Reclaiming the Power of Breath: A Virtual Healing Series with Zoe Flowers

There’s so much going on. Our chests are tight. We are experiencing fear and confusion. It may be hard for you to sleep, be present, and keep a handle on all you need to do.  And we still have “jobs” to do. It is our pleasure to present another set of healing sessions with advocate, healer, writer, poet, and filmmaker Zoe Flowers.  Zoe provided almost 1500 advocates with her virtual wellness sessions from March to May 2020. She is returning on June 11th to guide us through another round of sessions to help us stay grounded, manage our stress and alleviate anxiety.

 

Panelists:

Zoe Flowers

Director of Survivor Programs @Women of Color Network, Inc.

 

Zoe Flowers leads the National Resource Centers Work to promote healing services for survivors from historically marginalized communities. She is a seasoned domestic violence advocate, author and filmmaker. Her poetry and essays can be found in Stand Our Ground; Poems for Trayvon Martin and Marissa Alexander, Dear Sister: Letters from Survivors of Sexual Assault and the upcoming anthology, Love WITH Accountability: Digging Up the Roots of Child Sexual Abuse. Her articles and interviews can be found on The Grio, Bloom Magazine, and several online journals.

Registration is closed.

Please check the Reclaiming the Power of Breath: A Virtual Healing Series with Zoe Flowers resource page for the recording.

Adapting and Sustaining Services for Formerly Incarcerated Survivors During COVID-19: A Panel Discussion

Incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people are at high risk for contracting COVID-19 and often have little or no access to reliable and consistent health care services. The health risks—coupled with the challenge of practicing social distancing in jails and prisons—have led correctional facilities around the country, particularly local jails, to accelerate releases. In many cases, however, people are returning home to the challenging, new reality of life during a global pandemic with very little access to the supportive services they might normally get during their reentry period (e.g., assistance with housing, employment, and transportation). Accessing healing services—often difficult under normal circumstances—appears to be even more challenging, as most providers have shifted to remote service provision, and not all survivors have access to reliable technology to avail themselves of remote services.

Join us for a panel discussion about the emerging and enduring needs of formerly incarcerated survivors and learn how some service providers are adapting their services to meet those needs. Panelists include Leon EL-Alamin from the M.A.D.E. Institute in Flint, Michigan; Angel Tomeo Sam from The Bail Project in Spokane, Washington; and Colleen Smith from Newark Community Solutions in New Jersey.

Registration is closed.

Please check the Adapting and Sustaining Services for Formerly Incarcerated Survivors During COVID-19: A Panel Discussion resource page for the recording.

Preparing to Reopen: Lifting Up Strategies for Programs Serving Victims

As states begin to lift stay-at-home orders, service providers are working to determine the best path for their service users and organizations within the context of the ongoing public health crisis. Their path to reopening largely depends on the population they serve; with overall safety concerns impacting when, how, and to what extent they can reopen. During this interactive strategy session, a variety of providers who serve victims from diverse populations across the lifespan, will lead a panel discussion on the unique measures organizations may adopt as they prepare to reopen. Participants will be invited to share their current plans for reopening (or staying closed). Please join us as we continue to strategize together on sustaining services for all victims.

 

Registration is closed.

Please check back for the recording.

Language Access: The Lessons that COVID-19 has Reinforced

The current COVID-19 crisis is not over yet; however, in a short time we have seen how gaps in the system for language access are exacerbated by a pandemic. Did we know what to do in a crisis? Were we prepared to ensure that everyone had access to information and services in their first language? What do we do during an emergency or a disaster? How does our language access plan monitoring help us achieve a more organized response? What went wrong, and how can we be sure that we do not make those mistakes again? Through this virtual training we will share lessons learned and answer these and other questions regarding language access preparedness, responsiveness and monitoring.

Objectives:

• Understand the implications and impact of the COVID-19 crisis on Limited English Proficient communities and survivors;
• Learn about language access compliance and monitoring and how they can be our guide for language access emergency preparedness; and
• Create a framework under which programs can create policies and protocols that facilitate access during a crisis.

