By the Coconino Coalition for Children & Youth
COCONINO COUNTY — The Coconino Coalition for Children & Youth invite you to register for a groundbreaking System’s Change Symposium with national and global speakers on Oct. 22 or 23, 2024.
The virtual community event is free to individuals who work or live in Coconino County, with a small charge to people outside the County.
Image from the training series presentation to City of Flagstaff employees.
The Symposium is part of the Coalition’s Reimagine Community — Trauma-Informed System Change grant focusing on developing a mental model change ensuring trauma-informed and resilience information is understood at the City of Flagstaff and Coconino County levels and enacted as policy change.
The goal of the project is to create awareness of the impacts of trauma and stress on individuals, to recognize how this is impacting team members, the wider community and the system as a whole, and to create a trauma responsive environment that supports staff members, teams and the community.
The Coalition was one of four organizations in Arizona to be selected in 2023 for the Vitalyst Health Foundation’s System Change Grant, which is supporting the Reimagine Community program.
“This information is becoming common place in the behavioral health and child welfare worlds.” said CCC&Y Executive Director Virginia Watahomigie, who will speak about the Coalition’s Reimagine Community Project at the symposium. “However, organizations and systems who are on the frontlines of our community’s deepest needs are often missing this information. The research is clear that what happens to us impacts our behavior and interactions with others. When we are in a trauma-responsive environment we not only understand this, we make simple changes that can improve outcomes and relationships as opposed to creating further stress or trauma.”
Photos by Frank X. Moraga ©2024
After a year of preparation including discussions with administrative leaders, a survey, development of training materials, and a rollout of the two trainings across the city, employees at the City of Flagstaff gathered on Aug. 29 in the City Council Conference Room for the first listening session of the Reimagine Community program.
The gathering was led by Rene RedDay, founder/relations and engagement consultant/trainer with Building Community, LLC in Flagstaff. The Coalition is partnering with Building Community to host the listing sessions with the city.
Training and other marketing materials provided by the Coalition.
“It was well received by the staff,” Rene said of the first session. “They appreciated it was not a training session, but an opportunity to be listened to.”
Rene said she was impressed by the participant’s understanding of the real-life need for trauma-informed care training.
“They felt it was meaningful and said, ‘We deal with trauma every day, in our personal and professional life as staff and with customers we serve. We have difficult interactions every day,’ ” she said. “They thought it was very relevant.”
Participants said they will now encourage other city employees to share their thoughts at the upcoming listening sessions and also learn more about upcoming opportunities like the System’s Change Symposium, Rene said.
Watahomigie said the upcoming symposium will provide City, County employees and others with additional resources in their lives.
“We will be using the Systems Change Symposium to support our System Change work.” Watahomigie said. “We were also approached by partners who were requesting systems change information as they keep butting up against walls in trying to make large change in the community and the idea for the Symposium for our community and all our partners was born.”
Kevin Campbell, an American Child Protection, Health Care Innovator and co-founder of Pale Blue and Elizabeth Wendel, MSW, LSW, president and co-founder and CEO of Pale Blue, will lead the virtual 2-part midday presentation at the upcoming symposium.
Campbell has served as a guest speaker at previous Coalition Prevention Conferences in Flagstaff and a training seminar in Page. Kevin and Elizabeth’s presentation will help viewers understand the human toll and outcomes of current systems and give us practical ideas for making change now.
- David Martinez III of Vitalist Health Foundation, who will talk about “What is Systems Change and Why They Fund It”
- Iya Affo, founder of Heal Historical Trauma, who will provide examples of policy, systems and inequity
- Andrea Meronuck of Northland Family Health Center and Pearl Santillan of First Things First, who will provide information on mindfulness, self compassion and/or mental health models
- Dr. Sandra Solano, founder of Integro, who will talk about HeartMath, trauma and use for systems change work
- and a message from Flagstaff Mayor, Becky Daggett
Thank you sponsors and partners for your support:
Major funding is provided by Vitalist Health Foundation, with partnerships by the City of Flagstaff, Coconino County, supportive funding by the NARBHA Institute and with project support and technical assistance by AZ•ACES• Consortium and Northland Family Health Center.
Details:
The System’s Change Symposium is free for those who live or work in Coconino County, $20 full day for all others. Both days, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 22, 23, have the same content and speakers. Register HERE for the Oct. 22, or HERE for Oct. 23 session.