Public Policy Institute Insights
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Friends –
Welcome to our Winter 2024-2025 newsletter!
As the year comes to a close and the holiday spirit fills the air, we’re excited to bring you Community Advocates Public Policy Institute's latest updates, stories, and highlights to wrap up 2024 on a high note. December is a time for reflection, celebration, and looking forward to the possibilities of the year ahead—and we’re so grateful to have you as part of our community.
Wishing you a wonderful December filled with warmth, happiness, and memories to cherish!
Warmly,
Kari Southern
Deputy Director
Community Advocates Public Policy Institute
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Promoting Mental Wellness in Our Community | |
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Since 2021, CA-PPI’s Mental Health Awareness Training grant has allowed us to provide culturally appropriate mental wellness workshops in the community at no cost to participants. Our workshop portfolio includes Mental Health First Aid, Escucha Tus Emociones / Listen to Your Emotions, Verbal De-Escalation Techniques, QPR Question Persuade Refer Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper training, and the workplace-based VitalCog suicide awareness training.
We just wrapped up our third year and we’re proud to report that our independent evaluator, UW Population Health Institute, found that we met all of our program goals and objectives. In Year 3, we held 89 sessions with 1,256 participants—and an incredible 99% of post-training survey respondents showed positive change in knowledge, attitudes and/or beliefs as a result of the workshop. Plus, 541 referrals were made to local programs and services. We’re going to expand our offerings in Year 4—stay tuned!
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Escucha Tus Emociones Supports Healing in Milwaukee County | |
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Led by therapist and trainer Ana Paula Soares, the Escucha Tus Emociones / Listen to Your Emotions initiative has trained 60 bilingual Community Health Workers / Promotores de Salud to deliver mental health awareness and substance misuse prevention workshops in Milwaukee County. In 2024, 50 culturally affirming workshops were facilitated to 400 participants, primarily Latinx adults.
Escucha Tus Emociones began as a multimedia campaign created by Soares, Centro Hispano of Dane County, Sandra Dempsey of Source Ten, and other partners. In 2022, Community Advocates Public Policy Institute became a partner in this initiative. With the support of Milwaukee County’s Better Ways to Cope funding and CA-PPI’s administrative infrastructure, Soares worked to develop four workshops and train the Promotores de Salud. Over the next year, the Promotores will be deepening their knowledge of substance misuse prevention (especially opioid misuse prevention), culturally affirming wellness practices, and providing peer support for each other and community members.
On December 7, a group of Promotores gathered to participate in a healing circle that drew on traditional practices that have been handed down through the generations, as well as the very modern practice of creating personal vision boards for the year ahead. The Promotores shared their reflections on how their involvement in the Escucha Tus Emociones initiative has impacted them and the people in their lives. One woman explained that she is more likely to actively listen to others instead of reacting, while another said the lessons she’s learned from Escucha Tus Emociones have helped her to cope with the recent losses and transitions in her life in a healthy way, allowing her to embrace challenges and appreciate her life’s journey.
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Food Insecurity Panel Sparked Dialogue | |
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In October, CA-PPI organized a panel discussion on the increasing food insecurity in our community. Although the COVID-19 crisis and unemployment have eased, Milwaukee residents’ participation in FoodShare benefits and use of emergency food pantries continue to access these resources at high rates.
Attendees heard from Diana Billstrom, Interim Executive Director with Bay View Community Center; Allen Castillo, FoodShare Outreach Program Manager with Hunger Task Force; Lauren Faulds, Child Welfare Program Manager with Community Advocates Public Policy Institute; Ashley Fisher, Researcher with Wisconsin Policy Forum; and Jules Lee, FoodShare Outreach Program Director with Feeding Wisconsin. There was a lively discussion about making food benefits easily accessible to our community members, and how stakeholders can better collaborate to end hunger. The PPI Member Network sponsored the panel.
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PPI Network Member Spotlight:
Pathfinders Milwaukee
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We’re delighted to shine a light on Pathfinders Milwaukee, which is a founding member of the PPI Members Network.
For more than 50 years, Pathfinders has served youth and young adults who are hard to reach and often have nowhere else to turn. A key facet of Pathfinders’ mission is to incorporate the voice of their youth participants into the design, implementation, and evaluation of their programs and services. The result is an inclusive and innovative organization that uplifts young people who face significant barriers.
