Throughout Virginia, there are more than 19 communities coming together across disciplines around trauma-informed care. Most often in Virginia, these groups form as trauma-informed community networks (TICNs). Every TICN looks different because they are built by the local community, however, in each of these communities, these networks share common characteristics:

• Build a stronger, more resilient trauma-informed community
• Increase awareness of trauma and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and identify areas that the group can collectively build upon
• Develop a shared language about trauma and resilience
• Help organizations to become trauma informed, conduct trainings, support, and implement new practices in schools, courts, and community services
• Create a mechanism for collaboration, and the sharing of information and resources
• And much more!

It should be noted that these networks, including RAISE, do not provide direct services to clients. Instead, TICNs help to connect practice across disciplines and help to identify gaps and how policies can be implemented. Virginia’s community networks play a key role in advancing trauma-informed policy and promoting a statewide policy agenda. 

For more information about Virginia’s TICNs and the Campaign for a Trauma-Informed Virginia, visit the Voices for Virginia’s Children website at vakids.org.

To build a more trauma-informed and resilient Alexandria by informing, supporting and elevating our community. 

RAISE members were asked to use their lived experience and expertise to identify sources of trauma that are specific to Alexandria. Based on those sources, four following priorities drive RAISE’s mission:

1. Inform Alexandria’s community and various sectors about RAISE and its mission to build a more trauma-informed and resilient Alexandria;
2. Support community members and professionals by delivering trainings focused on ACEs, trauma, and resilience, and
3. Support organizations becoming trauma-informed by providing them with technical assistance in transforming their spaces, policies, and procedures; and finally
4. Elevate our community’s needs and voice through advocacy at the micro and macro levels.

These priorities and RAISE’s current capacity resulted in the following committees which guide RAISE’s strategic direction:

• Member Engagement and Wellness Committee: Supports existing efforts that aim to promote community wellness and resiliency among RAISE members and the greater community.
• Changing Environments and Cultures Committee: Helps teams and organizations create a trauma-informed culture by providing them with technical assistance in transforming their spaces, policies, and procedures.
• Justice Advocacy Committee: Supports community members and professionals by delivering trainings focused on ACEs, trauma, and resilience, and elevates our community’s voices by advocating for justice and advancing policies that dismantle systems that perpetuate racial trauma and inequity

Each of these subcommittees have developed their own action plans that will guide future work and evaluate progress.

Since July 2019, RAISE has cultivated authentic community engagement while promoting trauma-informed practices and community resilience through the following events and efforts:

• Community Development and Planning: In recent years, community members have identified mental health as an important issue that they wish to take collective action on, so RAISE has had the distinct honor of working its partners to coordinate the development and implementation of the following plans that address mental health.
  • Community Mental Health Plan: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, RAISE was called upon by the City of Alexandria to develop and implement a Community Mental Health Plan that promoted resilience among Alexandria's thousands of residents and employees. Initiatives included:
    • an online COVID-19 Wellness Resource Guide featuring 75+ resources;
    • the Resilience Week Virginia Campaign;
    • an online Continuum of Race Based Trauma Resources and Support in Times of Civil Strife featuring 70+ resources;
    • Bi-Monthly Mindful Wellness Circles for City employees;
    • a regional Parent Support Line and Text Line;
    • city-wide “RAISE Your Voice” outreach to educate people on reporting situations that are high risk for abuse or neglect; and
    • Town Halls to orient City staff to the Resiliency Resource Guide for Trauma-Informed Supervision.
  • Alexandria’s Community Health Improvement Plan: To help move the CHIP forward, RAISE is committed to providing trauma-informed trainings and advocacy trainings and education to community groups.
  • Children and Youth Community Plan: To help implement the CYCP, RAISE is committed to helping our communities adopt trauma-informed and resilience building practices.
• Alexandria’s Trauma and Resiliency Summit: Despite not having a budget, RAISE hosted a Summit that engaged over 140 community members in 15 different workshops focused on wellness, social and racial justice, and navigating changing environments.
• Trainings, Workshops, and Film Screenings
  • 62 Resilience Film Screening participants
  • 14 Advocacy 101 Workshop participants
  • 57 Creating Trauma-Informed Spaces Workshop participants
  • 32 Cultivating Authentic Community Engagement Workshop participants
  • 37 Resiliency Resource Guide for Trauma-Informed Supervision participants
  • 600+ Understanding ACEs: Building Self-Healing Communities participants
• Capacity Building Projects
  • $5,000 in funds awarded to RAISE from the FACT Fund were used to assist immigrant clients that the Domestic Violence Program worked with to pay rent, utilities, and other bills that they were not able to pay due to COVID-19. 
  • $350 in funds awarded to RAISE from the FACT Fund were used to assist local organizations transform their spaces into trauma-informed environments

To sign up to our mailing list to receive RAISE updates, fill out this short registration form.

