The Charlestown Coalition News:

Issue 88

December 2023

Welcome to the Charlestown Coalition's Monthly Newsletter!

We are a community-based organization here to support the neighborhood of Charlestown by connecting our neighbors to services, building relationships, and providing fun and safe spaces for community members to connect.

In our newsletters, you'll find event flyers, recaps on what we do on the day-to-day, resources, information on our youth programming, and more. Thanks for following along!

Charlestown Holiday Stroll

We Got Festive! On this fun festive holiday afternoon, all were welcomed to help celebrate Charlestown's annual holiday stroll. This is always a family favorite jam-packed with holiday gifts, provisions, refreshments, and entertainment such as the trolley rides, all supplied by local artists, vendors, and partners. The Charlestown Coalition, Turn It Around and Charlestown Trauma Team participated in the festivities. Thank you All Roads Charlestown for organizing this event each year! It's truly an opportunity for the entire community to come together.

We were thrilled to run into a few familiar faces at this year's holiday stroll.

Ciara Williams, Previous Program and Communication Manager

Shannon Lundin, Trauma Team Member Former, and Ginaya Greene Murray, Previous Communication and Events Coordinator

Turn It Around - December Newsletter

Staff Retreat

Breathe. Bond. Retreat. The Charlestown Coalition staff embarked on an amazing retreat at the Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC), where we were greeted with breakfast and a very descriptive tour of all the amenities and features the CIC has to offer. Features included a fully stocked public kitchen, noise cancellation phone booths, and breathtaking views overseeing the Charles River. Although the tech-savvy boardrooms caught our eyes, we stayed for the mental reset and intentional team bonding. During our time spent at the CIC, our Coalition team was able to recap the year and acknowledge our strengths and challenges. We recognized each individual on our team and their impact. Time well spent!

Family Support Circle Hosts Peace Play Event

December 13, 2023

In recognition of the feelings of grief and loss that can come with the holiday season, the Coalition hosted our first peace play event in the community at the Charlestown Housing Authority. We utilized the 55 Bunker Hill Street space to encourage those who joined us to participate in Peace Play. Peace Play is a healing technique for individuals, families, and communities created by the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute.

Community members were invited to join us in creating a concrete world to express the feelings and emotions they may not have had language for by creating scenes using miniature figures in a tray of sand. Participants molded the sand, shared what they gravitated towards in their sandbox, and took time to name their world before close. Participants explored one another's creations with permission and shared what came up for them during this experience. This reflection allowed us to honor those we have lost and the lives we continue to nurture today with their influence.

Thank you to those who were able to join us for this experience.

The Coalition seeks to bring peace play to different organizations within the Charlestown community. If you are interested in the Coalition facilitating peace play for your participants, please email Mel Soto, Community Resource Specialist.

Charlestown in Solidarity:

Race and Equity Community Dialogue

This month's Race Dialogue was unfortunately canceled but we look forward to continuing the discussion in the new year! We hope to see you then!

Charlestown Trauma Response Team:

Welcome, Michael Cuevas!

We would like to introduce a new member of our Trauma Response Team, Michael Cuevas. Michael works as a Case Manager at the Charlestown Adult Education Center and provides support to Spanish-speaking clients. Michael helps his clients navigate barriers to systems while always smiling. He is a great addition to our team, and we are lucky to have Michael. If you would like to learn more about Michael, feel free to view his profile on our website.

Trauma Response Team– Charlestown Coalition

Special Thanks to Javon Robinson!

We want to send a huge THANK YOU to our Trauma Team member, Javon Robinson for representing the Trauma Team at the Charlestown Holiday Stroll. Javon was handing out helpful holiday resources, Narcan, and Fentanyl Test Strips to support our team's harm reduction efforts during the holiday season.

Community Partner Spotlight: Charlestown Recovery Court Hosts Gratitude Event

In recognition of their efforts and commitment to the Charlestown Recovery Court program, Specialty Court Coordinator Kerri Cianciarulo along with her team, planned a gratitude party for court participants before the holidays.

Participants were able to break bread with one another, in addition to receiving a beautiful gift provided by the court in collaboration with the Coalition that included a gratitude journal, hats and scarves for the winter and sweet treats including a Dunkin Donuts gift card.

We are honored to witness first hand the commitment each participant and staff member has to the Recovery Court's mission through our continued partnership.

Thank you, RSM!

Partnerships are a key component of our work and we are so lucky to work with phenomenal partners like RSM. Each year they continue to show up for Turn It Around and the Charlestown community. We want to extend our sincere appreciation to RSM employees for providing holiday gifts to all of our young people in Turn It Around and our clients in the Family Support Circle Program. Special Thank you to Latanya Simpson, Tanya Coker-Fergusson, John Benner, and the African American & Canadian Engagement group at RSM for their support this holiday season.

FSC Resource E-blast

The FSC e-blast will go out on the 15^th of each month. If you would like to add your program's flyers to the next e-blast, please send a PDF version of the flyer by the 12^th of each month to MSOTO0@mgh.harvard.edu