MONDAY MEMO #61

nwarner12
Jan 23
6 min read

Welcome to the Monday Memo (Tuesday edition!). We hope you had a wonderful, elongated weekend in remembrance of the life and impact of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Today we are highlighting resources related to education as well as a plethora of professional development, training and event opportunities. Before we dive in, here are a few RG highlights:

RG Highlights

Regional Coalition Events Reminder: Please submit your scheduled coalition events for 2026! 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!
Reminder: RG’s "Ignite" Coalition Building Training: Join us tomorrow January 21st from 9-11am for the virtual "Ignite" coalition-building training, based on Frances Dunn Butterfoss’s Ignite! We hope at least one representative from your coalition can attend! Email Nikki for an invite at nwarner@resilientga.org. See attached flyer for training details.
New Resources: Georgia PACEs Report Card & Regional Data Profiles: Developed by Resilient Georgia and Georgia Essentials for Childhood, the Georgia PACEs Report Card highlights how Positive and Adverse Childhood Experiences impact children’s well-being across the state. By providing accessible statewide, regional, and county-level data, the report helps communities understand local needs, recognize the protective power of strong relationships and safe environments, and identify where prevention and support efforts are most needed.
Federal Mental Health and Addiction Funding Faces Brief Termination: The Trump administration initially moved to terminate hundreds of federal grants supporting mental health and substance use services, affecting over 2,000 grants totaling approximately $2 billion. These cuts, announced on January 13, 2026, threatened critical services such as overdose prevention, naloxone distribution, peer recovery support, and school-based mental health programs. Experts and advocates warned that the abrupt defunding could shutter recovery centers and undermine safety nets. Following public reporting and widespread concern, the administration reversed its decision, confirming that some funding will be reinstated.

Coalition Highlights

Resilient Clayton co-lead, Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Power and Potential, is hosting a Troup County Community Conversation . This event will be Saturday, January 31st from 10AM-12PM at the William Griggs Recreation Center in LaGrange. Parents, caregivers, and youth-serving professionals are invited to join a conversation focused on youth health and well-being. This conversation offers a welcoming space to listen, speak honestly, and be part of solutions that matter. Register here!

Cobb Collaborative is hosting their Resilient Cobb Summit on February 5th from 8:30AM-1:30PM. This free, CEU-approved professional development opportunity is designed to strengthen individual and community resilience through evidence-based, strengths-based practice. Participants will gain an expanded toolkit from expert-led workshops and panels, build cross-sector connections to support collaboration, and deepen their ability to center lived experience and community strengths in their work. The summit features a keynote by Dr. Ryan Breshears, Chief Behavioral Health Officer for Wellstar Health System; four breakout sessions covering play and healing, bias in care delivery, community collaboration, and suicide intervention; and a lunch panel on cultivating protective factors by honoring lived experience. CEUs are available for LMFT, LCSW, and Law Enforcement (POST hours). Register here!

Resilient North Georgia: The 2026 Reaching Teens Summit , hosted by Wellroot Family Services in collaboration with Resilient Georgia, is a two-day professional development experience designed to equip youth-serving professionals with practical, trauma-informed, and strength-based tools to build meaningful connections with young people. On February 26–27 at the NGUMC Conference Center in Duluth, the summit features keynote speaker Dr. Ken Ginsburg, a nationally recognized expert in adolescent resilience, along with sessions shaped by a multidisciplinary planning committee and youth advisors. Endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, registration is $50 and includes 8 CEUs, lunch, and a Radically Calm t-shirt. Space is limited. Learn more and register here.

Podcasts

Ross Gay — Hope Portal, On Being with Krista Tippett Podcast: In this episode of the On Being Podcast Ross Gay, poet, community gardener, and teacher, discusses the importance of practicing delight and joy alongside the work of repair and justice. Gay shares how tending joy, gratitude, and everyday moments of beauty can be a sustaining force—especially in challenging times—and something we can practice daily. This episode is part of On Being’s seven-part Hope Portal series, offering short, reflective conversations designed to cultivate grounded, reality-based hope through wisdom, poetry, and lived practice.

Education

2026 Georgia Partnership Top Ten Issues to Watch Report: The Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education (GPEE) released its annual Top Ten Issues to Watch in 2026 report, highlighting priorities to improve student achievement and guide state policy. The report centers on a “North Star” goal: ensuring 65% of Georgia adults earn a post-secondary credential of value by 2033.