2022-2023 RAISE Calendar

RAISE holds a network meeting every quarter. Below are meeting dates for 2022-2023. To attend the meetings, register here.

Network Meetings provides members an opportunity to hear about and share trauma-informed efforts taking place across the city and state; receive policy updates from the General Assembly, make decisions, and collaborate on shared work.

Upcoming Meeting Dates:

• October 20, 2022 10AM-12PM
• January 19, 2023 10AM-12PM
• April 20, 2023 10AM-12PM
• July 20, 2023 10AM-12PM

Every quarter, RAISE will provide an educational experience for free for the public to learn more about Adverse Childhood Experiences, trauma, and resilience. These educational opportunities will include trainings, workshops, film screenings, and events during Resilience Week VA and Racial Truth & Reconciliation Week. To attend these events, register here.

Upcoming Educational Experiences:

• November 17, 2022 at 10AM: Creating Trauma-Informed Spaces
• February 16, 2023 at 10AM: Advocacy Workshop
• May 7-13, 2023: Celebrate Resilience Week VA!
• August 2023: Celebrate Racial Truth & Reconciliation Week!

Every quarter, new, returning, and prospective RAISE members are invited to a Member Orientation to learn more about the Network and ways to get involved! To attend a Member Orientation, register here:

Upcoming Member Orientation Dates:

• December 15, 2022 | 10-11AM
• March 16, 2023 | 10-11AM
• June 15, 2023 | 10-11AM
• September 21, 2023 | 10-11AM

Learn more about RAISE now by checking out the RAISE Welcome Packet and Orientation Guide .

Resiliency Resource Toolkit for Trauma-Informed Supervision: 

Target Audience: Supervisors, Helping and Aspiring Professionals 

Description: Supervision is an important element of creating and fostering a trauma-informed workplace. While many employees continue to work from home, some are returning to work sites and offices. Supervisors and staff may be experiencing feelings of concern and uncertainty regarding the impact returning to a work site may have on themselves and their families. They may experience doubt, anxiety, stress, fear, and depression, and may even be experiencing grief or a sense of loss for the way of life before the pandemic. This workshop equips participants with a toolkit that has been designed to help supervisors and their staff understand the mental health impact of COVID19 and challenges associated with returning to the workplace. Request a Training.

Understanding Adverse Childhood Experiences and Building Self-Healing Communities

Target Audience: Everyone (educators; parents/family members; people with lived experience; professionals from behavioral health, public health, social services, nursing; education; justice; and other fields; clients; survivors; community members; faith-based groups; etc.) 

Description: In the 1990s, the CDC and Kaiser Permanente conducted a landmark study on ACEs. They discovered that ACEs and trauma are the leading cause of our nation's social and health problems. During the presentation, you’ll learn more about:

• the ACE Study,
• the impact of stress on the brain and how that affects a person over the course of their life, and
• ways to encourage and promote resilience in youth and adults so together we can create a healthier community.

This training is appropriate for both mental health professionals and community members. Learn more and contact RAISE@alexandriava.gov to schedule a training for your team!

Darkness to Light - Stewards of Children Training

Target Audience: Adults; Mentors; Teachers; Child Care Providers; Youth Service Providers; Tutors; Coaches; Out of School Time Staff; Parents/Family Members; Faith-Based Community members; Youth Group Leaders; Camp Counselors; any adults who work/engage with children and youth.

Description: Stewards of Children is a prevention training program that teaches adults how to prevent, recognize, and react responsibly to child sexual abuse. The program is designed for organizations that serve youth and for individuals concerned about the safety of children. It is the only nationally distributed, evidence-based program proven to increase knowledge, improve attitudes, and change child protective behaviors. 

