MONDAY MEMO #69
- 5 days ago
- 6 min read
In this edition of the Monday Memo, we’re highlighting resources for early childhood, funding opportunities, professional development and trainings, and supports for youth happening across the Resilient Georgia network. Before we dive in, here are a few reminders and highlights from RG:
RG Highlights
New Resilient Georgia Blog: When the Helpers Feel It Too--Recognizing and Responding to Burnout: Our most recent blog highlights how burnout can affect professionals working in helping fields and shares reflections from frontline participants in the Mental Health Career Accelerator (MHCA) program. In the post, early-career clinicians describe how burnout shows up in their work and the small, intentional practices they use to restore balance and maintain resilience. The Mental Health Career Accelerator supports emerging clinicians by reducing barriers in the licensure process and strengthening the behavioral health workforce through financial incentives, training, and partnerships with states. By expanding the number of licensed professionals and supporting a workforce that reflects the communities it serves, the program helps increase access to mental health and substance use care.
20th Coalition Launched! Resilient Georgia's final coalition, Resilient Heart of Georgia will serve Ben Hill, Bleckley, Dodge, Dooley, Laurens, Montgomery, Irwin, Telfair, Tift, Treutlen, Turner, Wheeler, and Wilcox counties, the coalition will advance trauma-informed care, resilience-building, and ACEs prevention through cross-sector collaboration. The coalition is co-led by Georgia Family Connection Partnership, TLC CASA, and other local CASAs, alongside local partners across the region, helping ensure children, families, and communities have access to the resources they need to thrive. Shout out to LaDonna Collins from Georgia CASA for fostering this local CASA connection!
Mark Your Calendars! Child Abuse Prevention Month is in April – Wear Blue Day on April 10 💙April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, a time to raise awareness and strengthen our collective commitment to ensuring all children grow up safe, supported, and thriving. Communities across Georgia are encouraged to Wear Blue on April 10 to show support for the more than one million children affected by abuse and neglect each year. To help individuals and organizations get involved, check out GCCA’s Prevention Palooza events and PCA Georgia’s Child Abuse Prevention Toolkit with resources, activities, and ideas for raising awareness and supporting families throughout the month.
Coalition Highlights
Resilient Gwinnett partners at GUIDE, Inc. are now accepting applications for the 2026–2027 Youth Advisory Board (YAB). This leadership opportunity brings together high school students from across Gwinnett to build leadership skills, contribute to GUIDE programming, and lead youth-driven substance use prevention initiatives. Throughout the school year, YAB members participate in monthly meetings, help plan community events and peer prevention campaigns, and may attend the Georgia Teen Institute summer leadership conference. Students who are rising 9th–12th graders living in or attending school in Gwinnett County are encouraged to apply by April 7.
Resilient Communities of East Georgia: Several free trainings (sponsored by The Red Cross) are being offered across the East Georgia region to support community members in building resilience and understanding the impact of trauma. A Connections Matter Training will take place on March 23 from 2–5 PM at Child Enrichment, Inc. in Augusta. Additionally, Community Resiliency Model (CRM) trainings are scheduled for April 1 from 10 AM–1 PM in Washington County, and April 22 from 10 AM–1 PM in Lincoln County. These sessions provide practical tools for understanding adversity and strengthening resilience within communities. Registration forms are linked above. Participants will earn a $100 incentive for completing any of these trainings.
Cobb Collaborative, co-lead for Resilient NW Metro is hosting a Capacity Catalyst Training: Grant Readiness 101 Friday, March 27, from 11:30 AM–1:00 PM at the Cobb Chamber of Commerce. Part of the 2026 Nonprofit Capacity-Building Training Series, this workshop is designed to help small and mid-sized nonprofits strengthen internal capacity and prepare for successful grant funding. The session will feature Madeline Mercer, founder of The For Good Community, who will share practical guidance on grant readiness, including developing strong proposals, aligning programs with funder expectations, and building evaluation frameworks to support effective grant applications and long-term impact.
Early Childhood
Georgia Early Childhood Landscape Mapping Survey: The Georgia Association for Infant Mental Health: Birth to Five, in partnership with Dr. Katherine Pickard (Emory University School of Medicine), is conducting a statewide assessment of early childhood collaboratives in Georgia. The goal is to better understand existing assets, identify opportunities for collaboration, and strengthen systems supporting young children and families. Partners are encouraged to complete and share the survey widely!
