Assertive Engagement Newsletter

October 2024

Hello everyone,

This month we are talking about resilience, which is always a little tricky because you cannot have resilience without hardship and pain. While we want to celebrate strength and resilience and reflect on the growth that comes from surviving difficult situations, we really wish for a world where violence, oppression, and greed are not normalized. There is no way to get through life without pain and loss, but we hope for a kinder more caring world where stories of trauma are not part of our regular news feed.

Though we hold that wish in one hand, in the other we can find inspiration in the resilience of the human spirit. In beauty, creative energy, passion, and purpose folks find on the other side of pain. We are going to take this month to explore stories of resilience. When you take the time to look, you see resilience everywhere. In the bright green new growth after a forest fire to the defiant chants of people taking back their rights. Resilience is in protest and poetry, in nature and in city centers. Resilience is in all of us.

We are presenting different stories and perspectives on resilience, and one common factor is that it almost always happens with the support of others and not in isolation. We'll talk more in next month's issue about community care, and how interconnection supports resilience.

Take care from your newsletter team,

Helen

“When we learn how to become resilient, we learn how to embrace the beautifully broad spectrum of the human experience.”

― Jaeda DeWalt

Stories of Resilience

In Assertive Engagement, we design our training around Popular Education principles, where everyone has something to learn and something to teach. We do a lot of teaching! This month we are going to learn about resilience with you through the stories of others. We've compiled podcasts, videos, books, and articles that represent resilience through grief, war, climate destruction, oppression and other human tragedies. We think these stories have something to teach, but they can be heavy even when hopeful. Take care of yourself while reading these stories, and let us know how they shape your thinking about resilience.

*Editor's note: This content may contain advertisements or opinions embedded in the content. Multnomah County does not endorse any product, service, or opinion represented in the following content.

Finding Joy after Loss

In this podcast episode, Oprah Winfrey has a conversation with Sheryl Sandberg about the book she wrote with Adam Grant after the sudden loss of her husband, Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy. Sandberg shares about what others did and said that helped during the darkest days in the hopes others will feel empowered to talk to those who are grieving and build connection.

*We link to apple podcasts, but listen where you find your podcasts by searching: Oprah's Super Soul - Sheryl Sandberg: How to Build Resilience and Find Joy After Loss

Listen to Podcast

Running time: 43 minutes

The Resilience Myth

This book has had me thinking since I watched this hour long interview with the author, Soraya Chemaly. In the book, Chemaly challenges the American perception that resilience looks like staying positive so you can bounce back from hard times and "get back to normal."

Chemaly questions what normal looks like, and for whom? The book explores the important part caregivers play in resilience and how that work is often unacknowledged and unpaid. We will do a deeper dive into this book next month when talking about community care, but don't wait to watch the interview or check out the book!

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

There is no conversation about resilience that doesn't include Maya Angelou. Her story of resilience and growth after the brutal assault and insidious racism of her childhood to finding her voice and her place in the world is lyrical, heartbreaking, and beautiful. The book, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings covers Angelou's early life and formative years. To catch a glimpse of the star she became, check out the video of her performing "Still I Rise" live.

"Still I Rise" live

Preserving Culture Through Crops: Seed Saving and Intergenerational Knowledge

The Jadu'i watermelon flourished in Jenin's dry climate and was a prized export for the Palestinian people. This important fruit had nearly disappeared until the formation of the Palestine Heirloom Seed Library, where seeds from plants of cultural importance are saved and distributed to small farmers eager to keep these important crops growing across the globe.

Read Full Article

Wangari Maathai and the Green Belt Movement

Professor Wangari Maathai was an activist and an inspiration. Her fierce commitment to women's and human rights led to her being the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. She also believed that the people could reforest Africa, despite government actions. She founded the Green Belt Movement and worked with farmers across the country to create tree nurseries so they could replant native trees in her home country of Kenya. Since 1977, the Green Belt Movement has planted over 51 million trees. Watch this 8-minute video about her life as told by the people who knew her or read more from the library (includes titles for young readers).

"It is the people who must save the environment. It is the people who must make their leaders change. And we cannot be intimidated. So we must stand up for what we believe in."

- Wangari Maathai

Library Books about Wangari Maathai

Resilience Practice

Resilience is something that can be learned and practiced, even if you aren't going through something traumatic. The team over at PositivePsychology.com compiled a list of 23 Resilience Building Activities & Exercises for Adults, see if any of these work for you!

Fall Features

National Native American Heritage Month

Right around the corner is November, the month we recognize the rich cultures, histories, and traditions of Native Americans. You could do that by attending a local event, watching a documentary, or finding out more about the Land Back movement. One story of resilience against colonialism comes from Minnesota, where Indigenous students regained their right to smudge in schools, a cultural practice with mental health benefits.

Multnomah County Library Native American Heritage Month Events

Time to Vote!

November 5 is Election Day! If you are a Portland resident, you'll see Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) on your ballot. Confused? Get more information on RCV.

All Oregon voters vote by mail, so be sure to get your ballot postmarked on or before Election Day, or return your ballot to an official ballot drop site, located across the county. Questions about voting in Multnomah County? Check out resources on the elections page or call 503-988-VOTE (8683).

Ranked Choice Voting

Multnomah County Resources

An illustration with three people. The person on the left has brown skin, short dark hair in a bob cut, yellow overalls and orange shirt and is looking off in the distance holding a magnifying lens. The person in the center has tan skin, a dark green dress, white bun and is looking straight ahead through binoculars. The erson on the right has light skin, yellow shirt and orange pants and short brown hair and is looking off into the distance with a hand to their brow.

Question(s) of the Month

Where in your life do you see examples of resilience?

Share your ideas with us at aeinfo@multco.us!

October Poll

What is the biggest factor you have found in your own resilience?

Choose one:

Community (friends, neighbors)

Family

Time

Therapy

Service providers

Faith/Faith community (prayer, church, fellowship)

Nature

September Poll Results

Last month we asked: Which somatic practices have you tried and found useful? Here is what you said:

Shaking out tension 27%

Breathing exercises 20%

Yoga 13%

Body Scanning 13%

Grounding 13%

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) 7%

Tapping 7%

We promised to share more about the most popular choice, so here's another video on how to do a shaking practice.

Thanks to everyone who completed our poll last month!

AE Blended

Learning Course

We have launched the Blended Learning Video Series to contracted community partners!

Community partners are now 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, November 5 - 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Tuesday, November 12 - 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Thursday, November 21 - 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Tuesday, November 26 - 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Tuesday, December 3 - 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Tuesday, December 17 - 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Thursday, December 19 - 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

We will post all new training opportunities in this newsletter. See the link at the bottom of the page to subscribe.

AE COOP Info

Community of Ongoing Practice

(COOP)

Thank you to everyone who was able to join October's COOP where we discussed Resilience.

We are excited to invite you to our December 5 COOP, which will be in person in NE Portland! we will be exploring the concepts of Gratitude and Hope as we look back over the past year and towards 2025. We will have art activities, snacks, and an opportunity to connect with others in a relaxed space. We hope to see you there!

Next COOP Session In-Person

Community of Celebration

December 5

2:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

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.

RSVP for December COOP

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