Issue 11-15| July 25, 2022
News
Spotlight On: Discover Wellness
Thursday, August 18
Diverse groups from across Milwaukee County are inviting individuals and families to Grant Park Location 4, 1335 Grant Park Dr., South Milwaukee,  from 4 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, August 18, to experience activities and gather resources that will improve their health and wellness. "Discover Wellness" will feature a Walk for Wellness, free food, prizes, activities, and a chance to win a Milwaukee Bucks swag bag, a Kwik Trip gift card, an adult and kid’s bike, and more.

"Discover Wellness" will encompass the eight dimensions of wellness—emotional, physical, occupational, intellectual, financial, social, environmental, and spiritual—to provide visitors with a broad range of activities that can help to enhance their health and well-being.

"Discover Wellness" sponsors include Healthiest Cudahy Collaboration; Healthiest Oak Creek Coalition; Healthy Mind, Healthy Greendale; Milwaukee County Substance Abuse Prevention coalition; Neu-Life Community Development; The Parenting Network; Volition Franklin; West Allis-West Milwaukee Family Resource Center; and Community Advocates Public Policy Institute.
MCSAP Overdose Awareness Day Memorial Event
Wednesday, August 31
MCSAP will be hosting their annual International Overdose Awareness Day Memorial Event in partnership with local organizations to commemorate those who have passed from drug overdoses, and to provide support to family, friends, and communities who are deeply affected by those losses every day. All are welcome to this event, to be held from 4 to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, August 31, at Humboldt Park, 3000 S. Howell Ave., Milwaukee. There will be a memorial board to honor those we have lost to overdose, a resource fair, open mic, poster making, and free food.

Want to volunteer or participate in the resource fair? Contact Gloria Marfo at gmarfo@communityadvocates.net or Ryan Clevenger at ryan.clevenger@oxfordhouse.org.
Make it Happen Mondays:
Celebrating Minority Mental Health Month
This hour-long conversation presented by Community Advocates Public Policy Institute and Milwaukee County Substance Abuse Prevention coalition (MCSAP) focused on what Milwaukee’s African American residents are experiencing as it relates to mental wellness.

Panelists included Harry Evans of Heal Black Man, Michaela Ramos of Blue Willow Counseling and Consulting LLC, Dr. Ingrid D. Hicks of Transformation Services Inc., and Pastor Willie B. Davis of Invisible Reality Ministry. Panelists discussed issues such as access, empowerment, empathy, and care. They also explored some of the unique ways that local organizations and providers are supporting the mental health and wellbeing of unique individuals here in the Greater Milwaukee area. How are we meeting people where they are?

Mental Health and Substance Use Recovery Conference
Care for Self, Care for Others: Building Resilient Communities
Preconference October 19; Conference October 20-21
Kalahari Resort and Convention Center
Wisconsin Dells
You are invited to join Wisconsin Department of Health Services in person or virtually for the Mental Health and Substance Use Recovery Conference. This is Wisconsin's largest annual event focused on the full range of behavioral health care and supports—prevention, harm reduction, intervention, treatment, and recovery services.

This year's event features two keynote sessions and 39 workshops. Registration will open in August.
 
The hotel room block at the Kalahari Resort and Convention Center is now open. It closes September 19. See the full schedule and information on registration fees at this link.
The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is Now Available
The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline provides care and support to people experiencing stressful situations—whether that is thoughts of suicide, a mental health concern, or a substance use issue. It is a free and confidential service that is available 24/7.

People of all ages who need help for themselves or a loved one can access the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by:
  • Calling 988 (multiple languages)
  • Sending a text message to 988 (English only)
  • Using the chat feature at 988lifeline.org (English only)

Wisconsinites who use the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline will connect with an in-state service known as the Wisconsin Lifeline. The person contacting the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is connected with a trained counselor who takes note of the person's needs, understands how the person's problem is affecting them, provides support, and, if needed, gets the person additional help. 

The state Department of Health Services is planning for a statewide campaign to advertise and promote awareness of 988 to the public. This campaign is expected to launch in early 2023.

Webinars & Events
Pop-Up Outreach Day
Tuesday, July 26
Check out this cool pop-up community Resource Fair on July 26. Free food and fun! Help to beautify your neighborhood too. Sponsors include Amani United Dominican Center Safe & Sound, Inc. and COA Youth & Family Centers. The events will be held from 12 noon to 2 p.m. on July 26 at 27th and Chambers.
Virtual Adult Mental Health First Aid
Tuesday, August 2 & Tuesday, August 16
Community Advocates is offering Adult Mental Health First Aid workshops to help participants to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illness and substance use disorders. This training gives you the skills you need to reach out and provide initial support to someone who may be developing a mental health or substance use problem and help connect them to the appropriate care. Community Advocates will offer this introductory session via Zoom. To register, click on the following dates:

Virtual QPR Question, Persuade, Refer Training
Wednesday, August 3 & Wednesday, August 31
Community Advocates is offering QPR Question, Persuade, Refer Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper workshops to reduce suicidal behaviors and save lives by providing innovative, practical, and proven suicide prevention training. The signs of crisis are all around us. We believe that quality education empowers all people, regardless of their background, to make a positive difference in the life of someone they know.