Early Childhood Leaders of Color Collaborative: The Early Childhood Leaders of Color Collaborative is a self-organized national network dedicated to strengthening the sustainability, social capital, and leadership power of early childhood leaders of color. The collaborative centers the lived experiences of these leaders and provides programming designed by and for them, with a focus on supporting members at the individual, organizational, and field levels. Guided by principles that value members’ time, responsibilities, and contributions, the network aims to advance equity in the early childhood field and ultimately center liberation as a long-term goal. Those interested in joining are encouraged to review the collaborative’s guiding principles and complete an intake form to begin the membership process.
Funding
The Promise Venture Studio has launched The Promise Fund, a new initiative supporting early-stage leaders working to improve outcomes for young children and families. The fund offers two opportunities: the Build Award, providing $200,000 to early-stage ventures ready to scale (preliminary applications due April 10), and the Imagine Award, offering $20,000 for innovators with bold new ideas to test in their communities (applications open the week of July 6). In addition to funding, recipients receive mentorship and support designed for community-rooted leaders working to advance equity for children prenatal through age 5. Learn more or apply through The Promise Fund.
The Georgia Department of Human Services, Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS), is seeking proposals for innovative projects that strengthen Georgia’s child protective services system and align with goals outlined in the 2025–2029 CAPTA Citizen
Review Panels’ State Plan. Projects should support priorities such as improving child well-being, strengthening workforce competencies, expanding front-end supports for families, and enhancing data and information-sharing systems. Up to $1,000,000 in total funding is available, with individual awards of up to $200,000 for eligible nonprofit applicants. The contract period will run October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027, and proposals are due April 13th at 12 PM. More details and instructions on how to submit here.
Professional Development and Training
GSU Child Welfare Training Collaborative’s Knowledge to Action Conversation on A Path to Multicultural Family Connection, will take place on March 26 from 10:00–11:30 AM and will explore how unspoken cultural expectations and lived experiences shape family dynamics within multicultural families. Led by Andre Essue, co-founder of the Multicultural Family Hub, the session will use trauma-informed coaching practices to help parents build a shared family culture that honors multiple backgrounds, stay emotionally regulated during difficult conversations, and develop practical strategies for navigating cultural differences. The conversation will focus on reframing cultural differences as opportunities to strengthen family connection, resilience, and communication.
2026 Georgia Child Health Conference is now accepting proposals for its June 15–17, 2026 convening at the Atlanta Evergreen Lakeside Resort. This statewide conference brings together professionals committed to advancing early childhood development, early intervention, and early childhood special education, with a focus on family-centered, evidence-based practices that support young children with disabilities and their families. Proposals highlighting research, practice, advocacy, service coordination, and childhood mental health are encouraged. Speaker proposals are due Wednesday, April 1, 2026.
Georgia Conference on Child Abuse Prevention Call for Proposals: Proposals are now being accepted for the 2026 Georgia Conference on Child Abuse Prevention, taking place September 16, 2026 at the Hilton Peachtree City Hotel and Conference Center. This year’s theme, “Collective Care in the Storm,” focuses on how strengthening families, building relationships, and supporting community-driven solutions can help prevent child abuse and neglect while promoting resilience and healing. The conference welcomes session proposals from practitioners, advocates, researchers, parents, youth leaders, policymakers, and community members addressing topics such as positive childhood experiences, community-led prevention, new research and practices, and workforce support. Proposals are due April 17, 2026.
Youth
Youth Advocacy Event: The Remix Convening: The Southern Center for Human Rights (SCHR) invites community partners, practitioners, and young leaders to The Remix – Youth Advocacy Convening, a two-day gathering focused on developing community-driven solutions to youth violence and expanding youth co-governance models. The event will take place March 20–21, at the Southern Center for Human Rights in Atlanta and will include a youth and community mixer, facilitated conversations, and a full day of training led by the Southern Movement Committee on youth-centered safety strategies and leadership. Organizers encourage partners to invite and bring 5–10 young people who would benefit from leadership development and collaborative problem-solving opportunities. Learn more and register through SCHR. Register here!
THANK YOU FROM THE RESILIENT GEORGIA TEAM!