The Department of Children and Families (DFC) is requesting a proposal for Supervised Independent Living Services (SIL). The SIL program will provide eligible youth with SIL services to successfully transition out of out-of-home care into quality and sustainable living arrangements. Click here and use the keywords "Supervised Independent Living" to find the request for proposal.

The State Council on Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse (SCAODA) has released its report "Moving Forward: Policies and Strategies to Prevent and Reduce Excessive Alcohol Use in Wisconsin," which includes recommendations for various levels of government, as well as those in the health care or alcohol industries and members of civic organizations. To view this report, click here.

Click here to access sharable materials from the Comprehensive Injury Center at the Medical College of Wisconsin's Facebook page.

The MPS Special Education Leadership Institute is offering 90-minute trainings for families with children with special needs. These trainings will be focused on topics such as IEPs, rights and responsibilities, and student conduct. The trainings will be held on Wednesday evenings from April 20 – June 1 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. via Zoom. To register, click here.

The Wisconsin African American Tobacco Prevention Network is hosting a virtual "No Menthol" Sunday Kick-off awareness event. This event is to bring awareness and to fight against predatory marketing practices of addictive mentholated tobacco products in Black communities. This year’s theme is called “Bold Awareness: A Fight to the Finish.” This event will be held on Friday, April 22, from 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. To register, click here.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison Institute for Research on Poverty is hosting a webinar on "Understanding and Addressing Fathers’ Mental Health." This webinar will highlight depression and mental health challenges among new fathers and the impacts of fathers’ mental health on parenting and family relationships. This webinar will be held Wednesday, April 27, from 1-2 p.m. Click here to register.

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. Community Advocates will offer this introductory session via Zoom at no cost. It's open to Milwaukee County residents and those who work with them.

Health Resources in Action is presenting a workshop sponsored by Alliance for Wisconsin Youth and Community Advocates Public Policy Institute that will discuss drug-related stigma at the community, individual, and structural level. You will be given tools to learn how to examine personal biases and challenge drug-related stigma at the interpersonal level. The workshop will be held via Zoom on Monday, April 25, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. If you are interested in registering, email Hannah Lepper at hlepper@communityadvocates.net.

The Great Lakes MHTTC, National Hispanic & Latino MHTTC and El Consorcio are sponsoring this year’s conference on navigating behavioral health complexities in the Midwest Hispanic & Latinx communities. The conference will be held Thursday, May 5, and Friday, May 6, in Bloomington, Minnesota. For more information on this conference and registration, click here.

One Hope 27 is hosting their annual Mother’s Day 5k run on Saturday, May 7. There will be local vendors and free activities for the whole family. The run will begin at Washington Park at 9 a.m. Sign up by April 11 to guarantee you receive a shirt for the event! To register, click here.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services will be hosting the 2022 Opioids, Stimulants, and Trauma Summit. The summit will be highlighting strategies to address the use of opioids and stimulants in Wisconsin and will be open to all people interested in building healthy communities. The summit will be held on Tuesday, May 10 through Thursday, May 12, in La Crosse, but there is also a virtual option. The deadline to register is May 4. If you are interested in registering, click here.

We’ve all heard the phrase, “diversity and inclusion,” but what does it actually mean to make an organization or even our personal lives more diverse and inclusive? How can we get beyond grouping and labeling of other humans according to the color of their skin, the religion they practice, or the country in which they were born? Can we really build a just and inclusive world, especially in this time of such division? Even more, how can we make our organizations and lives more inclusive of those who are “Other” and different from “us?” Isn’t it time to at least consider a new approach to human inclusivity—where all humans regardless of differences are valued?  Join national speaker, transgender writer and “human inclusionist” Ellen “Ellie” Krug as she conducts her highly valued human inclusivity training, Gray Area Thinking®. This training will provide an easy-to-understand toolset on how to be more welcoming of anyone who is “Other” in our society. This training will be held from 9 a.m. to 12 noon on May 12. It's organized by the Wisconsin Balance of State Continuum of Care. Register here.

The Center for Urban Population Health will be hosting a virtual BIPOC Substance Abuse Prevention Skills Training. This is a three-month training series which includes training sessions, learning communities, a mentor match, and a project. This training will help attendees learn basic knowledge and skills needed by BIPOC in order to reduce behavioral health disparities and improve wellness. The application deadline for this training is Friday, May 20, and the first training session will begin on Tuesday, June 7. Click here for more information and access to the application.

Session #1: Creating A Culture Where Everyone Feels They Belong  (Tuesday, May 31 10:30-12:30): This holistic presentation is inclusive of the skill of Critical Thought and Crucial Conversation; Tools For Talking When The Stakes Are High. All participants will feel compelled to learn, invited to be courageous, and challenged to be humble as we explore the impact of our experiences on our ability to form truly authentic partnerships and relationships. Through intentional dialogue focused on our sense of belonging, we are able to examine and challenge the plethora of personal and professional environments where we feel most and least likely that we belong. Participants will be able to apply their unique personality, lived experience, and acquired knowledge to Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity in ways consistent with the unique Mission of organizations across all Departments, roles, and responsibilities. Register at this link.

 

Session #2: The Intersection of Lived and Learned Experiences On Civility In The Workplace (Tuesday, June 7 10:30-12:30): The impact of up to five generations working side by side in the workplace presents a plethora of experiences that can evolve and challenge authentic relationships. Each generation has a unique experience and understanding of the concept of respect, hard work ethic, and civility. How each of these are defined will influence how individuals recognize and respond to the world around them. As we become more intentional about shared definitions we are more inclined to actively participate in contributing to a desired Organizational Culture. Register here.

Session #3: Crucial Conversations, Critical Thinking, and the Art of Asking Better Questions (Tuesday, June 14 10:30-12:30): This session will focus on a very tactical approach to seeking clarity and addressing challenges and concerns efficiently and effectively. Participants will be provided a ‘guided tour’ of the elements of thought to understand how we think and what questions we should be teaching people to ask themselves BEFORE they publicly proclaim something a problem. Participants will also be introduced to very specific questions to ask which results in clarity for both parties to manage expectations of how and when to respond. Register at this link.

The Milwaukee Area Youth Golf Academy is hosting a summer 2022 golf program for Milwaukee County youth ages 8-17. The program is free and will provide free usage of academy golf clubs, four days of golf lessons, and playing opportunities. To get more details, call or email Bart Ferrara at 414-430-2533 or info@mkegolf.org. The deadline to apply to this program is Tuesday, May 31. Click here to access the program flyer and permission form.

The City of Greenfield Health Department will be providing Narcan training for anyone who wishes to learn how to administer it. To schedule a training, call (414) 329-5275 or stop by 7325 W. Forest Home Ave., Room #104, Monday through Friday. Please visit safegreenfield.com for wellness resources in the City of Greenfield.

The Southeast MHTTC School Mental Health Initiative and the Center of Excellence on LGBTQ+ Behavioral Health Equity have partnered to provide important tools and resources to support LGBTQ+ students. Their toolkit includes resources such as e-learning materials, animated learning videos, and more. To access this toolkit and to gather more information, click here.

We all have a part to play in child abuse prevention. By working to build one or more protective factors in your own family or community, you can play a role in prevention too. To learn more about the five protective factors, and tips to incorporate them into your own family, click here.