MONDAY MEMO #76
- May 11
- 6 min read
Happy Monday, partners! This week’s Monday Memo highlights a range of resources, including education and child welfare resources, professional development and training, and more. Before we dive in, here are a few reminders and highlights from RG:
RG Highlights
During Mental Health Awareness Month, take time to explore free tools and resources that support emotional well-being, connection, and help-seeking. Free Your Feels offers a mental health awareness toolkit packed with resources, conversation starters, and stories that encourage openness and emotional expression, while SAMHSA’s Mental Health Awareness Month Resources provides educational materials, toolkits, and information to help individuals, families, and communities promote mental wellness and access support.
Upcoming Training: Community Resiliency Model (CRM): Join Nikki Warner this Wednesday May 13th from 10 AM–12 PM on Zoom for an interactive Community Resiliency Model (CRM) training. This trauma-informed training offers simple, practical tools to support stress regulation, connection, and resilience. Open to all, with a special focus on those working with young children (ages 0–5). Register here and please share widely with your networks!
Our May Lunch & Learn is this Thursday, May 14, from 12:00–12:45PM. featuring LaDonna Collins, Child and Family Well-Being Director at Georgia CASA. This Zoom session will provide an overview of Georgia CASA’s work and explore opportunities for regional coalitions to strengthen partnerships with local CASA affiliates serving children and families involved in the juvenile court system. Coalition partners interested in child welfare collaboration, trauma-informed care, and systems alignment are encouraged to attend. To request a calendar invite and virtual link, please contact Alex English at aenglish@resilientga.org.
Attention early career mental health clinicians! RG is actively recruiting for the Mental Health Career Accelerator (MHCA). The application is open until May 27th. Applicants must meet specific eligibility criteria to participate. Candidates who are selected will receive up to $10,000 in financial incentives, in addition to other professional development, mentoring, and licensure exam prep resources. For questions, please contact Dr. Andrea Meyer Stinson at ameyerstinson@resilientga.org.
Coalition Highlights
Resilient Metro: ARCHI and the Georgia Community Health Worker Network invite partners to attend the 2026 Summit, Heroes Without Capes: Celebrating the Power of CHWs, on June 3rd at Atlanta Technical College. This event will celebrate the essential role Community Health Workers play in strengthening communities through trust-building, advocacy, and connection. The summit offers opportunities for CHWs, employers, and community partners to learn, network, and recognize the impact of this critical workforce advancing community-driven health across Georgia.
Resilient Northwest Metro: Community partners are invited to attend two upcoming learning opportunities focused on child well-being and emotional resilience. Cobb Collaborative will host its Quarterly Meeting featuring a keynote on “Keeping Children Safe in a Digital World” presented by Traci Hurley from Children's Healthcare of Atlanta on May 13th from 11:30AM-1:15PM. Additionally, an online Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) Essentials session on May 15th at 11am, led by Vira Salzburn of The Mediation Center of the Coastal Empire, will introduce practical mindfulness and self-compassion tools to support educators, caregivers, healthcare professionals, and others experiencing stress or burnout.
Child Welfare
A Model HBCU Program Nurtures Students Who Have Experienced Foster Care: A recent article from the Annie E. Casey Foundation highlights Livingstone College’s H.O.P.E. Emancipation Project, a campus support program for students who have aged out of foster care. Founded in 2022 by Livingstone College President Dr. Anthony J. Davis, who experienced foster care himself, the program provides holistic support including tuition assistance, year-round housing, meals, mental health services, academic coaching, tutoring, and career readiness support. The initiative was created to address barriers that often prevent foster youth from completing college, such as housing insecurity, financial instability, and lack of supportive relationships. Since launching, the program has grown from seven to 22 students and produced its first graduate in 2025, with growing recognition as a promising model for supporting foster youth in higher education.
Profiles Showcase Latest Class of Children and Family Fellows: The Annie E. Casey Foundation announced the 2025–2027 class of its Children and Family Fellowship, a 23-month executive leadership program supporting 16 leaders from across the country who are working to improve policies and systems impacting children, youth, and families in marginalized communities. Fellows bring lived experience and professional expertise in areas including child welfare, housing, education, immigrant advocacy, public health, and community development. The program highlights leaders committed to expanding opportunity, strengthening public systems, increasing access to affordable housing and supportive services, and ensuring children and families receive the support they need to thrive.