Pathfinders engages with people ages 11 to 25, with an emphasis on serving youth with low or extremely low income; Youth of Color; gender and sexually diverse people; young people who experienced significant trauma, including sexual trafficking or exploitation; those who live with a mental health issue; and young people who lack a safe, welcoming place to live.
Pathfinders' staff serve their youth through their Drop-In Center, youth shelter, street outreach, supported housing programs, clinical services, and basic needs programs, all of which enable these youth to feel seen, heard, and empowered.
In addition to Pathfinders’ participation in our PPI Members Network, Community Advocates has the good fortune of collaborating with this life-changing organization in other ways. Pathfinders delivers substance use prevention and life skills curricula to their youth as a partner in our Brighter Futures Initiative-Milwaukee and Stay Strong Milwaukee programming; is a partner in the RISE Drug Free MKE coalition, organized by PPI; and is a fellow member of the Milwaukee Coalition on Housing and Homelessness.
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Setting Boundaries with
Alcohol and Other Drugs Campaign
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Do you know which shots to take?
The RISE Drug Free MKE coalition, which is coordinated by our Public Policy Institute, launched a new campaign featuring Marquette University Men’s Basketball player David Joplin to encourage young people to make good decisions about setting boundaries around alcohol and other drugs.
The 30-second video will be played at Marquette Men’s Basketball home games this season. The campaign also includes materials on navigating your relationship with alcohol and other drugs on the RISE Drug Free MKE website.
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MFIS Marked Its First Anniversary | |
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December 1 marked the first anniversary of our Milwaukee Family Intervention Services (MFIS) program, supported by the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families and led by CA-PPI’s Child Welfare Program Manager Lauren Faulds with a dedicated team of Therapeutic Intervention Specialists, Family Support Specialists, and an Intake Specialist.
MFIS is a case management program serving Milwaukee County residents in need of services for their family, especially regarding mental health issues, behavioral and educational concerns, truancy, and CHIPS/JIPS petitions. Families do not need a referral to be eligible, and no-cost services are provided in English and Spanish.
In its first year, 45 families enrolled in MFIS, and 21 of them enrolled in the Parenting with Love and Limits intervention services, a family-focused intervention for teenagers with emotional and behavioral issues. PPL involves family and group sessions led by a Therapeutic Intervention Specialist and Family Support Specialist. Our staff say parents and teens are learning new behaviors and finding healthy ways to resolve their issues. We’re looking forward to more success in 2025.
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We’re seeking dedicated, creative, and caring people to join our team. If you want to invest your time and talents in our community, please check out the following job opportunities:
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Community Advocates Public Policy Institute held our staff retreat at Schlitz Audubon Nature Center in November. In addition to envisioning our work in the year ahead, the team took a sensory journey into the woods and participated in a guided Forest Bathing experience, leaving everyone feeling rejuvenated and connected!
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VitalCog Suicide Prevention in the Workplace | |
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VitalCog trains organizations to proactively address the early warning signs of suicide in the workplace.
This two-hour training gives participants the skills and tools to appreciate the critical need for suicide prevention while creating a forum for dialogue and critical thinking about workplace mental health challenges, and by promoting help-seeking and help-giving.
VitalCog workshops are best conducted in the workplace for groups of 7 to 25, with human resources staff present to discuss available services for employees.
To learn more and schedule a training, email Rita Liesiefsky.
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Your generous gift will allow us to continue to provide effective and innovative programs and services to thousands of community members.
We appreciate your support!
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Community Advocates
2024 Board of Directors
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Leadership
President: Bryan House | Foley & Lardner, LLP
Vice President: Sharon Jordan | Direct Supply
Treasurer: Sandra Samse | BDO
Secretary: Natasha Dotson | Milwaukee Fatherhood Initiative
Board Members
Nicole Angresano | Community Volunteer
Anne DeLeo | Community Volunteer
Valerie Gabriel | Community Volunteer
Gary Ingram | Igary Events
Pamela Klein | Community Volunteer
Jim Liedtke | Community Volunteer
Kate Venne | Brady Corporation
Jodi Wire | Community Volunteer
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