The report introduces the 2026 EdQuest Georgia State Policy Plan, outlining five core priorities through 2028: early care access, research-based K-12 strategies, high-value career pathways, teacher growth and excellence, and shared health and wellness infrastructure. These priorities are organized into three strategic areas:

Investing in Talent: Expanding early learning access, streamlining career pathways, and supporting teacher quality through residencies, apprenticeships, and leadership opportunities.
Optimizing Local Strategies: Addressing chronic absenteeism, improving K-3 literacy through reading coaches and tutoring, and expanding school-based community health hubs.
Aligning Priorities and Investments: Enhancing post-secondary affordability and ROI, advancing rural transformation focused on talent and quality of life, and encouraging political leaders to adopt bipartisan strategies that support economic security and well-being.

Professional Development and Events

Upcoming Trainings from the Georgia State Child Welfare Training Collaborative: The Georgia State Child Welfare Training Collaborative is offering two upcoming virtual learning opportunities for caregivers and professionals. On Thursday, January 22nd (12:00–1:30 PM), Understanding Rejection in Childhood and Emerging Adulthood explores how experiences of loss, separation, and rejection can shape identity and belonging for adopted children and youth, with practical insights on fostering healing and resilience. On Thursday, January 29th (10:00–11:30 AM), the Knowledge to Action Conversation on the Whole Family Approach to Working with Trauma and Resilience features Ser Familia’s culturally responsive, whole-family approach to reducing mental health stigma and strengthening Latino families. Both sessions offer valuable perspectives and tools to support children, youth, and families.

Circle of Security Parenting (COSP) Facilitator Training The Circle of Security Parenting (COSP) Facilitator Training, hosted by the Clarke County School District Office of Early Learning, is a comprehensive professional development opportunity for those working with families and caregivers. Held January 27–30th in Athens, GA, this training draws on decades of research in attachment, neuroscience, and child development. Participants will learn to facilitate the COSP program using video-based learning, guided reflection, and relationship-centered strategies that support caregivers in understanding children’s needs and strengthening secure attachments. Designed for mental health providers, educators, family support staff, home visitors, and DFCS workers, the $1,200 fee includes all training materials, online resources, and a license to implement COSP with caregivers.

Strolling Thunder 2026: Little Ones & Their Grownups Advocate at the GA Capitol: GEEARS: Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students is hosting the ninth annual Strolling Thunder, a kid-friendly advocacy event that brings families from across Georgia together to share their experiences raising young children directly with elected officials. The first part of the event is a required virtual training to help participants prepare for meetings at the Georgia State Capitol and effectively share their stories. There are two identical training options: January 17th from 10-11AM or January 22nd from 12-1PM. The second part of the event will take place in person on Thursday, January 29th from 8AM – 1PM. Infants through five-year-olds, as well as expectant parents, are welcome. Families will gather at the Freight Room at the Georgia Freight Depot for food, activities, and giveaways before meeting with legislators. Participating families will receive a gift card. Learn more and register here!

HBR Press Webinar: The Emotionally Intelligent Team On January 26th from 8-9AM, The AVT Business School will host a virtual session titled Building Collaborative Groups that Outperform the Rest, featuring social and organizational psychologist Vanessa Urch Druskat. The session will explore how emotional intelligence at the group level supports effective collaboration and high performing teams, with a focus on building shared norms and habits that strengthen team culture. Drawing on thirty years of research, Druskat will present practical strategies for leaders and teams. Registration includes access to the live event and a full recording, and the event is free for HBR subscribers and followers. Learn more and register here!

Bridgespan Webinar: Strategic Planning in Times of Uncertainty Join this interactive webinar on January 21st from 2–3PM to learn how nonprofit leaders can approach strategic planning in ways that remain practical, adaptive, and mission focused amid ongoing change. Participants will learn a step-by-step approach to strategic planning, strategies for adapting plans in uncertain environments, and practical tools and templates informed by The Bridgespan Group’s work with mission driven organizations to support confident decision making and sustained impact. Register here!

THANK YOU FROM THE RESILIENT GEORGIA TEAM!

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter...The time is always right to do what is right.” -Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.