MONDAY MEMO #40

Resilient Georgia
Jul 28
7 min read

Happy Monday, partners! Welcome to another edition of the Monday Memo. This week we included a variety of resources for early childhood professionals, educators, parents and caregivers, as well as funding and professional development opportunities and workforce mental health support! But first, here are some updates from the RG Team:

RG UPDATES

Youth Event Outreach Form: CWC Alliance and RG are currently identifying aligned partner organizations and youth-centered events across Georgia where we may collaborate, support, or co-deliver programming focused on substance misuse prevention and youth mental health. If your mission and programming align, we invite you to complete this form with information about upcoming youth events over the next year! Bonus: Complete this form by August 1st to be entered into a raffle for a $100 gift card! For questions, please reach out to Phylicia Hancle, Youth Program Director, at phylicia@cwc.ngo. Please share with your youth-serving partners!
Regional Coalition Events Reminder: Thanks to everyone who has already submitted their scheduled coalition events for 2025! This calendar is housed on the RG website and is a great way to showcase upcoming trainings, summits, and partner activities across the state. As a reminder, please submit your coalition events here. We appreciate your support in keeping this webpage up-to-date!

Coalition Spotlight

Resilient Gwinnett: Gwinnett Nonprofit Coalition is hosting A Revenue Diversity Panel for Nonprofit Leaders on Wednesday August 20 at 9 AM- 11 AM in Lawrenceville, GA. The event will focus on how to help nonprofit and community leaders strengthen their financial strategies in the face of rising uncertainty around funding. The panel will feature a variety of panelists from nonprofits in Georgia. Admission is $20 per person and includes breakfast. Register here.
Resilient Middle Georgia recently released guidance on how to create a Trauma-Informed Onboarding Training Policy, as well as an example of what this can look like for organizations. This guidance offers a step-by-step framework for integrating trauma-informed principles into employee onboarding. It walks agencies through reviewing current practices, identifying gaps, developing a policy rooted in SAMHSA’s six key principles, and sustaining training through continuous improvement and leadership engagement. Designed for human service organizations, this resource helps create safer, more supportive workplaces for both staff and clients. Please use this as a model for your own regions to influence positive systems change!
July Power of Healing Blog: Trauma in Technicolor: How Netflix’s Sirens Dresses Up Childhood Wounds in a Pastel Pink Bow: In this month’s blog RG’s Regional Program Manager, Nikki Warner, explores how Netflix’s miniseries Sirens uses storytelling to shed light on childhood trauma and reflects on how the show’s themes resonated with her own healing journey—and how stories like these deepen empathy and understanding in trauma-informed care. Check it out!
Upcoming Dates!
- July Coalition Connections are TOMORROW Tuesday July 29th!
  - Rounds 1,2,5: Tuesday July 29th at 11am Rounds 3,4: Tuesday July 29th at 2pm
- August Peer-to-Peer Network: Our Peer Network meetings are reconvening starting next month! Join us on Tuesday, August 5th from 2–3 PM for an informal, connection-focused conversation on Trauma-Informed Training Across Sectors. It’s a great opportunity to build relationships, share ideas, and learn from each other’s experiences engaging different sectors around trauma-informed care.
- August Lunch & Learn: Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education: Join us Thursday, August 14 from 12:00–12:45 PM on Zoom for our next Lunch & Learn featuring Kathleen Da Silva and Matt Smith from the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education (GPEE). They’ll share how GPEE’s initiatives—including EdQuest Georgia, Regional Summits, Community Asset Mapping, and the Rural Learning Network—help align education and workforce strategies across the state. This session will highlight the powerful role of community, health, and environment in shaping educational outcomes and economic opportunity. Please share with your educational partners and email Alex English, aenglish@resilientga.org , to request an invite

Partner Spotlights:

Resilient Communities of SWGA: RCSWGA released their training calendar for quarters 3 and 4. Trainings include, Becoming a More Resilient Parent, Youth Mental Health First Aid, Kate’s Club Grief and Family Dynamics, and more!

Resilient Communities of East Georgia: The Georgia School-Based Behavioral Health Collaborative is excited to announce the CSRA Regional School Based Behavioral Health Forum September 12th, at Augusta University. Hosted in partnership with CSRA RESA, Augusta University School of Public Health, and Resilient Communities of East Georgia coalition, the forum will bring together school administrators, support staff, mental health professionals, and community leaders to share resources and highlight regional efforts in school-based mental health.

Our partners at GUIDE, Inc created this Social Media and Mental Health resource, emphasizing both Social Media’s benefits and risks. The guide offers clear signs that your habits may need a reset—such as constant comparison or sleep disruption—and provides practical tips for setting boundaries, like limiting screen time, managing notifications, curating content, and practicing mindful scrolling. Please share with your networks, including educators, youth-serving professionals, and caregivers!

