Olivya Wilson joins the RPS Resiliency Partnership
Olivya Wilson recently started at SCAN as the RPS Resiliency Partnership Parent Engagement Coordinator. This project, which received seed funding from the Robins Foundation, is a partnership between SCAN, ChildSavers and Richmond Public Schools. The goal of this partnership is to provide an innovative trauma-informed approach within Richmond's most challenging schools, by embedding training, parent support and mental health counseling in 8 East End Schools in order to help young people and their families build resiliency.
Olivya believes parent or caregiver engagement is a vital component of the RPS Resiliency Partnership because children need support, guidance, and commitment from those they feel closest to. Parental engagement helps boost the child's morale, leaving them feeling encouraged and empowered. It lets the child know they are important, cared for and that someone is rooting for them and advocating for them. Positive parent engagement also models healthy relational skills for their child.
Olivya's past experience as an in-home mental health skill builder, working with older adults in hospice care, and her involvement in community engagement work through her church, the TICN and other community projects, has led her to her current role. Olivya shared that she is excited to explore new strategies and techniques to collaborate with systems, organizations and individuals in order to reach, empower and engage parents. She stated that there is a great deal of energy around trauma-informed practices right now and she hopes that this energy can be built upon to create awareness and create long term change. Olivya shared that she often reminders herself that work is not about oneself, but about the greater impact that we as a collective community can have by supporting each other.
Olivya is originally from Newark, NJ, but has been in Richmond since attending VCU to earn her undergraduate degree in Mass Communications. She spent some time working in production at WTVR. Olivya began hearing about the social work field from a friend in her choir group, which struck a chord with her as something she saw herself doing. After this light bulb moment, Olivya obtained her Masters of Social Work Degree from VCU's School of Social Work in 2013 and is currently pursuing her Master's Degree in Divinity at Virginia Union University's Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology.
Click
HERE to learn more about Olivya
Learn more about the Trauma-Informed Community Network
HERE.
To learn more about trauma-informed schools, check out the Facing the FACTs issue brief from our partners at Family and Children's Trust Fund
HERE.
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THANK YOU!
Wells Fargo for their ongoing support of the Richmond CASA program
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Free Public Resilience Screening
June 11, 2018
9:30am - 11:00am
Resilience chronicles the birth of a new movement among pediatricians, therapists, educators and communities, who are using cutting-edge brain science to disrupt cycles of violence, addiction and disease. The film portrays a dynamic group of individuals who are proving that cycles of disease and adversity can be broken.
A short discussion will be held after the film facilitated by Greater Richmond SCAN.
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Trauma and Resilience Basics Training
The trauma Informed Community Network hosts this
foundational training on trauma and resilience. The training content will cover: understanding trauma and ACES (adverse childhood experiences), trauma's impact on the brain and development, trauma's impact on at-risk health issues / behaviors and strategies to build individual and community resilience.
Learn more and register HERE
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SCAN-IT
Vol. 80, May 2018
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Congratulations New CASA Volunteers!
SCAN is excited to have 12 new advocates joining the Richmond CASA team! Congratulations to these incredible individuals on being sworn in on May 10, 2018 as official Richmond CASA Volunteers by Judge Marilynn Goss.
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King of Pops Yoga
Grab your mat and join SCAN for King of Pops free Yoga in the Park on May 29 and June 5 from 6:30 - 7:30pm at the Carillon. Yoga will be led by Michelle Lee Landon and is accessible to all ages and all skill levels.
Following yoga, 25% of pop sales will be donated to Greater Richmond SCAN's programs.
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Volunteers Needed for
Friday Cheers!
Volunteer with Greater Richmond SCAN at
Friday Cheers! SCAN receives a donation to continue to serve children for each volunteer that helps.
June 22nd
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You can bring hope, healing, and resilience to a child.
Your donation will help a child heal after abuse.
Your donation will help give a child a voice in a complex court system.
Your donation will help provide child abuse and neglect prevention workshops to teachers, law enforcement officers and other professionals who work with children in our community.
Your donation will help reduce risk factors for parents and caregivers that lead to abuse or neglect.
Your donation will help build a resilient community that protects and cares for our children.
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Become a SCAN Volunteer!
SCAN has daily volunteers in our preschool providing one on one support to our 4-5 year olds, there are bi-weekly volunteers serving at the front desks of our Child Advocacy Centers, weekly volunteers supporting our clinicians in children's group through our Family Support Program, and we have Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) who commit to a year or more of advocating for the welfare of children in our criminal justice system.
No matter your individual gifts or talents, time availability or season of life---there is a place for you to volunteer at SCAN.
Learn more and register for an upcoming volunteer orientation HERE
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Thank you Richmond CASA Superhero Team!
Thank you Richmond CASA/SCAN Superhero Run team participants!
It was so special to have each and every one of you there standing up for the 217 children that Richmond CASA volunteers and staff serve each year!
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