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.

Alexandria’s Trauma Informed Community Network (TICN) is located in Alexandria, Virginia. Established in July 2019, Alexandria’s TICN aims to build a more equitable, safe, trauma-informed and resilient Alexandria by informing, supporting and elevating our community. Hence its name, Resilience  Alexandria: Inform. Support. Elevate. (RAISE)

RAISE Mission

Within a few short months of its origin, RAISE members developed their mission statement and subcommittees to ensure a unified approach to building healthier and more resilient communities. The RAISE mission is to build a more trauma-informed and resilient Alexandria by informing, supporting and elevating our community. 

Priorities

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.

Committees

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.

Backbone Organization and Strong Leadership

The Center for Children and Families (CCF) within the City of Alexandria’s Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS) serves as the TICN’s direct backbone organization. CCF convenes RAISE partners on a monthly basis, fostering connections, and driving change in order to push and sustain large-scale collaborative efforts. CCF provides the infrastructure through dedicated staff and ongoing engagement of partners to ensure that everyone remains connected to an overarching purpose, efforts are maximized, work and accomplishments are shared, and duplication of effort is avoided.

Since July 2019, RAISE has engaged community members in building a more trauma-informed and resilient community through the following events and efforts:

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

Mailing List

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

Meetings

RAISE  meets on the 2nd Thursday of every  month from 10:00-12:00. Meetings are currently held virtually until further notice. Email RAISE@alexandriava.gov if you would like to receive calendar invites to meetings. All meetings are open for anyone to attend.

Membership Packet

Learn more about Resilience Alexandria and view our membership roster in the New Member Packet and Orientation Guide.

What Can You Do As a Member?

- Stay up to date on trainings, events and other information by joining the RAISE Mailing List (email RAISE@alexandriava.gov to join)

- Attend network meetings to:

--learn about trauma-informed initiatives across the county

--share what is going on in your agency or organization related to trauma-informed care implementation

• meet like-minded professionals and neighbors, and to identify resources to bring back to your agency or community
• Engage with other network members, and learn about upcoming events
• Attend RAISE trainings, and promote them to your colleagues and neighbors
• Help set-up trainings and Resilience or Broken Places screenings for audiences within your sphere of influence
• Develop a strategy to communicate within your own agency or organization about trauma-informed initiatives in the county
• Bring printed materials to your agency, neighborhood (community centers, etc.), conferences and other settings where it makes sense to spread the word about trauma & resilience
• As your role allows, advocate for trauma-informed policies at the agency, county, state and federal government levels (you will learn what those opportunities might be from attending network meetings and reading RAISE communications)
• Advocate for trauma-informed policies, practices and procedures within your own personal and professional spaces
• Serve on a RAISE Subcommittee
• Chair one of RAISE’s Subcommittees
• Become a RAISE trainer and facilitate Trauma 101 trainings, ACE Interface, Resilience discussions and more!

Since November 2021, RAISE offers monthly opportunities for the public to take this free training on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). In the 1990s, a landmark study on ACEs 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 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.

Register  for the next training!

Trauma-Informed Spaces Mini-Grant!

Looking to create a calm and welcoming environment for your staff and residents to enjoy? Your organization could be awarded a mini-grant of $175 to implement a space improvement project. Learn more and apply here: www.research.net/r/AlexandriaVA-TI-Spaces-Mini-Grant

Deadline to Apply: May 18

More Resources for Creating Trauma-Informed Environments

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

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.

We need your help in flattening the mental health curve and promoting wellness in our community as we continue to face the impacts of the COVID pandemic! You can help implement our Resilience Plan for Community Wellness by:

• Connecting your social and professional networks with the mental health information resources that RAISE develops and disseminates.
• Informing your social and professional networks in Alexandria about the COVID mental health support line and  Parenting Support Line (703.324.7720).  Anyone, no matter their immigration status, can call and receive help.
  
  

RAISE has a license to conduct screenings of Resilience: The Biology of Stress and the Science of Hope. Several times a year, RAISE has a public screening of the film and uses it. to start a conversation in our community about prevention. Check back here for upcoming screening dates.

• Monday May 2, 2022, 4:00-5:30pm Resilience Film Screening and Discussion | Join RAISE for a free and virtual screening of the documentary film Resilience: The Biology of Stress & the Science of Hope. Learn more and register here.

Contact us to learn how you can show this powerful 60 minute documentary to your staff or community group.

Resiliency Resource Toolkit for Trauma-Informed Supervision: 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: 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, request training for your team or REGISTER  for the next monthly training!

Upcoming ACEs Trainings

• May 4 |12:30PM

 Resources to Help Children and Youth Heal in the Wake of Traumatic Events

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

Race Based Trauma Resources and Support in Times of Civil Strife

• 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.

Equity and Diversity

• 2020 Advocacy Opportunities! 
• Health, Racial Equity, and Trauma-Informed Care from Richmond Memorial Health Foundation 
  • Trauma and Equity Lens from Fairfax TICN 

Guides and Toolkits for Implementing Trauma-Informed Practices

• Fostering Resilience and Recovery: A Change Package by National Council for Behavioral Health 
  • Includes: Checklist for Trauma-Informed Human Resources Practices and 20 Questions for Leaders about Workplace Psychological Health and Safety 
• 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 
• Trauma-Informed Organizational Toolkit from the National Center on Family Homelessness

Handouts

• RAISE One-Pager
• ACEs Questionnaire: Finding Your ACE Score
• Mini Mandalas
• Stress & Early Brain Growth: Understanding ACEs 1 
• Stress & Early Brain Growth: Understanding ACEs 2
• Trauma and Resilience Tree
• 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. 

Research

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

Videos

• 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

Coping with COVID Resources 

• COVID-19 Wellness Guide
• A Guide to Providing Mental Health Services to Immigrants Impacted by Changes to DACA and the COVID-19 Pandemic

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

More Trauma-Informed Resources from Fairfax TICN

• Trauma Fact Sheet 
• A Guide to Educating Children, Youth, and Families About Trauma and Resilience

RAISE Email: RAISE@alexandriava.gov

RAISE Co-Coordinators

Chelsea Eickert
Children & Youth Community Plan Coordinator 
Department of Community and Human Services
703.746.3142
Chelsea.Eickert@alexandriava.gov

Dr. Stacey Hardy-Chandler
Director of the Center for Children and Families
City of Alexandria, VA
Department of Community and Human Services
703.746.3352
Stacey.HardyChandler@AlexandriaVA.gov

Advocacy and Policy

Kristin Lennox, Policy Analyst, Voices for Virginia’s Children

Committee Chairs

Member Engagement and Wellness Committee
Noraine Buttar and Emma Driscoll

Justice Advocacy Committee 
Gina White and Jodie Lancaster

Changing Environments and Cultures Committee
Erika Callaway Kleiner and Chelsea Eickert