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The Charlestown Coalition News:
Issue 46
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Charlestown in Solidarity:
A Discussion on Race & Equity |
On June 26th, City Councilor Lydia Edwards and State Representative Dan Ryan teamed up with the Charlestown Coalition and Turn It Around to host a community discussion on Race and Equity at the Charlestown Peace Park.
Not only was the Peace Park used as was originally intended--a place for healing and reflection--we also witnessed new relationships forming, wounds being exposed and acknowledged, and acts of love and support on full display. This is what the Charlestown community is known for, especially during times of tragedy.
Check out some of the
Turn It Around
youth
sharing their poetry with the crowd.
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Community Collaboration:
Pansy Peace Project
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In case you missed the June 4th edition of the Charlestown Patriot-Bridge, Turn It Around was featured on the front page! Thanks to Baby Boyle Bouquets, community members were able to gather together to plant vibrant, symbolic flowers as a gesture of unity, hope and peace. It was a great reminder to all that love can still bloom, even in the midst of uncertainty and chaos.
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| Recovery During COVID-19 Video |
As part of the Charlestown Coalition's ongoing effort to provide continuous support services to the recovery community, despite the pandemic, we are assisting individuals struggling with substance use disorders via phone and/or virtual meetings and helping to connect people to appropriate levels of care during the COVID-19 crisis.
Click here to
find out what our
Program Manager of Addiction and Recovery Services,
Shannon Lundin, had to say about fighting an epidemic within a pandemic in an interview for Mass General community health.
As a reminder to keep moving forward regardless of the circumstances, we've put together a Resilient Recovery video that demonstrates the resourcefulness and strength of those in recovery.
Thank you to all of the inspiring folks who had the courage to share their experience, story and hope.
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Congratulations Class of 2020!
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To the 8th and 12th Grade Graduates of 2020: We wish you all the success in the years to come, and we will be right here to support you now and in the future! Love, your Turn It Around family!
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Our annual prescription drug Take Back Day has been postponed due to COVID-19, but there are other ways to dispose of medications safely.
Did you know?
Unused or expired medications can pose a risk to children, family members and the environment? They can also be misused, leading to serious complications, overdose, and even death. Please dispose of them safely at one of these Kiosk locations below.
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Peace Park Community Survey
is Now Closed |
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Thank you to everyone who participated in our Peace Park Community Survey! Your input is helping our COGdesign team create design options that will be shown during virtual community meetings for feedback, discussion, and decision making. More details and information to follow, and please continue to reach out if you are interested in becoming more involved with the plans!
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| Highlighting Our
Community Partnerships:
Suffolk County District Attorney's Office
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(
DA Rollins and Director of Restorative Justice Practices, Kara Hayes, attends a Turn It Around
zoom meeting during COVID-19 quarantine
)
Our community partners are critical in helping us tackle the most difficult issues that the community faces. By enlisting multiple partners (residents, police, schools, healthcare, faith based organizations, and the business community), we use a collective impact approach to problem solving. Our ultimate goal is to effect change and improve the health and wellbeing of everyone in Charlestown.
This month, we'd like to highlight the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office, a longtime partner in our work.
In 2018, former DA Daniel Conley welcomed the Charlestown Coalition's Turn It Around program to the county's Juvenile Diversion Program which helps youth charged with certain offenses receive supervision and support services to address the root causes of problematic behavior without incurring a criminal record. We have continued this partnership under DA Rachael Rollins, and Turn It Around continues to be a diversion option for youth in Charlestown.
We also partner with Kara Hayes, Director of Restorative Justice Practices at Suffolk County, to host therapeutic and informative sessions with our youth group demonstrating the healing properties of restorative justice circles.
Shannon Lundin, Program Manager of Addiction and Recovery Services at the Coalition, has held Narcan trainings with DA Rollins's office.
This academic year, we had two social work interns from the DA's Office working with us, Sasha Brown and Jackie Ramirez. They contributed so much during their time with us, and we are so grateful for all they brought to the families and young people of Charlestown.
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From Left to Right - Sasha Brown, Sarah Coughlin,
Jacqueline Ramirez
, Phenice Zawatsky, Shannon Lundin, Mswati Hanks, Ginaya Greene Murray)
If you've partnered with us, we'd love to hear from you. Please send us an email with details of how we've worked together along with any photos (if you have them), and we will share on our social media platforms. Let's show the community what great collaborations we've had with amazing organizations like yours!
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Charlestown High School (CHS) is looking to hire a Business and Grants Manager. This is a great opportunity for someone to fill a critical role of financial management and grant writing for CHS!
Interested applicants can apply on the
BPS Human Capital website
and the posting ID is 00061526-SY2021.
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Where Are They Now?
Turn It Around Alumni
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Guess Who? It's Krista Matthews in 2016! Find out what she is up to now and how Turn It Around has impacted her life! |
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Krista took a leadership role fairly quickly during her time in Turn It Around. She was always thinking of innovative ways to make our work more visible through social media and went above and beyond to help the program grow and evolve. We are so proud of Krista's work as a realtor and wish her all the success in the world as she progresses in her career!
-Sarah Coughlin
(Coalition Director)
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Turn It Around
:
Youth of the Month
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| Khalid Ali is June's Turn It Around Youth of The Month. |
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The TURN IT AROUND Youth of the Month for June is Khalid Ali. Since the emergence of COVID, Khalid has reengaged with the group, and been very active in everything we've been doing. He regularly attends all workout and yoga sessions, as well as participates in focus groups, and community engagement activities. We were so proud to see Khalid graduate from Charlestown High recently and wish him all the best in the fall when he will be starting his freshman year at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) in North Adams, MA.
-Mswati Hanks
(Youth Prevention Coordinator)
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Julian Abraham is sharing his journey in recovery with us this month in an interview with Program Manager of Addiction and Recovery Services, Shannon Lundin.
Click below for the full interview.
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Get Connected, Stay Informed
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To learn more about our programs, our staff, community partners, resources, upcoming events,
Turn It Around
, program impact, and more, click the button below:
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