MONDAY MEMO #89
- 6 days ago
- 6 min read
Happy Monday, partners! This week we are highlighting a range of resources, including child abuse prevention resources, information on Georgia’s healthcare and mental health landscape, and professional development and event opportunities. Before we dive in, here are a few reminders and highlights from the RG team:
RG Highlights
New Blog! Social Connection and Youth Voice as an Antidote to the Youth Mental Health Crisis: In the first post of Resilient Georgia’s monthly blog series, Resilient Futures, Nikki Tobeck explores how elevating youth voices and creating meaningful opportunities for connection can help build resilience and improve well-being amidst the growing mental health crisis in youth and young adults. Resilient Georgia is also seeking guest blog authors ages 14-26 to share their perspectives, experiences, and ideas related to mental health and resilience. Check out the blog and email ntobeck@resilientga.org if you’d like to share your perspective!
Help Us Strengthen Child and Family Well-Being Across Georgia! Georgia Essentials is seeking input from professionals across sectors, including education, healthcare, early childhood, child welfare, philanthropy, and family support. Take their brief 3-5 minute survey to help us better understand awareness of Georgia Essentials and Georgia's Child and Family Well-Being Plan. You can also explore the Georgia Essentials Family Well-Being Messaging Library, a collection of ready-to-use resources, toolkits, and practical tools designed to support child and family well-being. Please share widely!
If you're attending the Georgia CASA Conference on August 22, be sure to check out a presentation featuring Resilient Georgia's own Audrey Idaikkadar alongside Gabrielle Stewart and Laura Beth Newsom. Their session, "Meeting Families Where They Are: A Trauma- and Poverty-Informed Approach," will explore strategies for supporting children and families through practices that recognize the impacts of trauma and poverty while fostering resilience and connection.
Upcoming Dates! August Round Calls are scheduled this month as follows:
Round 5: Monday, August 24th 2pm Round 3: Thursday, August 27th 1pm
Round 2: Tuesday, August 25th 11am Round 1: Friday, August 28th 10am
Round 4: Tuesday, August 25th 2pm
Coalition Highlights
Resilient Metro Meets with North Fulton Mayors: Resilient Metro recently joined the North Fulton Municipal Association meeting to share its work advancing trauma-informed systems and strengthening supports for children, youth, families, and communities across Fulton and DeKalb counties. Led by partners including ARCHI, the Georgia Center for Child Advocacy, and CHRIS 180, the coalition looks forward to continued collaboration with local leaders to build a more resilient metro Atlanta region.
Resilient Gwinnett Coalition: Join Gwinnett Coalition on August 25 for the Peace Index for Nonprofits, an interactive professional development workshop designed to help nonprofit professionals prioritize their own well-being while continuing to serve their communities. Participants will explore the Peace Index, a five-part framework for assessing personal wellness, identifying barriers to fulfillment, and creating a practical path toward greater balance and resilience. Through guided reflection, wellness activities, and connection over breakfast, attendees will gain actionable strategies to prevent burnout, strengthen personal well-being, and support sustainable growth both professionally and personally. The workshop will be held from 8:30-11:30 AM on Tuesday, August 25, at the Lawrenceville Arts Center in Lawrenceville, Georgia.
CSA Prevention
Saprea's What is COCSA? resource provides families, caregivers, educators, and youth-serving professionals with guidance on understanding child-on-child sexual abuse (COCSA), including risk factors, warning signs, prevention strategies, healthy boundary- setting, and how to respond when abuse is disclosed or suspected. At the same time, the Georgia Center for Child Advocacy's Courage to Care training equips adults with practical tools to recognize warning signs, create safe environments, foster healthy relationships, engage in proactive communication, and take action to prevent child sexual abuse and exploitation. Those interested in expanding prevention efforts within their organizations can also participate in GCCA’s Courage to Care Training of Trainers workshop on October 22.
Specialized training helps Columbus investigators identify human trafficking victims: A This report highlights how specialized human trafficking training is helping Columbus-area investigators better recognize and identify trafficking victims who might previously have been overlooked. Funded by a $15,000 investment from the Columbus Rotary Club, the training encourages a victim-centered approach, helping law enforcement connect individuals with support services while strengthening investigations and increasing awareness of trafficking in the community.
