MONDAY MEMO #71

17 hours ago
5 min read

Happy Monday, partners! This week’s memo highlights resources for parents and caregivers, along with a variety of upcoming professional development, events, and training opportunities. Please note that the Monday Memo will pause next week (April 6) and resume on April 13th. Before we dive in, here are a few reminders and highlights from the RG Team:

RG Highlights

Regional Coalition Events Reminder: Thanks to everyone who has already submitted their 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!

Join Resilient Georgia for our Spring General Meeting on April 30th from 11AM–12:30 PM, featuring Resilience in Action: Showcasing the Community Resiliency Model Across Georgia. We will highlight how the Community Resiliency Model is being implemented across multiple sectors statewide to support resilience, strengthen well-being, and expand trauma-informed practices in diverse communities. Calendar invites have been sent out to our communications lists, but if you did not receive it or would like to share with folks in your community, you can find the registration link here.

EMDR Basic Training Coming to Georgia: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is one of the most widely researched and effective therapies for treating trauma. In September 2026, Scaling Up will bring an EMDRIA-approved EMDR Basic Training to the Atlanta area in Cumming, offering clinicians the opportunity to build practical skills in this evidence-based approach. The training includes the full EMDRIA curriculum, 10 consultation hours, hands-on skill development, ongoing trainer support, and up to 40 continuing education credits. Group discounts, individual scholarships, and MyCAA scholarships for military spouses are available, and virtual training options are also offered for those unable to travel. Learn more or register here.

Upcoming April Dates:

There will be no update calls in April. Instead, we look forward to connecting with you at our upcoming General Meeting and our first Coalition Peer Connection of the year on Tuesday, April 21 at 2:00 PM. In lieu of a round-specific meeting this month, this peer connection call will convene all coalition leaders across the state to connect and learn from one another. Please feel free to invite your coalition partners—we encourage at least one member from each coalition to attend! See you on the 21st!

Coalition Highlights

Resilient Clayton: Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Power & Potential’s annual Rising Leaders Luncheon is Friday, June 5th at 12PM at Cox Enterprises in Atlanta. This signature event celebrates youth leadership and community impact across Georgia by honoring the work of GCAPP’s Youth Advisory Council, formally inducting a new cohort of youth leaders, and recognizing the Youth Ambassador of the Year. The program will also feature a conversation with Jane Fonda and a special guest, highlighting the voices and leadership of young people ages 14–24 who are advancing advocacy, prevention, peer education, and civic engagement throughout the state.

Resilient Coastal Georgia: The Coastal Georgia Regional Community Collaborative’s 12th Annual Coastal Georgia Mental Health Symposium is Thursday, May 14th at Georgia Southern University’s Armstrong Campus (University Hall). This conference will bring together leaders and professionals from behavioral health, healthcare, education, and community services for a day of learning, collaboration, and networking. The symposium will feature keynote speaker Kwame Johnson, President and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters Metro Atlanta, and lunch will be provided. Registration is required and space is limited. Register here!

Parents and Caregivers

Raising Emotionally Balanced Boys: What Caregivers Who've Survived a Difficult Childhood Need to Know: This PACEs Connection article offers guidance for parents and caregivers, especially those who have experienced trauma, on supporting boys’ emotional growth. Boys feel deeply but may struggle to express emotions due to cultural expectations, peer pressure, and early experiences with discipline, sports, or relationships. Caregivers can help by validating feelings, modeling empathy, setting consistent limits with love, and actively engaging in boys’ lives to build confidence, resilience, and healthy relational skills.

The Importance of Stability in Childhood Development: This Harvard University Center on the Developing Child’s article explores how stability shapes children’s health, development, and lifelong well-being. Beginning before birth, children’s growth is influenced by their environment. where stability in one area can strengthen others. Societal decisions and policies, from zoning laws to labor practices, affect stability, and inequities have left some families more vulnerable to disruption. The paper offers strategies for policymakers, community leaders, and service providers to create, maintain, and restore stability, highlighting the role of predictable caregiver responses, routines, and the balance of stability and novelty to support cognitive, emotional, and behavioral development in young children.

Professional Development and Events

Making Sense of Your Past (Worth) - Halo Project: The Making Sense of Your Past Worth Facilitator Training, developed by Cindy R. Lee and used by HALO Project International, prepares clinicians and trauma trained professionals to facilitate an evidence informed curriculum designed to help individuals address shame, strengthen self-worth, and move toward secure attachment. The program, originally developed through pilot groups with domestic violence survivors and foster and adoptive parents, provides step by step guidance for leading an eight-week group curriculum or adapting it for counseling settings. Participants who complete the training receive certification to facilitate the program along with curriculum materials, resources, and ongoing support, enabling them to lead groups or work with individuals in clinical and community settings.

The Georgia Mental Health Consumer Network (GMHCN) is now accepting proposals for its 36th Annual Statewide Conference, W.A.V.E.S – We Are Voices Empowering Support, on August 4–6, 2026 at the Jekyll Island Convention Center. This year’s theme highlights the powerful role of peer support in driving recovery, strengthening communities, and amplifying lived experience across Georgia. Those interested in presenting are invited to submit a proposal including the presenter’s name and affiliation, presentation title, a brief description (up to 500 words), and any special requirements. Proposals are due here April 13th.

IRAISE is expanding access to resilience-building supports in Atlanta through free, evidence-based Resilience Training programs for both families and professionals across Georgia. Their Resilience Training for Parents and Families offers practical tools to help caregivers support children through stress, anxiety, transitions, and big emotions, with sessions available in English and Spanish, in person or virtually. IRAISE also provides Resilience Training for Educators and Professionals, a no-cost professional development series covering trauma-informed classroom practices, compassion fatigue, de-escalation strategies, and whole-school wellness, with up to 6.5 contact hours and certificates of completion. Fully funded by the Selena Gomez Rare Impact Fund, these programs come at no cost to participants and build on IRAISE’s work delivering integrative mental wellness services in 35+ schools, reaching 30,000+ children and families each year. Please email Nikki to connect with the IRAISE team at nwarner@resilientga.org.

NAMICon 2026: Join hundreds of advocates, individuals with lived experience, and supporters at NAMICon 2026, May 28–30 at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis. This conference advances mental health awareness, education, and advocacy, offering a transformative space to connect, share personal journeys, and build community while fostering support, hope, and healing. Attendees can engage in thought-provoking discussions, explore innovative approaches to mental wellness, and gain practical tools to reduce stigma, influence policy, and create lasting change.

THANK YOU FROM THE RESILIENT GEORGIA TEAM!