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The Charlestown Coalition News:
Issue 42
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| A Message from Coalition Director |
"In a real sense all life is interrelated. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly." - Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Charlestown Coalition is carefully monitoring and assessing the developments and consequences of COVID-19 and its impact on the Charlestown Community, our partners, and loved ones.
To read the entire message from Charlestown Coalition Director, Sarah Coughlin,
click here.
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| Be Mindful About Self-Care |
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Caution and concern rule the day in the time of Coronavirus, as well it should. But as we work together to prevent the spread of the virus and protect ourselves and our families form infection, there are ways we can both manage our stress and boost our self-care.
"The way I think of it is, if you're going to be Purell-ing your hands all the time - or as you are washing your hands throughout the day - you can actually practice meditation," says BHI Medical Director Darshan Mehta, MD.
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6th Annual Turn It Around
Basketball Tournament |
In light of everything that is going on world-wide with events being cancelled and rescheduled, we still hope to have our 6th Annual Turn It Around Basketball Tournament planned for May.
This year we want to do things a little differently than we have in the past since we would like to reach more youth from all parts of the neighborhood.
The tournament is planned to take place on Saturday, May 16, 2020, from 10:00am-6:00pm (dates subject to change) at Eden Street Park and consists of a series of 3-on-3 games.
The participants will also attend a mandatory pre-tournament
dinner and community building activity the night before, Friday, May 15th, from 6:00pm-8:00pm at First Church in Charlestown. This tournament is open to all middle and high school aged youth who live in Charlestown. For now, we are encouraging youth to sign-up and ask that you help spread the word.
Click here for more information about the upcoming tournament.
To see a video recap of last year's tournament, click here.
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Highlighting Our
Community Partnerships:
Boston Public Health Commission
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The Charlestown Coalition is a part of the Boston Public Health Commission's (BPHC) Network of Prevention Coalitions, meeting monthly with coalitions across the city to align our prevention efforts and share resources. Our Coalition Director, Sarah Coughlin, is on the BPHC's Health Equity Sub Committee that worked to develop this
prevention language guide
. The BPHC prevention office also developed a
helpful tip sheet
to talk with youth about substance use.
The Boston Public Health Commission's Community Prevention Office created a bulletin to minimize the gaps in prevention services across the City by showcasing opportunities that exist for collaborations, community engagement, training, funding resources, and new data/trends on a bi-monthly basis. The bulletin is one step in working towards expanding prevention work for organizations that address issues affecting public health and youth development.
Click here to join the mailing list.
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Charlestown Coalition's Program Manager of Addiction and Recovery Services, Shannon Lundin, organized a training on overdose signs and symptoms and Narcan administration for Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins and her staff. The training was another collaboration with the Boston Public Health Commission.
If you have 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 feature on our social media platforms and in our newsletter. Let's show the community what great collaborations we've had with amazing organizations like yours!
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Voice and Vision
for Social Workers in 2020 |
In the spirit of Mass General's focus on Diversity and Inclusion, Charlestown Coalition Director, Sarah Coughlin, also the President of the Board for NASW-MA (National Association of Social Workers), partnered with Professor Gary Bailey, Professor Kathy Lopes and Simmons SSW Urban Leadership Classes to host an authentic and vibrant panel of female social work leaders in the community. It was a great opportunity to highlight the professional organizations in their
individuality and collectively help give voice to the vision of the women leading the charge.
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Where Are They Now?
Turn It Around Alumni
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Guess Who? It's Bryanna Gardner in 2016! Find out what she is up to now and how Turn It Around has impacted her life!
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Bryanna is an incredible young woman whom I have loved for many years. She is known for her
contagious energy, quick wit, hilarious sense of humor, and devotion to those she cares about.
Bryanna can brighten up a room and has incredible leadership qualities. She is now another
MGH colleague and in addition, an entrepreneur in the areas of hair, make-up, and creative
entertainment. I am so proud of all she has accomplished and know that this is just the beginning for her - so excited to see what she does next!
You can see more of Bryanna's work on instagram: @bryy_sweetz
-Sarah Coughlin,
Charlestown Coalition Director
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Turn It Around
:
Youth of the Month
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Kelvin Lara is February's
Turn It Around
Youth of The Month. |
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February's Turn It Around Youth of the Month is Kelvin Lara. Kelvin was one of a few TIA kids to attend the open space / retail meeting for the Bunker Hill Housing Redevelopment. Kelvin offered some amazing ideas to the developers about what type of retail stores would benefit the Charlestown BHA Housing residents. Kelvin also consistently provides depth and insight to the group at every Turn It Around meeting. Kelvin is an integral part of Turn It Around, and we are so lucky to have him working with us!!
-Mswati Hanks
(Youth Prevention Coordinator)
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| Kelly Murphy |
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Kelly Murphy is sharing her 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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