A Strong Start for Every Child | | |
As a new school year begins, we're reminded that every classroom, school and community has the opportunity to help children build resilience.
Whether you're an educator, caregiver, healthcare provider, nonprofit leader, or community partner, thank you for the role you play in creating environments where young people can thrive. Small moments of connection, compassion and support can make a lasting difference in a child's life.
This month, we're sharing resources to help you start the school year strong and continue building trauma-informed, resilient communities across Georgia.
Thank you for being part of this work. Together, we're helping ensure that every child has the opportunity to feel safe, connected and ready to learn.
Here's to a wonderful school year!
The Resilient Georgia Team
p.s. Stay in touch with us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
| | This Issue: 3-Minute Read | | Bringing County-Level Data to the Communities it Reflects | | |
What's new: In our latest blog, Resilient Georgia intern and doctoral researcher, Jordan Ricketts, shares how county-level data is being transformed into practical insights that empower educators, school counselors, social workers, healthcare and behavioral health professionals and other community leaders to make more informed, data-driven decisions for children and families.
Why it matters: When communities have access to meaningful, localized data, they can better identify priorities, allocate resources, and build solutions that reflect the lived experiences of children and families. Data becomes more than numbers—it becomes a tool for creating healthier, more resilient communities across Georgia.
| Support Educator and Student Resilience | |
What's new: Today’s youth are growing up in a stressful world with less in-person connection and more exposure to social comparison and crisis through their devices. These challenges set them apart from previous generations. They are not less resilient—but they do need more intentional support from adults.
Why it matters: Trauma-informed practices in education:
- improve student outcomes
- prevent harm
- strenthen school communities
Go deeper: Become a Trauma-Informed School.
| | Aligning Student Supports for Safer Schools | | |
What's new: The Georgia Department of Education introduced Aligning Student Supports for Safer Schools, a first-of-its-kind resource that integrates BTAM with Georgia’s Multi-Tiered System of Supports (GaMTSS) and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS).
Why it matters: Developed in partnership with national experts, the guide offers practical strategies to help schools identify early warning signs, coordinate responses, and connect students with appropriate support before concerns escalate. Through tools such as a fictional case study, the resource demonstrates how aligning prevention, intervention, and student support systems can strengthen school safety, improve climate, and promote student well-being.
| | Resilient Futures: Social Connection & Youth Voice | | |
What's new: Resilient Futures, our new monthly blog series, explores the issues and experiences shaping the lives of young people today.
- Throughout the academic year, we’ll seek to better understand what youth are experiencing, what they need from adults and communities around them, and what they can teach us. Our hope is to spark meaningful conversations, challenge assumptions, and inspire us to think differently about how we support young people and create a future where they feel connected, heard, valued, and able to thrive.
Go deeper: In the first post, "Social Connection and Youth Voice as an Antidote to the Youth Mental Health Crisis," author Nikki Tobeck, Regional Program Manager at Resilient Georgia, explores the connection between youth mental health and social connection, and why elevating young voices is an important piece in creating a healthier society for all.
Get involved: Resilient Georgia is seeking guest contributors for the 2026–2027 Resilient Futures blog series. Youth ages 14–26, parents, caregivers, educators, and community leaders are invited to share stories, insights, and resources that support resilience. Interested? Contact Nikki.
| | Regional Coalition & Partner News | |
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Congratulations to Resilient Georgia's own Alex English on her promotion to Regional Coalition Program Manager.
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PCOM South Georgia is continuing to expand community partnerships and strengthen rural health training for medical students and trainees. The initiatives include a leadership role in Resilient Communities of Southwest Georgia and a $35,000 grant from the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) to develop a Rural Health Track Certificate for Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine students.
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Cohort 7 of the Mental Health Career Accelerator had 92 applicants and 54 were selected - our largest cohort yet!
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Congratulations to Alison Nykaro from Cobb Collaborative and Resilient NW Metro for being accepted to the Georgia Education Policy Fellowship. She is among 28 incredible leaders accepted into the 19th cohort, which will embark on a 10-month learning experience exploring Georgia’s education policy landscape, beginning in August 2026 and concluding in May 2027.
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Resilient Northeast Georgia shared a free Trauma & Resilience Toolkit featuring downloadable resources, educational materials, and social media content to help raise awareness about trauma, ACEs, and resilience.