Registration is closed.

 

Please check the Language Access: The Lessons that COVID-19 has Reinforcedresource page for the recording.

Formerly incarcerated survivors learning community meeting: Supporting each other during COVID-19

This learning community is comprised of advocates, service providers, and directly-impacted people working at the intersection of reentry, victimization, and healing. We meet virtually every few weeks to offer and receive support and to share strategies for sustaining our programs in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Please email Kaitlin Kall at kkall@vera.org if you are interested in participating.

Just Ask: How Advocates, Law Enforcement, and Attorneys can better meet the needs of crime victims with disabilities by asking about and providing accommodations

People with disabilities and Deaf people are victims of violent crime at three times the rate of people without disabilities. They also experience some of the greatest obstacles to accessing justice and healing services. These barriers make it difficult, if not impossible, to fully participate in the legal system or heal from the trauma they’ve experienced. An important way to increase access to justice, safety, and healing opportunities is by providing people with accommodations.

Registration is closed.

 

Please check the Just Ask: How Advocates, Law Enforcement, and Attorneys can better meet the needs of crime victims with disabilities by asking about and providing accommodations resource page for the recording.

Staying Centered: A Virtual Breather for People Supporting Survivors

Are you feeling increased levels of stress and anxiety? If you answered yes, know you are not alone. Join us for a virtual wellness session to help manage your stress, as you navigate the many challenges involved in continuing services for survivors during the COVID-19 crisis.

People across the country are mobilizing quickly to ensure services for survivors of crime continue during the COVID-19 crisis. Confronting this new set of challenges in rapidly changing and uncertain times can be stressful. It is critical that we in the crime victims field integrate strategies to manage stress and anxiety into our day-to-day practice. In this virtual wellness session, we are joined by Zoe Flowers – advocate, healer, writer, poet, and filmmaker. Zoe will guide us through a number of activities to help us stay grounded and manage stress and anxiety.

Registration is closed. Please check back for the recording.

Supporting Survivors who have Experienced Trauma Cope with COVID-19

This unprecedented health crisis is challenging for most of us. For people who have experienced trauma it can be even more so. The isolation of the statewide Safer-at-Home orders and the unpredictability of the coronavirus can trigger flashbacks and panic attacks. The fear of contracting Covid-19 can create high anxiety making it hard for survivors to cope. The uncertainty and potential chaos of hospital responses may make it difficult for survivors to seek care if they need it. In this hour-long virtual discussion we will explore what you can do to help and offer a few resources.

Esta crisis sanitaria sin precedentes es un desafío para la mayoría de nosotros. Para las personas que han experimentado un trauma puede ser aún más difícil. Las órdenes estatales de aislamiento (Safer-at-Home) y la imprevisibilidad del coronavirus pueden desencadenar flashbacks y ataques de pánico. El miedo a contraer COVID-19 puede crear una gran ansiedad que dificulte a los sobrevivientes sobrellevar la pandemia. La incertidumbre y el caos potencial de las respuestas de los hospitales pueden dificultar la búsqueda de atención médica de los sobrevivientes si la necesitaran. En esta discusión virtual de una hora de duración, exploraremos qué puede hacer usted para ayudar y ofreceremos algunos recursos.

Registration is closed. Please check back for the recording.

Staying Centered: A Virtual Breather for People Supporting Survivors

Are you feeling increased levels of stress and anxiety? If you answered yes, know you are not alone. Join us for a virtual wellness session to help manage your stress, as you navigate the many challenges involved in continuing services for survivors during the COVID-19 crisis.

People across the country are mobilizing quickly to ensure services for survivors of crime continue during the COVID-19 crisis. Confronting this new set of challenges in rapidly changing and uncertain times can be stressful. It is critical that we in the crime victims field integrate strategies to manage stress and anxiety into our day-to-day practice. In this virtual wellness session, we are joined by Zoe Flowers – advocate, healer, writer, poet, and filmmaker. Zoe will guide us through a number of activities to help us stay grounded and manage stress and anxiety.

Registration is closed. Please check back for the recording.