JEDI
Surge of Islamophobia in politics creates mental health crisis for Muslims: AJC: An opinion article by the AJC highlights the growing mental health impact of rising Islamophobia in the U.S., particularly amid political rhetoric surrounding global conflicts and immigration. The author notes that anti-Muslim rhetoric from political leaders and the sharp increase in Islamophobic social media posts have contributed to higher rates of discrimination, hate crimes, fear, anxiety, and depression among Muslim Americans. Research cited in the article shows that many Muslims experience bias in healthcare and mental health settings, leading to underutilization of services due to concerns about stereotyping, cultural misunderstanding, and religious insensitivity. The article emphasizes that these experiences create significant barriers to care and negatively affect overall well-being. To address these challenges, the author highlights community-oriented solutions including increasing mental health literacy within Muslim communities, expanding culturally responsive provider training, developing directories of Muslim mental health professionals, and integrating faith-informed approaches such as mindfulness, prayer, and self-reflection into mental health care.
Education
Model Student Attendance Protocol: This GADOE resource is designed as a flexible, prevention-focused guide that communities can adapt to meet local needs while aligning with state requirements. It emphasizes early identification of attendance concerns, coordinated problem-solving, supportive interventions, and cross-agency collaboration among schools, courts, behavioral health providers, child welfare agencies, and community organizations, while reserving legal enforcement as a last resort. The protocol is intended for school counselors, mental health and wellbeing specialists, MTSS and PBIS coordinators, school leaders, social workers, and other student support professionals, and encourages districts to integrate attendance efforts into Georgia’s Multi-Tiered System of Supports (GaMTSS) to strengthen school climate and improve student outcomes.
The Georgia Education Policy Fellowship (GEPF), sponsored by the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education, is a nine-month professional development program designed to equip leaders with the knowledge, leadership skills, and professional networks needed to advance education policy in Georgia. Since 2008, the program has graduated more than 300 fellows while allowing participants to remain in their full-time roles as they engage in monthly leadership, public policy, and networking sessions. Applications for the 2026–2027 cohort are due June 19, 2026. Tuition is $3,800 plus travel costs for the Washington Policy Seminar, and a full-tuition Dr. Stephen D. Dolinger Rising Leader Scholarship is available for one emerging public education leader. Coalition partners who are accepted and need financial assistance are encouraged to contact a Resilient Georgia representative to inquire about possible tuition support.
Professional Development and Training
Georgia THRIVe's The 3rd Annual All-Sites Retreat and Conference will take place July 23–24, 2026, at the Atlanta Evergreen Lakeside Resort. The event will bring together professionals and partners committed to supporting Georgia’s infants, toddlers, and families through learning, collaboration, and shared strategies. The July 23 retreat is reserved for Georgia THRIVe teams, national ZERO TO THREE partners, and State Advisory Group members, while the July 24 conference is open to both Georgia THRIVe members and the public. The conference will feature keynote speakers, panel discussions on Safe Babies priorities, and presentations highlighting local implementation efforts and statewide progress. Register here!
The Georgia Family Connection Conference will take place October 21–23, 2026, and is designed for collaborators working to address the complex challenges facing children and families. The conference brings together participants from urban and rural communities across Georgia and other states, representing sectors such as social services, education, government, healthcare, and business. The event provides opportunities for cross-sector learning, collaboration, and solution-focused discussions to strengthen support for children, families, and communities.
Join this Youth Mental Health First Aid Training on May 28 from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM at the Waycross Family Justice Center. The training is designed for parents, caregivers, teachers, school staff, peers, healthcare and human services workers, and community members interested in supporting youth ages 12–18. Participants will learn how to recognize signs of mental health and substance use challenges, understand risk factors and warning signs, respond with confidence, and connect youth to appropriate support and resources. Register here!
THANK YOU FROM THE RESILIENT GEORGIA TEAM!