
Keeping your camera on during a virtual meeting 9%
Making a phone call instead of sending a text 0%
So we didn't love the idea of reaching out by phone, but that's ok! You all found other ways to make human connections and create shared understanding in a digital world.
Thanks to everyone who completed our poll last month!
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Community of Ongoing Practice
(COOP)
We are taking some time this summer to catch up on AE Training now that our Blended Learning Series has officially launched.
Join us in August as we delve into the topic of conflict and how to use our AE tools when we find ourselves in conflict with others.
Next COOP Session Topic: Conflict
August 22
2:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Sign up to join our community of practice email list and get updates on future programming and events.
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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.
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