DECEMBER
news & updates
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December 7th, 2022
Upcoming Events
SHOUT OUT
Triangle Community
Center
Triangle Community Center (TCC) is Fairfield County’s leading provider of programming and resources to nurture growth and connection within the LGBTQ community.

TCC is home to more than two dozen free groups that meet weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly at the center. Groups include peer support, recovery, older adult daytime programming, crafts, sober social events, and youth groups. Their team of highly trained client advocates assists community members with social service navigation, food, drop-in services, document updates, healthcare navigation, and housing navigation at its Drop-In Center in Norwalk and at its satellite office at the Center for Family Justice in Bridgeport.
CEO Corner

Jennifer D. Barahona, LCSW
Holiday Greetings.

I’m going to be honest. I sat at my computer to write this note and struggled with what I wanted to say. It has been a difficult week (and it’s only Wednesday!), and I’m feeling a bit depleted. I think we need to be more comfortable admitting that and being okay with not being okay. I was tempted to skip my Wednesday morning 15-minute burnout buster with CommunityMindfulnessProject.org but knew it was going to be exactly what I needed, and it was.

So, my message going into the holidays is, to be honest about how you feel and ask for what you need – from your colleagues, friends, and family. Like 80% of the non-profit sector, we will be closed the week between Christmas & New Year. Early in my career, this was a rare treat, and I love that this has now become commonplace. If you need some further inspiration about the importance of rest, I highly recommend listening to No More Grind: How to Finally rest with Tricia Hersey on the We Can Do Hard Things podcast. It might be the best thing I listened to all year.

With deep gratitude for each of you and best wishes for a restful, healthy, and joyous holiday season.

-Jennifer
NORWALK ACTS UPDATES
Our December Quarterly Convening will focus on our Policy and Advocacy Cornerstone. This will be an opportunity to hear and learn from members of our Common Council and State Legislature. We will be discussing policy solutions related to our initiatives, facilitating a Q&A, and learning about how we can work together for the upcoming legislative session.
THINGS WE ARE LOVING
LISTENING: Sold A Story
OUR WORK
SOCIAL JUSTICE & RACIAL EQUITY
Creating a Safe and Inclusive Space for Black Girl Brilliance


This session focuses on the experiences of Black girls in education. Participants will discuss what it means to cultivate safe, affirming, and inclusive spaces for Black girls in schools, how we can build upon the brilliance of Black girls, and some of the barriers and challenges that we must work to dismantle in order for Black girls to fully thrive within educational spaces.

Presenter: Shauna Brown, Teach for the Culture, LLC
Audience: K-Grade 6: General and Special Education Teachers and Community Service Providers serving PK-elementary
DATA
CT Data Collaborative is hiring for a State Data Center Coordinator.

In brief, they're looking for someone who has experience working with census data and enjoys helping people learn how to use census data. The State Data Center Coordinator will be responsible for communicating about the changes being made to census data, coordinating logistics for webinars or in-person census data events, and generally being a go-to person at CTData for census data. If this sounds like you or someone you know, please take a look and pass it along!
POLICY AND ADVOCACY
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Please join us in welcoming our new Youth Community Advocate (CA), Darwin! He is a sophomore at the Academy of Information Technology and Engineering (AITE) in Stamford. Darwin likes technology, adores his family, and looks forward to helping out Norwalk ACTS.
Thank you to Laura Garcia, one of our former Community Advocates, for sharing her story and working to support undocumented mothers.
EARLY CHILDHOOD
Learn more about the benefits of the Ages & Stages Questionnaire from Norwalk's Early Childhood Coordinator Mary Oster.
Calling all parents of children 0-5! Do you know that SPARKLER is a FREE mobile app for Connecticut families, helping parents support children’s development from birth through 5? Check in on your child’s development and get a library of 1000+ play activities just right for your child’s age!
SOCIAL EMOTIONAL HEALTH
COLLEGE AND WORKFORCE READINESS
We are excited to launch our monthly Workforce Development newsletter which will include updates and opportunities for Norwalk youth and residents. This
monthly newsletter will be specific to the work of our College & Workforce Initiative.
INTERESTED IN BECOMING MORE INVOLVED?

GIVE WHILE YOU SHOP FOR THE HOLIDAYS: 
Are you an Amazon shopper? Set Norwalk ACTS as your selected charity on Amazon Smile, and a portion of every purchase will be donated to transform how a community works. Get started here.
Norwalk ACTS | [www.norwalkacts.org]