MONDAY MEMO #32
- Resilient Georgia
- Jun 2
- 6 min read
Happy June, Partners! As summer begins, we hope you're finding time to rest, recharge, and reconnect. This week’s memo features a fresh set of resources, articles, training opportunities, and initiatives designed to support children, families, and communities across Georgia. We hope you’ll explore and share these highlights as we step into a new season of growth and impact. Before we dive in, here are some updates and highlights from the RG Team:
RG UPDATES
New Resources on RG’s Website! Explore the updated Case for ACEs Prevention and Community Resiliency Model briefs, new resource pages for populations including Ag Worker/Farmer Mental Health Resources, Resources for People with Disabilities, Parents and Caregivers, and Immigrants, Refugees and New American families, and our 8th Learning Card on Self-Care (currently available in English, translations to come). Please share this resources widely!
Upcoming June Dates:
June Peer-to-Peer Network: Coalition partners are welcome to join us Tomorrow June 3rd from 2-3pm an informal, connection-focused session with fellow coalition leads across the state. This is a chance to build relationships, share ideas, and enjoy some lighthearted conversation. We will also take time to discuss how we’d like to use this time moving forward to help us plan for fall sessions and we’d love your input on how to make this sessions a success! We’ll be pausing Peer Network meetings in July.
June Lunch and Learn: Community Resiliency Model (CRM®): Join us Thursday, June 12th via Zoom, for our next Lunch and Learn featuring an introduction to the Community Resiliency Model (CRM®) in Disaster Recovery Efforts—a set of practical, body-based wellness skills that help individuals and communities manage stress and heal after crisis. Featured speakers Elaine Miller-Karas, LCSW, co-developer of CRM®, and Dr. Michael Sapp, clinical psychologist and CEO of the Trauma Resource Institute, will share practical applications of CRM® to support long-term recovery following disasters. Their work has supported communities across the globe in the wake of hurricanes, wildfires, conflict, and mass trauma. If you haven’t taken a CRM training before, we encourage you to check out these Medscape videos ahead of the session. Anyone is welcome to join our Lunch and Learn. To request an invite, please email Alex at aenglish@resilientga.org.
Check out our updated 2025 Updated Conference List!
988 Data Now Available by Region: Did you know you can now access 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline data for your region? Visit 988ga.org/data to explore call volume trends and insights. The highest call volume is currently in the Valdosta region. This kind of data can be a powerful tool to advocate for mental health and trauma-informed services. Please check it out and share with your local leaders.
Partner with the Georgia Veterans Suicide Mortality Review Committee: The Georgia SMRC is looking for coroners and medical examiners to help review veteran suicide cases and identify prevention strategies. Reviews are confidential, take about two hours, and can be done virtually. If you or your partners have connections with coroners, MEs, or others in veteran services or public health, please help spread the word and support this life-saving work. For more information, contact Devon Howard at dhowar96@kennesaw.edu.
Coalition Spotlights
Resilient Communities of East GA: Dr. Brooke Amero, a 2025 graduate of the Medical College of Georgia, has been awarded the prestigious John F. Beard Award for Compassionate Care, recognizing her exceptional commitment to serving vulnerable communities. Through MCG’s partnership with Resilient Communities of East Georgia, Dr. Amero collaborated with Resilient Teens to support adolescent well-being and address intimate partner violence. Her efforts included creating educational resources, expanding IPV training for medical students, and helping launch a free street medicine clinic focused on women's health. Dr. Amero’s work exemplifies the powerful impact of trauma-informed, community-centered care.
Additionally, RCEGA’s 2nd Annual Resilient Teens Summit will be Saturday, August 16th from 8:30am-2:30pm in Augusta, GA. This event aims to empower teens through interactive workshops, peer-led discussions, and expert panels focused on mental health, trauma-informed care, and leadership development. The summit provides a platform for youth to engage in meaningful conversations, build resilience, and connect with community resources dedicated to their well-being. Register here!