Early Childhood

An Expanded Story of Early Childhood Development - Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University: This resource from Harvard’s Center on the Developing Child highlights how a child's developmental environment—including relationships, environment, and exposure to factors like air quality, housing, green space, and climate conditions—shapes not only brain architecture but all biological systems beginning before birth. It underscores how responsive caregiver interactions, equitable community planning, and systemic policies (addressing racism and climate impacts) collectively influence lifelong health and development. The guide calls for multidisciplinary, science-informed action to redesign environments so that every child can thrive.

ZERO TO THREE recently released two helpful resources for early childhood professionals and caregivers. How to Foster Resilience in Infants and Toddlers offers practical, relationship-based strategies to support young children’s emotional development through consistent, responsive care. Buzzwords Explained breaks down commonly used terms in the early childhood field—like “attachment,” “co-regulation,” and “trauma-informed”—to promote shared understanding and clearer communication among caregivers, educators, and families. Please share widely!

Education

Back to School Resources: As students head back to school, Mental Health America and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta’s Strong4Life offer helpful tips for easing the transition. Mental Health America's “Back to School with Mental Health in Mind” guide encourages families to prioritize open conversations, routine-building, and emotional check-ins to support students’ mental well-being. Strong4Life offers practical strategies for managing back-to-school anxiety, from validating kids’ feelings to creating predictable routines and modeling calm behavior. Together, these resources support families in nurturing emotional wellness throughout the school year.

CARES Mental Health Case Study Report: GPEE This case study from the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education highlights how Dublin City, Hall County, and Henry County school districts used federal COVID relief funds to expand school-based mental health supports. With a focus on leadership, systems planning, staffing, training, and sustainable funding, these districts saw early improvements in student attendance, behavior, and well-being. The report emphasizes the critical role of school counselors, social workers, and psychologists—and calls for long-term investment to sustain this progress. Check out the full report and please share with your academic partners!

Funding

How Family Philanthropies Can Support Community Organizing to Strengthen the Fabric of US Democracy - NCFP: A recent article highlights how family philanthropies can play a powerful role in strengthening U.S. democracy by funding community organizing efforts. With only about one-third of Americans expressing satisfaction with democracy, the piece urges philanthropic families to invest early, offer flexible long-term support, and fill gaps in civic infrastructure often overlooked by traditional donors. By backing grassroots, community-led initiatives, family foundations can help build trust, civic engagement, and resilience from the ground up.

Dobb's Foundation Fall 2025 Grant Cycle Open Now! The Dobbs Foundation is now accepting Letters of Inquiry (LOIs) for its Fall 2025 grant cycle until August 18th. This cycle will prioritize efforts that promote youth mental well-being, including stigma reduction, trauma prevention, school- and community-based care, and mental health workforce development. Selected applicants will be invited to submit full proposals by September 1, with final decisions expected in early November. Submit an LOI here!

Professional Development and Training

Georgia Conference on Child Abuse Prevention: Join the Georgia Center for Child Advocacy, PCA Georgia, and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta on September 10th from 8 AM to 4:30 PM with workshops on prevention, intervention, and the treatment of children and families impacted by child maltreatment. The conference is at the Hilton Peachtree City Hotel and Conference Center in Peachtree City, GA – register here.

PBPA’s Legal Bootcamp for Emerging Nonprofit Leaders: This ProBono Partnership of ATL Bootcamp provides tailored training for nonprofit executive directors in Georgia. The program includes tailored legal education, opportunities to connect with other leaders, and assistance with developing a capacity building action plan. Cost of the program is $75 and includes 4 in person sessions between September and November. Apply by August 22, 2025 here.

Workforce

Construction, Suicide Prevention, and Mental Health Support: The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) highlights the elevated risk of suicide among construction workers and outlines a new, industry-specific version of AFSP’s flagship Talk Saves Lives program—tailored for construction teams and supported by OSHA—to raise awareness of warning signs and prevention strategies. The page also spotlights a major partnership: Bechtel has committed $7 million to this initiative, aiming to reach 500,000 U.S. construction workers over five years. Please also check out this AJC article on how the mental health crisis is affecting Georgia construction workers.

Mindshare Partners Resources: Mind Share Partners recently highlighted a sharp increase in mental health-related leaves, urging employers to build supportive cultures rather than rely on individual “mental health days”. They also launched the Mind Share Partners Institute for Workplace Mental Health Leadership Certification to empower leaders in creating psychologically safe environments. Participants will attend five 2-hour virtual training sessions and earn a certificate that demonstrates their expertise in creating supportive environments. It’s ideal for those seeking a robust, organization-wide approach to reduce stigma, support employees, and drive sustainable culture change from the top down. The certification program for nonprofit staff is only $500, rather than the regular cost of $1300 (email institute@mindsharepartners.org for a discount code). Additionally, feel free to check out their 2025 Mental Health at Work Report which discusses rising anxiety, depression, and burnout rates in the U.S. workforce.