The Center for Alexandria’s Children has partnered with the Alexandria Health Department to provide this training for free to all child serving professionals in the City of Alexandria. This two-hour long in-person training is offered in both English and Spanish and will be facilitated by members of the City’s Multidisciplinary Team on Child Abuse (the detectives, social workers, advocates and attorneys who investigate and prosecute the crime of child sexual abuse in our City). Contact Terri Cheshire at terri@alexandriaskids.org  or 703-746-6018 to discuss and schedule a training for your team or organization. 

Cultivating Authentic Community Engagement Virtual Workshop

Target Audience: Service Providers/Helping and Aspiring Professionals, Nonprofit Organizations, Government Agencies, Businesses

Description: What has worked for you and not worked for you when working to increase community engagement in your organizations and why? What do you do with the information you gather from community members and how do you increase transparency and accountability around these processes? How can organizations cultivate the patience and consistency necessary for this long-term work? How can we identify our strengths and avoid duplicating efforts by building partnerships with those who already have authentic relationships with community residents? Guided by her lived and professional experience, Behavioral Health Community Organizer Tamika Daniel will share tips and strategies to address these challenges and facilitate a discussion that will help us answer these questions together. Contact RAISE@alexandriava.gov if interested in scheduling this training!

Intro to Trauma and Resilience Workshop 

Target Audience: Everyone (Community Members, Community Advocates, Helping and Aspiring Professionals, Parents/Family Members, Youth and Young Adults) 

Description: What is trauma? What is resilience? Greater Richmond SCAN's Behavioral Health Community Organizer Tamika Daniel will cover the basics of trauma, including its behavioral impacts. She will explore how resilience can be built and based in real life experiences. This relatable and accessible training will help to shed a new light on these topics and provide the foundation for key concepts. Contact RAISE@alexandriava.gov if you're interested in scheduling a training!

Creating Trauma-Informed Spaces: Using Trauma-Informed Design to Promote Healing, Health, and Human Dignity. 

Target Audience: Service Providers/Helping and Aspiring Professionals, Staff and Senior Leadership from Nonprofit Organizations, Government Agencies, Businesses, or Faith-Based Organizations

Description: This 90 minute workshop will explore what it means for a space to be trauma-informed, why this is important, and how to get started in building a trauma-informed space that will promote healing, health, and human dignity. Examples of space transformations will be shared. If you work on a team or for an organization that is interested in becoming more trauma-informed, this workshop will provide concrete steps for creating more healing-centered spaces within your organization or agency. Workshop participants can sign up to receive ongoing technical assistance and support from RAISE. To request this free training for your team or organization, email RAISE@AlexandriaVA.Gov. 

Resilience Film Screening and Discussion: RAISE has a license to conduct screenings of Resilience: The Biology of Stress and the Science of Hope.  Contact us to learn how you can show this powerful 60 minute documentary to your staff or community group and use it to start a conversation about prevention!

Volunteering for RAISE is a great way to gain leadership experience, volunteer or internship hours, knowledge of Alexandria's systems, initiatives, and trauma champions, and friends! There is a role for all ages, backgrounds, lived experiences, sectors, staff position levels, etc. Training and ongoing support is provided. Any one of these roles can be made into an internship or capstone project. If interested in learning more, contact Chelsea Eickert at Chelsea.Eickert@alexandriaVA.Gov!