Community Advocates will offer this introductory session via Zoom. To register, click on the following dates:

Trauma and the Brain: An Introduction
Monday, August 8
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As a result of this workshop, participants will gain a better understanding as to how trauma affects the brain, discuss risk factors for substance use disorders, and develop their strategy for intervention methods for a particular population.

What we will discuss:
  • Trauma definition
  • How trauma affects the brain
  • Statistics on substance use and ACEs
  • Risk factors
  • Strategies for care
  • Stress reducers
  • Prioritizing Risk Factors
  • Beginning a Call to Action
  • What has your organization done and how has it worked?

To register, click on the link below.

10 Tips to Reduce Conflict:
Practical Verbal De-Escalation Techniques
Tuesday, August 9 & Tuesday, August 23
Community Advocates is offering a virtual De-Escalation Techniques training to teach participants how to defuse a situation and increase safety using verbal de-escalation techniques. This workshop is aimed toward individuals who encounter conflict in the workplace, at home, or in the community, whether you are a parent or educator, work in the helping professions, or otherwise work with the public in potentially tense situations.

Virtual Youth Mental Health First Aid
Friday, August 12 & Friday, August 26
Community Advocates is offering Youth Mental Health First Aid workshops to teach parents, family members, caregivers, teachers, school staff, peers, neighbors, health and human services workers, and other caring citizens how to help an adolescent (age 12-18) who is experiencing a mental health or addictions challenge or is in crisis.

A Summer of Healing
Saturday, August 13
The City of Milwaukee Office of Violence Prevention is offering the Summer of Healing initiative in which you can learn about community resources, holistic healing practices, cultural practices and self-defense techniques. This program will also have activities and prizes for youth and teens. The next program will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, August 13, at Sherman Park, 3000 N. Sherman Blvd., Milwaukee. If you are interested in attending and have any additional questions, reach out to the Office of Violence Prevention through Facebook by clicking here.
From Preparation to Legalization:
Creating Cannabis Campaigns in the Midst of the
Youth Mental Health Crisis
Tuesday, August 16 & Wednesday, August 24
Join the Rescue Agency’s new complimentary webinar as they share their lessons learned from launching youth cannabis education campaigns in states across the country. Whether your state has already legalized cannabis or is preparing for legalization, you’ll leave with valuable research insights and messaging strategies for educating youth on the risk of using cannabis to prevent initiation of use.

Learning objectives include:
  • Understanding which teens are most susceptible and at increased risk for cannabis use
  • Avoiding common missteps in developing new cannabis prevention efforts in your community
  • Tailoring your communications to be credible and empathetic in the midst of the youth mental health crisis

Two sessions will be offered – at 12 noon on August 16 and an encore presentation at 12:30 p.m. on August 24.
Youth Trauma and Resilience in Contexts of Poverty
Wednesday, August 17
A growing body of research has begun to change understandings of how toxic environments can affect young people, particularly African American boys and young men. In this webinar presented by UW-Madison Institute for Research on Poverty, you will hear from Noni Gaylord-Harden, Jocelyn Smith Lee, and Alvin Thomas about risk and protective factors for youth in conditions with exposure to poverty, racism, and violence, and about how research, policy, and practice can incorporate these lessons. It will be held from 1-2 p.m. on Wednesday, August 17. Register here.
Wisconsin Peer Recovery Conference
Thursday, August 18 & Friday, August 19
The Wisconsin Peer Recovery Conference will be held August 18-19 and will be an in-person event. This conference is an opportunity to learn about effective support within community services, mental health and substance use recovery. The Peer Recovery Conference registration will be open through Wednesday, August 10, with a registration fee of $100. Advocates, mental health professionals and peer specialists are encouraged to attend. To register, click here.
Resources
Updated Mental Health & Wellness Resource Guide
In honor of Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, Community Advocates has updated its Milwaukee County Mental Health & Wellness Resource Guide to expand resources for and by People of Color. You can download it here.
MHA’s BIPOC Mental Health Awareness Month Toolkit
Mental Health America has launched its 2022 BIPOC Mental Health Month toolkit; go to mhanational.org/july to download the toolkit. You can also find actionable ways to support BIPOC communities and honor the legacy of Bebe Moore Campbell, the pioneer whose advocacy and visionary work first led to July’s formal dedication to the needs of BIPOC communities in mental health beginning in 2008. This year’s theme for Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), Mental Health Month is #BeyondTheNumbers.
Family Resources
Data Visualization: Helping Girls and Young Women Stay Healthy by Avoiding Alcohol
This data visualization from SAMHSA illustrates alcohol use among girls and young women, versus use among boys and young men. It also shares ways for parents, caregivers, or community members to respond and help girls and young women avoid alcohol use. Download it here.
Mental Health Language Guide
Released in conjunction with Ken Burns’ PBS series “Hiding in Plain Sight: Youth Mental Illness,” this resource from the Well Beings campaign provides examples of stigmatizing and non-stigmatizing language for adults who wish to communicate with youth about mental health and other issues. Download it at this link.
Job Opportunities
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Forward the information to Prevention@CommunityAdvocates.net. Thank you for your service to Milwaukee!
Community Advocates Public Policy Institute | 414-270-2950  | ppi.communityadvocates.net