I.      Save the Date! II.     Bright Spot III.    Praising Parents IV.  Around the Network V.   Around the City

VI.    90-Day Challenge VII.   Research VIII.  Useful Tools IX.    The Scoop on Stats

Trauma Education Program Offered by Roxbury Presbyterian Church

"The stories encompass a breadth of human experience such as loss of a loved one after a long illness, job loss, homelessness, addiction and recovery, trauma from gun violence, abuse, as well as stories of strength, inspiration and healing."

Every month, Roxbury Presbyterian Church offers The Cory Johnson Trauma Education Program: a compassionate, safe space in which people who have been through trauma

 have the opportunity to share their stories, learn about the impact of trauma, and give and receive support for all they are going through. The entry point for this dialogue is simply a

 question: "Can we talk?", that leads to the remarkable phenomenon of mutual healing. One participant says, "You hear another person pressing on, and you realize, it can be done, it's possible, so you don't give up. When your story is out in the open, you can begin to heal."

Read more about the Church's Trauma Education Program  HERE!

Last month we introduced this exciting new segment to our newsletter to help remind you of, and celebrate all the awesome parents out there. Particularly as community residents and agencies working towards better outcomes for children and families, we are often inundated with information and opinions on parent engagement, the do's and don't's of parenting, poor parental decisions, etc. As a network we hope to shift our attention instead to sensational parents, and the wonderful, every-day interactions they have with their kids, through videos like this one.

Have a video that you

 think would be perfect 

for next month's 

Praising Parents? 

 [email protected]!

Thank you to those who participated in the inspiring 90-Day challenge call we had on February 17th. As a result of the call:

* One of our partners shared how their 90-Day Challenge to increase community engagement has led to a shift in their organizational culture. Their efforts have inspired conversations on race, class, cultural humility, and other important topics!

We are eager to support you during your 90-Day Challenge and hope that you will join us for the LAST call on Wednesday, March 2nd from 12 pm-1pm. Call in at (855)708-2424. Next, enter 43816 followed by the # key.

March 8th marks Day 90

of our challenge!

2nd Iteration of the VVN Data Postcard - Civic Engagment

Over the course of the summer, the Vital Village Core Team surveyed the BMC Pediatric Waiting Room on their level of neighborhood engagement, understanding the positive health implications of being connected to a supportive environment. The 3 focus areas of the survey were social cohesion, collective efficacy, and civic engagement. Following the conclusion of this survey, the Core Team reflected on how BMC parents and caregivers are heavily pursued as survey participants, yet are rarely introduced to the results. In consequence of our desire to build a more reciprocal relationship with this over-surveyed population, we designed and are currently distributing a "data postcard" illustrating the information collected on neighborhood engagement. By sharing the postcard with parents and caregivers in an interactive, accessible manner, we create a dialogue on neighborhood engagement and connectivity, and ultimately will be able to enhance our data measures with human narrative.  Many network partners helped us revise and improve our first iteration of the postcard, and shown in this month's "Scoop on Stats" is our next iteration, focusing on civic engagement. Personally or professionally, what do you do to participate in your neighborhood? How can we better work together as a network to empower residents to make a difference in their own neighborhoods?