Wisconsin Department of Children and Families Secretary Emilie Amundson visited Community Advocates to help launch the Stronger Families Milwaukee program, a new five-year prevention initiative developed by DCF to reduce child maltreatment and keep more families together in safe, stable, and nurturing homes.

Community Advocates Public Policy Institute is serving as the lead agency for the Stronger Families Milwaukee Consortium, in partnership with Neu-Life Community Development and The Parenting Network.

This pilot project also aligns with the statewide observance of April as Strengthening Families Month to emphasize the potential within every family to build stronger, more nurturing bonds. April had formerly been known as Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Month.

This family-centered, strengths-based program utilizes a combination of case management services and peer advocates to assist families in finding community supports that fit their needs and help them thrive in-home.

Congratulations go out to Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski, who was awarded his first full, four-year term! Lipski received much positive support from public officials, community members, and health care professionals in Milwaukee. Chief Lipski serves as the Chair of the Milwaukee County Substance Use Prevention coalition (MCSAP).

"To be put in this position is not something I really ever believed was going to happen, so I’m grateful and I’m humbled,” he said. “We have an incredible Fire Department that everyone should be proud of. They have taken on the mantle of COVID, civil unrest, decreasing resources, increasing demand on our service. They keep going. It is a thing of beauty to watch these men and women work."

To read more about Milwaukee's new fire chief, click here.

Applications for the City of Milwaukee’s Office of Violence Prevention ReCAST Program’s Summer of Healing Project is now open. Organizations that choose to apply can receive $25,000 to $50,000 in funding for summer programs supporting youth and their families in Milwaukee neighborhoods. This project will help support community programs in the summer and increase the capacity for organizations to create a positive impact on the lives of their communities. The deadline to submit a proposal will be May 9. Click here to view the full request for proposal.

Community Advocates Public Policy Institute and partners are hosting a new in-person event, "Reality Check: Creativity of Retailers." Learn about what undercover products retailers are selling to youth and how to locate new and hidden objects used for drugs in the household. Presenters from MCSAP, 53206 Drug-Free Communities, City of Milwaukee Tobacco-Free Alliance, and The Parenting Network will conduct a reality check hunt with parents and youth, host resource tables, participate in a Q & A discussion and more! This event will be held Tuesday, May 10, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Milwaukee Police & Fire Training Center, 6680 N. Teutonia Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53209. Registration is required, click here to RSVP.

Community Advocates is offering a virtual De-Escalation Techniques training to teach participants how to defuse a situation and increase safety using verbal de-escalation techniques. This workshop is aimed toward individuals who encounter conflict in the workplace, at home, or in the community, whether you are a parent or educator, work in the helping professions, or otherwise work with the public in potentially tense situations. This online workshop is free and open to anyone who lives or works in the Milwaukee County. It will be held via Zoom on Thursday, May 26, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. To register, click here.

The SAMHSA Office of Financial Resources is offering a webinar on how to develop a competitive grant application. This webinar will discuss preparing to apply for a grant, responding effectively to the evaluation criteria, resources and technical assistance and more. The webinar will be held on Tuesday, May 3, at 1 p.m. Registration is not required. Click here for the zoom link.

The Great Lakes MHTTC is presenting a training on Trauma-Informed Supervision. This training will help supervisors proactively manage a team through trauma exposure so that they will be able to incorporate knowledge and awareness about traumatic stress into their leadership role and supervision practices. The training will be held Tuesday, May 3, at 12:45 to 3 p.m. To register, click here.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services will be hosting the 2022 Opioids, Stimulants, and Trauma Summit to highlight strategies to address the use of opioids and stimulants in Wisconsin and will be open to all people interested in building healthy communities. The summit will be held on Tuesday, May 10, through Thursday, May 12, in La Crosse, but there is also a virtual option. The deadline to register is Wednesday, May 4. at 12 p.m. If you are interested in registering, click here.

One Hope 27 is hosting their annual Mother’s Day 5k run on Saturday, May 7. There will be local vendors and free activities for the whole family. The run will begin at Washington Park at 9 a.m. To register, click here.