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The Waycross Resilient Georgia Partnership led by the Magnolia House and Waycross Family Justice Center has officially rebranded as Resilient Southeast Georgia.
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Georgia Essentials for Childhood has launched the Family Well-Being Messaging Library, a centralized collection of tools, trainings, podcasts, webinars, educational resources, and more designed to support organizations and professionals in promoting child and family well-being. Grounded in a strengths-based, whole-family approach, the library advances shared language and messaging practices that help create the conditions for safe, stable, nurturing relationships and environments where children and families can thrive.
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Complete the Resilient Georgia Trainer Information Survey by Aug. 22. The survey is designed to help Resilient Georgia build a clearer picture of available training resources throughout the state and strengthen connections between trainers, organizations, and communities seeking educational opportunities. (Respondents who complete the survey will have the opportunity to enter a raffle to win a $100 Visa gift card.)
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Register for the Georgia CASA Conference on Aug. 22 where Resilient Georgia's own Audrey Idaikkadar is co-presenting Gabrielle Stewart and Laura Beth Newsom from NWGA, "Meeting Families Where They Are: A Trauma- and Poverty-Informed Approach."
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Attend the Resilient Georgia (virtual) Lunch & Learn Sept. 10, "Expanding Access to High-Quality, Evidence-Informed Training Across the State" from 12:00 to 12:45 p.m. ET.
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Join the Georgia School-Based Behavioral Health Collaborative for the Middle Georgia Regional School-Based Behavioral Health Forum and Innovation Lab Sept. 11 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Middle Georgia State University. Registration info. coming soon.
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Georgia Department of Education will host Demistifying Vaping Sept. 14 and Sept. 15 that will review current research on the risks of youth nicotine and marijuana vaping and explore promising practices for one-on-one, classroom, and school-wide prevention and intervention efforts.
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The 2026 Georgia 2Gen Summit will be held September 15–16 , at the Atlanta Evergreen Lakeside Resort in Stone Mountain
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The Georgia Conference on Child Abuse Prevention will take place Sept. 16 in Peachtree City, Ga.
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Save the date for our next Resilient Georgia General Meeting November 12, 2026 from 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM.
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Become a Connections Matter Georgia Trainer. Register for Connections Matter Train-the-Trainer on Sept. 29 and learn the tools to train others.
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The Georgia Department of Education’s Mental Health Awareness Training (MHAT) offers customizable, on-demand trainings for schools and community partners across the state. Organizations can request a training to support professional learning and strengthen whole child supports in their communities.
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Join Reaching Teens Connect & Reflect, hosted by Wellroot’s Reaching Teens experts, designed to support professionals in applying trauma-responsive, relationship-based practices to real-life situations. Held on the 4th Thursday of each month from noon to 1 PM.
| | What's Happening at Resilient Georgia | |
Back-to-School Tips from the Resilient Georgia Team | |
From bedtime routines to first-day traditions, our team is sharing a few of the simple ways we help make the transition back to school a little smoother—and a little more fun.
🍃Emily Anne and her son listen to bedtime meditations on the InsightTimer app to fall asleep on weekdays. They put her to sleep sometimes too!
🎳Kathryn has a tradition to take her kids bowling the night before a new school year for one last fun summer activity together. Before bed, they read a book about the grade each child is entering (like The Night Before First Grade), and they sprinkle a little "jitter glitter" under their pillows to help calm those first-day butterflies!
👚Alex keeps mornings running smoothly by having her girls lay out their outfits the night before. Now that they're older and want to choose their own clothes, any second-guessing happens the evening before instead of delaying the morning routine.
📖Audrey relies on bedtime stories help us with bedtime and for a more restful night before school. It also helps soothe the anxiety that her first grader has been feeling with the start of the new school year. Their current favorite is the Mystwick School of Musiccraft Series.
🎒Andrea tailors her back-to-school routines to each of her children. For her neurodivergent son, a visual morning schedule helps him stay on track by checking off each task as he gets ready, providing a comforting sense of routine and structure. For her daughter, back-to-school means a special shopping trip filled with highlighters, labels, binders, and other supplies that help her feel prepared for her first year of high school.
🍳Annaliza asks her kids to make a breakfast menu for the school year. This helps save time in the morning, and the kids like being part of the decision-making process.
💫Nikki is thrilled to launch the Resilient Futures blog series and feature youth voices throughout the school year. Reach out to be a guest contributor!
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“The beginning is the most important part of the work."
—Plato
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