CHNA 17 sponsors learning and networking around our priority areas – mental health, and racial equity. We provide trainings, community forums, and learning communities as well as a newsletter with additional resources.
Upcoming Trainings
October 25, 10:00am-12:30pm. Arlington Youth Counseling Center, Arlington, MA 02476.
Last year, CHNA 17 funded three after school programs to address hate/bias using the Teaching Tolerance “A Guide for Administrators, Counselors and Teachers – Responding to Hate and Bias at School” The aim of this project was to build capacity for after-school programs to operationalize equity and address bullying, specifically hate and bias-related incidents and document best practices in operationalizing racial equity for our region.
Join us on October 25 as we hear from East End House, Cambridge Community Center, and the Belmont After School Enrichment Collaborative about their work. Moderator will be Melissa Castillo, Division Head for Cambridge Youth Programs. Click HERE to register.
November 23, 9:00am-1:00pm
This will be the first of three CHNA 17 gatherings for mental health providers to practice self-care in an environment of reflection and support and to strategize their continued institutional-level work in racial equity.
There is a shortage of mental health therapists and only 4% of MH providers are Black. Providers experience profound compassion fatigue and burnout. Black therapists often experience systemic racism personally and professionally, an additional trauma. ESPG will be a supportive community for facilitated conversations on racial equity in the mental health field and the potential role of “emergent strategies,” e.g. recognizing movements start small and grow and creating relationships for change (Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds by adrienne maree brown – pictured above – will be used to inform this work). Provider discussions will be held in large groups and affinity groups and promote healing (e.g., through healthy food, acupuncture, massage), in recognition that trauma lives in the body. Click HERE to register. Enrollment will be capped at 20 participants.
Steering Committee Meetings
Tuesday, Oct. 15th, 2019. 10:00am-12:30pm (Dr. Tervalon, Cultural Humility Training)
Future meetings:
Tuesday, December 3, 2019. 10:00am-12:30pm
Tuesday, February 4, 2020. 10:00am-12:30pm
Tuesday, April 7, 2020. 10:00am-12:30pm
Steering Committee meetings are open to the public.
They are generally held on first Tuesday of month from 10:00am-12:30pm (October, December, February, April, May) at the Arlington Youth Counseling Center. Email chna17info@gmail.com for more information and/or to participate.
Racial Equity Subcommittee
Work Description: This committee is dedicated to embedding racial equity into how the coalition operates – our own internal processes and policies. This committee has not been active in the past year because we thought we would work to embed racial equity into everything we do, but we have since realized it’s critical to keep a specific committee working on this on an on-going basis. Recently, we have been conducting racial equity self-assessments of CHNA 17. Members: Betty Burkes, Liz Aguilo, Alison Kuah, Nancy Rihan-Porter, Mary Jo Rendon, Walter Ducheine (Tufts Health Plan), & Stacy Carruth-Sesia. Email chna17info@gmail.com to participate.
Event Planning Committee
Work Description: This group helps to shape all convenings (meaning trainings and community forums). Community forum topics will include: scholarship recipients presenting on what they’ve learned, sexual harassment, and hate incident/bullying. Members: Lynn Rosenbaum, Stephanie Venizelos, Shameka Gregory. Email chna17info@gmail.com to participate.
Sustainability Subcommittee
Work Description: This committee is dedicated to strengthening the organizational and financial sustainabililty of CHNA 17. We recently started using a tool from Engine of Success, to analyze our sustainability. This group also helps identify funding sources, and helps write grants.Members: Colleen Leger, Liz Aguilo, Pietra Check, Stacy Carruth-Sesia, Betty Burkes. Email chna17info@gmail.com to participate.
Ad Hoc Committee
Work Description: This committee has helped to craft several new initiatives that are being rolled out in the coming year. Most recently, this group has worked on crafting the Mental Health and Racial Equity Grants, the initiative on Sexual Harassment for restaurants. Members: Nancy Rihan-Porter, Natasha Pierre, Doug Kress, Albert Press, Pastor Ellis Washington, Stacy Carruth-Sesia, Mary DeCourcey. Email chna17info@gmail.com to participate.
Past Trainings and Community Forums
Our convenings over the past year have included:
- August 2017 Learning Community Organizational Self Assessment Racial Equity
- February 2018 Learning Community Organizational Self Assessment Racial Equity
- Cambridge Speaks: Exploring Local Findings on Mental Health and Racial Equity
- FAQ from Dialogues: Exploring Local Findings on Mental Health and Racial Equity
- Structural Inequities, An On The Ground View
- Racial Disparities in Mental Health
- The Why and How of Affinity Groups
- Leading with Racial Justice – Integrating Equity Into Your Work
- Trauma and Impact of Historical Trauma on African Americans Today; overview of Mount Auburn Community Health Initiative
- Crafting a Hiring Process to Address Implicit Bias / Diversifying your Board
- CHNA 17 Showcase of Funded Projects
- Framing for Racial Equity
- Implicit Bias
- Racism and Health
The information contained in this training is for general information purposes only. The training is sponsored by CHNA 17 and we strive to offer trainings that align with our mission and our health priority areas. Additionally, the CHNA 17 steering committee regularly conducts votes to decide on which trainings to offer. While we endeavor to ensure the quality, suitability and accuracy of the content provided in each training, participants join at their own risk and assume responsibility for their participation.