Healthcare
GHI: What does navigating our health care system look and feel like for real people living in Georgia?: A new statewide poll commissioned by Georgia Health Initiative and conducted by the University of Georgia School of Public and International Affairs Survey Research Center found that health care remains a top priority for Georgia voters across party lines. Among more than 1,000 likely voters surveyed, 62% say health care costs are too high, and 37% reported delaying or skipping care because of cost. Strong majorities identified expanded access to behavioral health care, maternal health services, and health insurance coverage as key priorities, while 77% said a candidate’s position on health care will influence their vote. The findings highlight widespread concern about affordability and access, as well as strong public support for improving Georgia’s health care system. Explore the Issue Brief here.
Best & Worst States for Healthcare: This report evaluated all 50 states and the District of Columbia across 44 metrics measuring healthcare cost, access, and outcomes. Alaska, Mississippi, Georgia, Texas, and West Virginia were the five lowest-ranked states, with Georgia ranking 49th overall. The report also highlights significant disparities across states, including Texas having the lowest health insurance coverage rates for adults and children, Mississippi having the highest infant mortality rate, and differences in healthcare workforce and hospital capacity. Overall, the findings demonstrate substantial variation in the affordability, availability, and quality of healthcare across the country.
Professional Development and Events
The 2026 Georgia Association for Positive Behavior Support (GAPBS) Conference will be Friday, December 4th in Duluth, GA, with the theme “Strengthening Safety and Supports.” The conference will bring together educators, interventionists, family members, clinicians, and community partners to share research, resources, and practical strategies related to positive behavior supports across homes, schools, and communities. Participants will have opportunities for networking, continuing education credits (CEUs), expert learning, and exploring positive behavior support practices across the lifespan. Register here and share widely!
Now Enrolling: Soar with Wings: Wings for Kids, a nonprofit with 30 years of experience in social-emotional learning (SEL), is now enrolling participants for the 2026-27 Soar with Wings leadership training program. Designed for schools and youth-serving organizations, this no-cost program equips educators and staff with practical, evidence-based tools to strengthen SEL skills in the young people they serve. Participants gain hands-on strategies they can immediately apply, earn Certified Soar Leader credentials, and learn proven approaches backed by research and decades of positive outcomes. Organizations interested in learning more are invited to join a free 30-minute informational webinar on August 24 at 1:00 PM.
Trauma Resource Institute 20th Anniversary Conference and Gala: The Trauma Resource Institute (TRI) will celebrate its 20th anniversary with a conference October 2–4, 2026, offered both in person in California and virtually. Under the theme “Rooted in Well-Being, Planted in Community, Cultivated by Hope,” the conference will bring together educators, practitioners, researchers, and community partners to explore real-world applications of the Community Resiliency Model (CRM) and Trauma Resiliency Model (TRM), emerging research, innovative programs, and practical tools for strengthening well-being across communities. Reserve your spot now!
Workforce and Mental Health
Supporting the People Behind Georgia’s Economy: As Georgia continues to lead the nation in business growth, recent reports highlight the urgent need to strengthen mental health support for workers across industries. A SaportaReport article notes that Georgia’s booming construction industry—one of the state’s fastest-growing sectors—is prioritizing suicide prevention, mental health training, and workplace wellness initiatives to address the unique stressors faced by workers, including long hours, labor shortages, and job-site risks. At the same time, the 2026 Mental Health Vulnerability Index ranked Georgia as the most vulnerable state for access to mental health support, citing challenges such as provider shortages, affordability, and access to care. Together, these findings underscore the importance of investing in workforce mental health, reducing stigma, and creating supportive workplace cultures that help employees thrive both on and off the job. While Georgia continues to be recognized as a top state for business, mental health advocates warn that the state still faces significant challenges in mental health access, workforce well-being, and behavioral health system capacity, reinforcing the need for continued investment in prevention, support services, and workplace mental health initiatives.
THANK YOU FROM THE RESILIENT GEORGIA TEAM!