• Committee Co-Chairs (Need: 2)
  • Responsibilities: Help plan and facilitate committee meetings and activities that are in alignment with Committee Action Plans. Contribute to member engagement, and more. Encourage and support the collection of data to identify needs and monitor on-going performance of the Committee. Oversee progress with the implementation of the Committee's Action Plan and report on the Committee's progress. Collaborate on the design and implementation of new initiatives set by the Committee, center equity in all decisions, and ensure that strategic decisions made are in alignment with the overall strategic goals of RAISE. Help manage the "day-to-day" operations that keep the Committee moving forward and on track, including member engagement, communications, data collection and analysis, and other administrative tasks. Identify and cultivate emerging leaders in RAISE. Attend monthly Steering Committee meetings and quarterly educational events and Network Meetings. To learn more about each Committee, see the "Committee" section of the page.
  • Approximate Time Commitment: ~2-4 Hours/month
• Communications Specialist (Need: 1-2)
  • Responsibilities: Serve as a bridge to the greater community by maintaining and enhancing communication practices and platforms that engage community members, raise awareness, share information, and cultivate motivation. Assist with the implementation of the Member Engagement Plan, the development of the RAISE eNewsletter every month, a RAISE promotional video, the creation of flyers, brochures, and other marketing material, and lead efforts that support the annual Resilience Week VA campaign. Attend quarterly Network Meetings and monthly Steering Committee Meetings.
  • Approximate Time Commitment: 3-6 hours/month
• Training & Events Coordinator (Need: 1)
  • Responsibilities: Help plan and organize monthly trainings, educational experiences, film screenings, and special events. 
  • Approximate Time Commitment: 2-4 hours/month
• Grant Coordinator (Need: 1)
  • Responsibilities: Help build RAISE's capacity to create a more trauma-informed and resilient community by coordinating efforts to obtain grants and funding. Seek out funding opportunities, analyze Request for Proposals, write grant proposals and narratives, and prepare required reports. Provide project management, ensuring that project stakeholders have reviewed and provided feedback on proposals in a timely manner, and obtaining final approval.
  • Approximate Time Commitment: 0-1 million hours/month
• Committee Member (Need: Unlimited)
  • Responsibilities: Committees are at the heart of RAISE and bring ideas to life. RAISE has three Committees and each has their own Action Plan that helps to achieve the mission of RAISE. Committee members have professional and/or lived experience, are genuinely interested in advancing racial equity, building resilience, raising awareness of the impacts of trauma and ACEs, and creating trauma-informed environments, and are action-oriented "doers" who commit to attending meetings, educational experiences, and carrying out tasks.
  • Approximate Time Commitment: 2-4 hours/month

Community Mental Health and Resilience Plan

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, RAISE developed and implemented this Community Mental Health and Resilience Plan. The Plan recommends mental health strategies that support all of Alexandria's workforce, parents, youth, and residents throughout and after the pandemic. Read the Plan. See what RAISE was able to accomplish.

Community Health Improvement Plan 

Working extensively with the community, the Alexandria Health Department (AHD) and Partnership for a Healthier Alexandria have coordinated the Community Health Improvement Plan 2025 (CHIP). The CHIP, which identified Mental Health as one of three priorities for our community to address, is a collection of action-oriented strategies and tactics to address inequities through programs, advocacy, services, education, and policy change. Read more about the CHIP.

Children and Youth Community Plan

Alexandria’s Children and Youth Community Plan (CYCP) is a roadmap for how our community will work together to create the conditions for all young people to thrive in Alexandria. The Plan centers equity while preventing harmful experiences known as Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), and building the 40 Developmental Assets® which are positive supports, relationships, and strengths that all young people need to succeed. In short, this Plan is all about decreasing ACEs and increasing assets. Read the Plan.

These supports, available in both English and Spanish, were compiled by the National Research Center of Hispanic Children and Families and developed by national organizations including The National Child Traumatic Stress Network, the American Psychological Association, and the Child Mind Institute.

• Resources for Parents and Caregivers
  • Helping Children Cope With Frightening News | Cómo ayudar a los niños a afrontar noticias alarmantes
  • Helping Teens with Traumatic Grief: Tips for Caregivers | Ayuda Para Los Adolescentes Con Duelo Traumático
  • After a Crisis: Helping Young Children Heal | Después De Una Crisis: Cómo Sanan A Los Niños
  • Creating Supportive Environments When Scary Things Happen | Creando Ambientes de Apoyo Cuando Suceden Hechos Alarmantes
  • Talking to Children When Scary Things Happen | Hablando con los Niños Cuando Sucede La Violencia
  • Talking to Teens When Violence Happens | Hablando con los Adolescentes Cuando Sucede la Violencia
  • Age-Related Reactions to a Traumatic Event | Reacciones A Eventos Traumaticos Relacionadas Con La Edad
  • Helping Your Children Manage Distress in the Aftermath of a Shooting | Cómo Ayudar A Sus Hijos Tras Los Tiroteos En Los Centros De Educación
  • Parent Guidelines for Helping Youth After the Recent Shooting | Guía Para Los Padres Para Ayudar A Los Jóvenes Después De Un Tiroteo Reciente
  • How to Talk to Kids About School Shootings | Ansiedad por los tiroteos en las escuelas
• Resources for Educators
  • Helping Youth After Community Trauma: Tips for Educators | Ayuda Para Jóvenes Después De Un Trauma Comunitario
• General Resources
  • Helping Children Cope After a Traumatic Event | Cómo ayudar a los niños a lidiar con un evento traumático
  • Helping Children Cope with Grief | Cómo ayudar a los niños a enfrentar el duelo
  • Quick Guide to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) | Guía rápida sobre el trastorno de estrés postraumático
  • Managing your distress in the aftermath of a shooting | Manejando tú angustia después de los tiroteos
  • Well-being Practices: Gentle Reminders for Times of Stress | Prácticas para el Bienestar: Breves Recordatorios para Tiempos de Estrés

