Struggling with how to Foster Equity Conversations in Community? Join the national partners of the Building Community Resilience Networks as we share our lessons learned in fostering equity as a strategy to prevent childhood adversity and build community resilience.
Wednesday, February 26th 12pm-1:15pm Eastern
More info at go.gwu.edu/EquityWebinar
As a nation we have agonized over how to approach conversations on race, racism, inequity and racial justice. Too often we have opted to attempt to solve the problem of racism by not explicitly naming it--which when put in writing should strike the reader as absurd. Yet, this is exactly what we have done with predictable results-- we cannot solve that which we cannot speak. Nor can we solve an issue which we do not fully understand. Next week, the Center for Community Resilience will introduce our newest tool to help us as a nation do both: collectively see the historical underpinnings of structural racism and the traumas and disparities that result, then conduct constructive conversations that lead to policy change. The path to a Resilient Nation-- one in which all of our communities not only 'bounce back' in the face of adversity, but thrive begins here.
Over the last five years, Building Community Resilience network partners across the country have been working together to build community resilience by addressing or mitigating the Pair of ACEs (adverse childhood experiences in the context of adverse community environments). The Fostering Equity tool is an outgrowth of the experiences of these communities as our work together has emphasized the importance of centering equity at the heart of what it means to be resilient. We aim for this tool to promote awareness of the underpinnings of structural racism that drives community and individual trauma and provide a guide for how individuals, organizations and communities may engage in critical conversations about equity.
We believe a deeper understanding of the sources of inequity and the disparities they produce provide an opportunity to create a shared understanding that brings us together-- rather than further dividing us.
The Center for Community Resilience provides a solutions-based, innovative approach to addressing Adverse Childhood Experiences in the context of Adverse Community Environments (the Pair of ACEs). Communities across the country, spanning more than 10 states and the District of Columbia and nearly 50 organizations, are successfully implementing the Building Community Resilience (BCR) process, which applies an equity lens to childhood and community wellbeing. BCR helps communities identify site-specific resources, assets and program gaps, improve system readiness, build capacity, and deepen relationships across sectors with community partners. With a team of leading experts in the field, the Center engages policymakers, community groups and institutional organizations to build collective will and make measurable progress toward common goals that improve outcomes across multiple generations and build a more Resilient Nation. To learn more go to our website at go.gwu.edu/BCR and follow us on Twitter at @ResilNation.