Community Advocates Public Policy Institute's trainings always strive to address specific needs in our community. But our newest training—Youth Reentry Support, sponsored by the Milwaukee Health Department in the Office of Violence Prevention—is particularly timely, as it targets the needs of youth and young adults who are coming home after incarceration. According to "Data Snapshot of Youth Incarceration in Wisconsin" published by the Urban Institute, in 2017 African American youth in Wisconsin are 14.9 times more likely to be incarcerated than their white counterparts.

The training was developed by Jeremy Triblett, PPI's Training and Technical Assistance Coordinator. The co-facilitator is Conor Williams, PPI's Economic Policy Analyst who also facilitates the Milwaukee Reentry Council. Together, they've developed a four-hour conversation about how healthy connections, resources navigation, and community-led advocacy are vital to the successful reentry of African American youth and adults.

"Conor and I are continuing this conversation about institutionalization and post-incarceration syndrome," Triblett said. "The traumatic experiences of incarceration impact black and brown families in countless ways. People with lived experience, who join our conversations, share how they survived prison life and navigate the restraints of parole and probation. While incarcerated, 'institutionalization' makes them dependent on the system, suspicious of other people, and emotionally distant. This is what they had to do to survive." 

This training is offered free of charge thanks to the ReCAST Milwaukee grant from the City of Milwaukee Office of Violence Prevention, and aligns with the work being done by Running Rebels Community Organization, Youth Justice Milwaukee, Circles of Support, the Center for Self-Sufficiency, Alma Center, Project RETURN, and Mindful Staffing.

The next Youth Reentry Support Training will be held at Pathfinders, 4200 N. Holton St. #400, Milwaukee, on June 17 from 5 to 8 p.m. Register today at this link.

Learn more about Youth Reentry Support Training >>

Building Prevention Programs Training: Thursday, June 13, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Ephesians Missionary Baptist Church, 2412 N. Sixth St., Milwaukee. Prevention programs engage youth in developmental experiences that create norms for, and a social commitment to, not engaging unhealthy behaviors. To do this effectively, program facilitators must be competent in building relationships with youth, managing classroom behaviors, and helping youth build pro-social skills.

This training is designed to help youth work professionals:

RSVP here.

Suicide Prevention Training: Question, Persuade, Refer: Thursday, June 27, 9 to 11 a.m., Pathfinders, 4200 N. Holton St. #400, Milwaukee. QPR stands for Question, Persuade, and Refer -- the three simple steps anyone can learn to help save a life from suicide.

To save lives and reduce suicidal behaviors, this two-hour session provides innovative, practical, and proven suicide prevention training. We believe that quality education empowers all people, regardless of their background, to make a positive difference in the life of someone they know.

Key components:

RSVP now.

A special thank you goes out to training hosts Ephesians Missionary Baptist Church and Pathfinders, as well as the City of Milwaukee Office of Violence Prevention’s ReCAST Milwaukee grant, which allows us to provide these sessions at no cost to participants.

Like a lot of smokers, Amanda is trying to quit. What's helping her to reduce the number of cigarettes she smokes every day is the lack of spaces where she is allowed to smoke.

"When I'm in places where I can't smoke, it's encouraging," Amanda said. "I don't smell it, so I don't feel like I'm enticed to go smoke. Even bars and restaurants are smoke free. I can just enjoy myself without thinking about smoking."

Even her eight-year-old daughter has declared more spaces to be smoke-free. Amanda can't light up in the car when they're together or in their home. "She always tells me, 'I'm helping you today,'" Amanda said.

If Milwaukeeans have anything to do about it, they’d follow Amanda’s daughter’s lead and help her quit smoking by expanding smoke-free spaces to outdoor events, too.

A whopping 86% surveyed in Milwaukee want to enjoy smoke- and vape-free outdoor festivals, such as Summerfest, Irish Fest, Jazz in the Park, and PrideFest, which would help smokers like Amanda cut down or finally quit smoking.

