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Get plugged into the latest Be Strong Families news, initiatives, and blog articles — all central to creating transformative conversations that nurture the spirit of family, promote well-being and prevent violence.
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Developing and Sustaining Relationships through Virtual Service Delivery
In a January 7, 2021 presentation for Be Strong Families’ “Staying Strong and Positive for Ourselves and Our Children” webinar series, Eva Rivera joined us from Brazelton Touchpoints Center to reflect on her organization’s journey in virtual service delivery in support of children and families after the March 2020 lockdown. What were the strategies for building and sustaining relationships among professionals to serve these families? What were the lessons learned?
Riding the CoronaCoaster: Holiday Edition
The holiday season is usually a time of celebration and cheer, but everything feels different this year. In the face of the pandemic, parents and their children are dealing with new challenges, and the need to reach out to talk and share experiences is essential. Clearly, this relevant topic needed to be discussed at length, and Kassia Eide joined us for another round of Riding the Coronacoaster webinars to do just that!
A Corrective Perspective on Empowerment After Trauma
When hearing the word “trauma,” many of us have been conditioned to immediately think of something negative. Something that will have negative effects on our life, that we have no control over, and that requires healing. The word often brings connotations of victimhood, pathology, and shame.
How Parents Can Support Children in Remote Learning
Be Strong Families is committed to supporting parents through the pandemic, and a recurring topic in our Staying Strong and Positive for Ourselves and Our Children webinar series is how parents can support children in remote learning. How can parents collaborate with teachers? How can we minimize learning loss for children? In November, we had four webinars that featured experienced, dynamic presenters who shared their expertise in highlighting key aspects of this topic.
An Interview with Tecoria Jones on Radical Family Engagement
On November 30, 2020, as part of Be Strong Families daily webinar series Staying Strong and Positive for Ourselves and Our Children, Be Strong Families President and CEO Katthe Wolf interviewed Tecoria Jones about radical family engagement. What works to engage families? What are the barriers? What would radical family engagement look and feel like to parents and agencies? Where is it happening now?
Parenting a Child with Autism During the Pandemic
In our October 26 webinar for our series “Staying Strong and Positive for Ourselves and Our Children”, Literacy Programs Manager Deanne Surles and Mental Health Therapist Takara Montgomery discussed challenges and opportunities that COVID-19 has presented to Takara and her 13-year-old son, who has autism. By speaking from her own perspectives and her own unique experiences, Takara led webinar attendees in a learning experience of one individual’s journey through the pandemic with her family.
Our Experience at the 2020 Together for Families Conference
The biennial Together for Families Conference was held from October 14-16 of 2020, and was a phenomenal success with more than 400 registrants attending—well over the initial expectation of 350. We saw three days of plenaries, presentations, and discussions around supporting families’ advancement, and Be Strong Families was thrilled to cohost this virtual event and organize the Advancing Equity track, which convened conversations through interactive workshops that promoted racial awareness, diversity, equity, and inclusion in partnerships to strengthen families and enhance communities.
Vitality and Voting: Creating Hope Through Action
As we head into the final weeks before the national election, many of us are feeling anxious about the uncertainty of the election outcome and the potential challenges to voting stemming from both the pandemic, and the deep political and ideological divisions in our country. We invite our colleagues and partners to take an active stance in supporting one other, your staff and communities through this election season. Read about our strategic approach to supporting our staff, and utilize the curated list of resources we’ve compiled for this election season.
Utilizing Writing for Healing Trauma and Liberation
On Tuesday, October 13, Ahmad Abojaradeh (they/them) of Life in My Days joined us for the first of a 6-session, bi-weekly webinar series on the decolonization of wellbeing. In this webinar, the topic was how we can utilize writing to heal trauma and find liberation. The resulting conversations and experiences led webinar attendees on a journey of self-reflection that encouraged peer-learning, personal growth, and using writing as a tool for self-discovery.
A Path Towards Building Authentic Relationships and Creating Institutional Change
On Friday, September 25, 2020, Carol Mizoguchi, Director of the Office of Community Services in Alexandria, Virginia, led attendees in a discussion about anti-Black racism in the US and abroad, the language and vocabulary around anti-racism, and learning how to build authentic relationships.