Children and Families
The Center for Adoption Support and Education (C.A.S.E.) is inviting everyone with a personal connection to adoption—adoptees, adoptive and birth/first parents and grandparents, and siblings—to take a 15 minute anonymous survey. These voices will help shape the future of adoption-competent mental health services nationwide. Please share and encourage folks to submit the survey through June 30, 2025!
Stay Safe This Summer: Water Safety Tips from Strong4Life: As summer begins, Strong4Life has developed a helpful resource with essential water safety tips for older kids and teens. From the importance of swim lessons and close supervision to avoiding risky behaviors and using the buddy system, these tips are designed to prevent drowning and keep youth safe around water. Explore and share the full guide to help families and youth stay safe this season!
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Briefs For Supporting Economic Child and Family Wellbeing: The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation recently released two briefs exploring how economic policies can better support families. One examines how reshaping the tax system—through reforms like expanding the Earned Income and Child Tax Credits(CTC)—can promote equity and family wellbeing. The other highlights evidence from over 150 U.S. guaranteed income programs, showing that unconditional cash payments improve financial stability, health, and opportunities for children and families. It recommends reimagining policies like the CTC and Earned Income Tax Credit as forms of guaranteed income to provide unconditional support, thereby promoting economic security and wellbeing for all families.
Education
2025-2026 Education Policy Fellowship Program – GPEE: The Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education is now accepting applications for the 2025–2026 Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP)—a nine-month professional development opportunity for leaders in education, policy, and community sectors. Fellows engage in monthly sessions focused on public policy, leadership, and networking while continuing in their full-time roles. Applications are due June 27, 2025, and one full tuition scholarship is available. Click here for more information!
Healthcare
Pediatric Firearm Injuries and the Role of Primary Care: This online educational bundle offered through the Center for Interrelational Science and Pediatrics (CISP) is designed to provide healthcare professionals with comprehensive training on the prevention, assessment, and management of firearm-related injuries in children. It likely includes modules on clinical care, public health strategies, and trauma-informed approaches, aiming to equip practitioners with evidence-based tools to address the growing concern of pediatric firearm injuries.
Funding
Youth Mental Health Fund : The Decolonizing Wealth Project's Liberated Capital is accepting proposals for its Youth Mental Health Fund, aiming to distribute at least $15 million over three years to support culturally responsive mental health care for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ youth aged 12–24. Eligible U.S.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofits and Federally Recognized Native American Tribes can apply for grants ranging from $30,000 to $250,000. The fund prioritizes community-led initiatives that increase access to care, promote cultural healing, and advocate for systemic change. Applications are due by July 10, 2025, at 8 PM EST.
Cobb County Opioid Abatement Grants: Cobb County is offering funding to local organizations and nonprofits through its Opioid Abatement Settlement to support treatment, prevention, recovery, and harm reduction efforts. Grants will be awarded to programs that directly benefit Cobb residents and align with the county’s strategic plan. Applications are open now and due by Friday, July 11, 2025. Please share with organizations local to Cobb County!
Professional Development
"When It Doesn’t Leave A Mark" M.E.D.L.A.W. June Learning Series: MEDLAW (Medical Education Delivered. Legally Applying Wisdom) is hosting a free virtual CLE-approved course series this June 2025 titled When It Doesn’t Necessarily Leave A Mark, in collaboration with the Stephanie V. Blank Center for Safe and Healthy Children. This five-part series is designed to equip judges and legal professionals with critical medical knowledge that can inform courtroom practices involving children and families. Topics include sexual abuse, pediatric strangulation, neighborhood gun violence, and abusive head trauma. Sessions will be held Wednesdays at 12 PM EST starting June 4th and are open to judges, attorneys, law enforcement, and others.
Community-Based Interventions & Healing Webinar — Lotus Project: Join the Lotus Project on Thursday, June 5, 2025, from 4:00–5:30 EST for the final session in their webinar series on domestic violence among Asian American and Asian Immigrant (AAAI) communities. This session will highlight culturally responsive, trauma-informed programs that support the healing of children, caregivers, and families impacted by DV. Register here!