When the  City of Milwaukee Tobacco-Free Alliance  surveyed nearly 600 people, just 14% said that smoking and vaping should be allowed everywhere at summer festivals. In contrast, 44% said that the entire grounds should be smoke and vape free, while 42% said smoking and vaping should be restricted to a smoking section on festival grounds.

Read more >>

Get rid of your unwanted medication at this free, safe, secure drug take-back event sponsored by Children’s Community Health Plan and community partners, including MCSAP. The drive will take place at 6737 W. Washington St., West Allis, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday, June 13. Look for the white Skywalk Pharmacy tent!

Topics at this year’s Substance Use Prevention Conference range from building coalition capacity to toxic stress, tools for data visualization, and risk and protective factors for LGBTQ+ youth. Andrea Palm, Secretary-designee of the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, and Paul Krupski, Director of Opioid Initiatives, are scheduled to speak on June 12. This two-day conference will be held on June 11 & 12 at the Kalahari Resort and Convention Center in Wisconsin Dells. Registration is $175. Get details and RSVP here.

When Milwaukee teenagers were asked what issue impacts them most, they responded loudly and clearly: carjacking. In response, Running Rebels Community Organization’s “Be the Change” youth decided to do something about it. Working with volunteer PR experts from Ignite Change and the City of Milwaukee Office of Violence Prevention, the teens created the “Jack a Car, Jack Up Your Life” anti-carjacking campaign targeted toward young people. The campaign is powerful. Check out the campaign’s website, videos, and testimonials.

Now is the time to make your voices heard on the Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Division’s budget for the next year. As you know, the Milwaukee County Mental Health Board oversees BHD and its budget (not the Milwaukee County Board) and its budget hearings follow a summer schedule, beginning with a preliminary budget proposal on June 6. The 2020 BHD budget narrative will be posted on BHD’s website on June 14. Public comment is only allowed at certain sessions. You can comment anytime online here ; the online comments will be sent to board members. Get all of the 2020 BHD budget dates and details at this link.

The national and Wisconsin conference on drug endangered children will be held at the La Crosse Center (300 Harborview Plaza, La Crosse) from July 16-18. Jerry Moe, the national director of the Hazelden Betty Ford Children’s Program, will provide the opening keynote speech, while Carlton Hall, a former leader with the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA), will offer the closing plenary. Breakout topics include reports on drug trends, drug endangered children and driving, as well as an in-depth look at meth’s impact on children. You can find more information and register here.

The Fourth Annual Wisconsin Peer Recovery Conference, "Recovery Outside the Box,"  is designed to demonstrate aspects of effective peer support within community services of mental health and substance use recovery. Peers, consumers, and service providers are able to enhance their individual skills and explore innovative applications of peer support in various communities statewide. Keynote speakers are Mark Sanders, LCSW, CADC, on "The Therapeutic Benefits of Humor for Peer Specialists," and Pardeep Singh Kaleka on "Embracing Survivorship and Repairing Harm." The conference will be held Thursday, August 1, and Friday, August 2, at Stoney Creek Hotel and Conference Center, Onalaska. Get details here .

Home to Stay, a new initiative from the Milwaukee Reentry Council, is a one-stop shop event that bring together a broad spectrum of resources to one location each month to help individuals whose lives have been touched by the criminal justice system and their families. Resources include: employment opportunities, housing services, health care and insurance, driver’s license recovery, expungement, child support services, GED/HSED, literacy services, training programs, and more. Home to Stay events will take place the first Wednesday of the month from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Job Center Central, 4201 N. 27th St., Milwaukee. The next Home to Stay is slated for Wednesday, June 5. There is no charge to attend. 

Ethan Monson-Dupuis died at age 25 from an accidental heroin overdose in 2016. Help raise awareness that addiction is a brain disease, not a character flaw or lack of will power. Run or walk in honor of someone who is in recovery or who had lost their fight. This 5K run will begin at 8 a.m. at Konkel Park, 5151 W. Layton Ave., Greenfield. All proceeds go to The Ethan Monson-Dupuis Opiate Recovery Fund through Aurora Health Care. Sign up for the race or donate at this link .

