Moving Beyond Survival Mode: Important Community Conversations

Stress and trauma exists in many Philadelphia neighborhoods – and it’s not going away. Few residents are able to escape struggles with community violence … unemployment … drug dealing and associated heroin addictions … incarceration … foreclosures & evictions due to lack of affordable housing … food deserts … and lack of services!

MEE has partnered with the City’s Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual Disabilities Services (DBHIDS) to sponsor a series of community conversations, not only about the many needs and challenges in Philadelphia, but also about City services and tools in our community that can support wellness and coping with urban trauma. Our next events are set for Monday, August 23rd, in the Kensington area. We want to discuss how we can help Philadelphians, from youth through seniors, move beyond “survival mode” and start thriving in spite of the challenging realities of our lives.

This is a time where we need grassroots leadership more than ever, from within community-based organizations or from people who know the streets. We invite you to come to one of the “Chat and Chew” conversations (information sessions) and learn about DBHIDS resources that put the power and knowledge in the community’s hands, so that we can work together to make a difference in the health of our neighborhoods.

During these 90-minute sessions, we will highlight programs and initiatives such as:

• Community-based “Response Teams” that provide on-the-ground support when communities experience violence or trauma;
• Special outreach programs for engaging Black males (including youth) and other men of color;
• Available free trainings for Mental Health First Aid; and
• Heroin/Opioid, alcohol and substance abuse prevention (and what the City is doing about it!!)

Come out and share your experiences and potential solutions. We value your perspectives about how stress, trauma, poverty, policing policies, drugs and inadequate schooling are impacting our wellness of residents and, more importantly, what needs to be done to “change the game.”

LUNCH WILL BE PROVIDED. SPACE IS LIMITED. RSVP IS REQUIRED.

RSVP through one of the links above or call Glennis Saunders from MEE at 215-796-9141