Chronic stress can have negative side effects on everyone. Psycho-social factors, specifically, pervasive exposure to racism and discrimination, create an additional daily stressor for people of color. Research shows this to be particularly true for African-Americans (APA, 2016). Race Based Trauma Resources and Support in Times of Civil contains a continually growing list of resources for and information related to coping with racism and trauma on individual, interpersonal and family, community and national and global levels.

Full Circle Grief Center, based in Richmond, Virginia, provides support for grieving children, families, adults, and communities through support groups, individual counseling services, remembrance programs, and grief education support.

• Allyson English Drake presented A Journey through Grief to RAISE in October 2020 and shared these resources on Grief Journaling and Journaling for Healing with the network.
• The Center has curated a Resource Library that offers a comprehensive array of resources for children, teens, adults, families, and individuals of all ages.
• Full Circle has also compiled a list of Books and Websites for children, teens, adults, counselors, and those grieving the loss of a pet, child, miscarriage, sibling, or loved one.
• The Full Circle staff created a 2022 Bereavement Resource Manual as a free resource to the community
• Conversations about Grief is a series of pre-recorded educational programs hosted by Full Circle with the goal of increasing the community conversation about death, dying, and loss.

• Trauma and Equity Lens from Fairfax TICN 

• Roadmap to Trauma-Informed Care by Trauma-Informed Oregon
• ­ Helping Traumatized Children Learn and Creating and Advocating for Trauma-Sensitive Schools from the Massachusetts Advocates for Children and Harvard Law
• Key Ingredients for Successful Trauma-Informed Care Implementation from the Center for Health Care Strategies
• NCTSN Child Welfare Trauma Toolkit
• SAMHSA Concept of Trauma and Guidance for a Trauma Informed Approach
• ­Trauma-Informed Child Welfare Practice from the Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare 

• Creating Trauma-Informed Spaces: Information Sheet (Fairfax TICN)
• Creating Trauma-Informed Spaces: Facility Review Checklist (Fairfax TICN)
• Trauma-Informed Agency Self-Assessment (Virginia HEALS')

Coping with COVID Resources 

• Resources for Coping with Fear and Uncertainty

Resiliency Resources For Supervisors

• A toolkit designed to help supervisors and their staff understand the mental health impact of COVID-19 and challenges associated with returning to the workplace. 

COVID Specific Resources from Fairfax TICN:

• Trauma Informed Supervision During COVID-19, April 7, 2020
• Navigating Telework, April 2, 2020
• TICN March Message, March 31, 2020
• Self Care, March 19, 2020
• COVID-19 Special Edition, March 16, 2020

• RAISE One-Pager
• Trauma Fact Sheet 
• A Guide to Educating Children, Youth, and Families About Trauma and Resilience
• Trauma and Resilience Tree
• Mini Mandalas
• Raise Your Voice to Help Neighbors at Risk of Abuse : How to recognize signs of abuse in children and adults. View or download the flyer in  English,  Spanish,  Amharic or  Arabic and share with your network. 
• Parenting Support Line (703.324.7720).  Anyone, no matter their immigration status, can call and receive help.
  
  

• ACE Study
• ADHD and Child Traumatic Stress
• Effects of Trauma on Health Fact Sheet
• Trauma-Informed Child Welfare Practice

• Beyond the Cliff (Trauma Exposure on Professionals)
• Connecting the Dots between Complex Trauma and Misdiagnosis
• Dr. Dan Siegel’s Hand Model of the Brain
• Every Opportunity
• Healing Neen
• Why Mindfulness is a Superpower

• January

• December - RAISE Member Orientation
• November - Educational Experience
• October
• September
• July
• June
• May - Resilience Week
• April
• March
• February
• January- Educational Experience

• October
• August
• July
• June
• May
• April
• March
• February
• January

• December
• October
• September
• August
• July
• June
• May
• April
• March
• January

• December
• November
• October
• September
• August
• July