Mindful self-compassion is designed to cultivate the skill of self-compassion, which serves as a foundation for compassion for others. These eight Monday-evening sessions are led by Jamie Lynn Tatera, Certified Mindful Self-Compassion Instructor, and Barbara Moser, Mindful Self-Compassion Teacher in Training. CE credits are available, as well as APA accreditation. The sessions will be held on Mondays, from 6 to 8:45 p.m., from June 10 to August 5 (no meeting on July 8), at Rogers InHealth, 4555 W. Schroeder Drive, Brown Deer. A preview session will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. on June 3. Cost is $375 if you register by June 3 or $425 after June 3. Some partial scholarships are available. Get details and register here.

The Healthiest Greenfield Coalition focuses on Healthy Aging as one of its three priority areas. To support those with early onset dementia and their care partners, coalition members partnered with the Milwaukee County Department on Aging and Meyer’s Restaurant to implement a Memory Café, a monthly social gathering. The coalition invites the public to celebrate the one-year anniversary of this valuable resource with Ribbon Cutting Ceremony on Monday, June 10, from 2:30 to 4 p.m. at Meyer’s Restaurant, 4260 S. 76th St., Greenfield. The ceremony will include complimentary refreshments, the ribbon cutting, and the Amazing Grace Chorus, made up of individuals living with dementia and their caregivers. Kindly RSVP by June 3 by clicking here , calling 414-329-5268, or emailing [email protected] .  

The keynote speaker at this year’s conference is Larry K. Brendtro, Ph.D., director of The Resilience Academy, who will discuss "Raising Courageous Kids: From Trauma to Thriving." The event also includes a youth voice panel, workshops, door prizes, and Child and Youth Care (CYC) certification. It’ll be held on Tuesday, June 11, at Cardinal Stritch University, 6801 N. Yates Road, Milwaukee. Organized by the Association of Children’s Residential Centers and Wisconsin Association of Child and Youth Care Professionals . Get details and register here . 

This Registry-approved training provides tools to help prevent sexual abuse of children and will benefit adults who work and volunteer with children. Friday, June 14, 9:30 a.m. to 12 noon; Monday, July 8, 6 to 8:30 p.m. Sessions will be held at The Parenting Network , 7516 W. Burleigh St., Milwaukee. Call 414-671-0566 to register or to schedule a group training.

UWM’s School of Continuing Education’s third annual Trauma in Our Community Conference features presentations on task shifting, the community link to trauma, and the unique complexities of trauma-sensitive training in schools. The conference will be held from 8 a.m. to 3:30 pm. on Friday, June 14, at UWM Student Union, 2200 E. Kenwood Blvd., Milwaukee. The cost is $159 to attend; CEUs and CEHs are available. Register here.

Calling all social service providers, advocates, and consumers! The Empowerment Coalition of Milwaukee, sponsored by Community Advocates, will hold this discussion of housing services at the United Way of Greater Milwaukee and Waukesha County, 225 W. Vine St., Milwaukee, from 9 a.m. to noon. Fee is $5. Click here to register.

The City of Milwaukee Health Department is hosting its first Opioid Awareness Community Event on Monday, June 24, from 5 to 7 p.m., at Bradley Tech High School, 700 S. Fourth St., Milwaukee, for those dealing with addiction and their families. There will be a meal provided, Narcan training and distribution, prevention and awareness resources, and counselors and treatment providers. If your organization is interested in participating, contact Courtney Geiger at [email protected] by June 7.

This acclaimed parenting skill-building program teaches parents and concerned adults how to raise African American children to become healthy, proud, and capable people. Six Thursdays, June 27-August 8, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at The Parenting Network , 7516 W. Burleigh St., Milwaukee. A meal is included. Call the Parent Helpline at 414-671-0566 to register.

Join Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers and Milwaukee Brewers players and wives for this free, family-friendly community health event. Enjoy bike tune ups, Zumba and salsa, games and food, raffles, and free helmets for the kids. This free event will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 29, at Kosciuszko Park, Ninth Street and West Lincoln Avenue, Milwaukee. Click here for details.

The Wisconsin Safe & Healthy Schools Center has released a new fact-sheet on vaping, Juuling, and the Suorin Drop.