We’ve all heard the phrase, “diversity and inclusion,” but what does it actually mean to make an organization or even our personal lives more diverse and inclusive? How can we get beyond grouping and labeling of other humans according to the color of their skin, the religion they practice, or the country in which they were born? Can we really build a just and inclusive world, especially in this time of such division? Even more, how can we make our organizations and lives more inclusive of those who are “Other” and different from “us?” Isn’t it time to at least consider a new approach to human inclusivity—where all humans regardless of differences are valued?  Join national speaker, transgender writer and “human inclusionist” Ellen “Ellie” Krug as she conducts her highly valued human inclusivity training, Gray Area Thinking®. This training will provide an easy-to-understand toolset on how to be more welcoming of anyone who is “Other” in our society. This training will be held from 9 a.m. to 12 noon on May 12. It's organized by the Wisconsin Balance of State Continuum of Care. Register here.

Community Advocates is offering Youth Mental Health First Aid workshops to teach parents, family members, caregivers, teachers, school staff, peers, neighbors, health and human services workers, and other caring citizens how to help an adolescent (age 12-18) who is experiencing a mental health or addictions challenge or is in crisis. Community Advocates will offer this introductory session via Zoom at no cost. It's open to Milwaukee County residents and those who work with them.

The Center for Urban Population Health will be hosting a virtual BIPOC Substance Abuse Prevention Skills Training. This is a three-month training series which includes training sessions, learning communities, a mentor match, and a project. This training will help attendees learn basic knowledge and skills needed by BIPOC in order to reduce behavioral health disparities and improve wellness. The application deadline for this training is Friday, May 20, and the first training session will begin on Tuesday, June 7. Click here for more information and access to the application.

Session #1: Creating A Culture Where Everyone Feels They Belong  (Tuesday, May 31 10:30-12:30): This holistic presentation is inclusive of the skill of Critical Thought and Crucial Conversation; Tools For Talking When The Stakes Are High. All participants will feel compelled to learn, invited to be courageous, and challenged to be humble as we explore the impact of our experiences on our ability to form truly authentic partnerships and relationships. Through intentional dialogue focused on our sense of belonging, we are able to examine and challenge the plethora of personal and professional environments where we feel most and least likely that we belong. Participants will be able to apply their unique personality, lived experience, and acquired knowledge to Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity in ways consistent with the unique Mission of organizations across all Departments, roles, and responsibilities. Register at this link.

 

Session #2: The Intersection of Lived and Learned Experiences On Civility In The Workplace (Tuesday, June 7 10:30-12:30): The impact of up to five generations working side by side in the workplace presents a plethora of experiences that can evolve and challenge authentic relationships. Each generation has a unique experience and understanding of the concept of respect, hard work ethic, and civility. How each of these are defined will influence how individuals recognize and respond to the world around them. As we become more intentional about shared definitions we are more inclined to actively participate in contributing to a desired Organizational Culture. Register here.

Session #3: Crucial Conversations, Critical Thinking, and the Art of Asking Better Questions (Tuesday, June 14 10:30-12:30): This session will focus on a very tactical approach to seeking clarity and addressing challenges and concerns efficiently and effectively. Participants will be provided a ‘guided tour’ of the elements of thought to understand how we think and what questions we should be teaching people to ask themselves BEFORE they publicly proclaim something a problem. Participants will also be introduced to very specific questions to ask which results in clarity for both parties to manage expectations of how and when to respond. Register at this link.

SAMHSA will be hosting an event commemorating child and youth mental health and honoring youth and family peer support. This event will be held via Zoom on Thursday, May 5, from 12 noon to 1 p.m. Click here to register.

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism has created an “Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention for Youth” guide to help health care professionals quickly identify youth at risk for alcohol-related problems. This guide is also accompanied by a pocket guide created by a team of underage drinking researchers, clinical specialists and practicing health care professionals. Click here to access the Guide and Pocket Guide. To access the Spanish version, click here.

This year, Children's Mental Health Week is May 1 - May 7. The Wisconsin Office of Children's Mental Health (OCMH) supports children's mental health and provides toolkits useful for families, schools, and communities. Click here to check out their website to locate new and updated fact sheets and social media content for this year's Children's Mental Health week!

The Southeast MHTTC School Mental Health Initiative and the Center of Excellence on LGBTQ+ Behavioral Health Equity have partnered to provide important tools and resources to support LGBTQ+ students. Their toolkit includes resources such as e-learning materials, animated learning videos, and more. To access this toolkit and to gather more information, click here.