In an ever-changing political climate, what is the role and responsibility of the social sector? Does the sector’s definition and practice of “health” adequately respond to the political agendas that shape the lives of the communities we serve? Are we aligned and united as a sector to address the politics affecting us all? Can we advance equity, diversity, inclusion, and justice without consideration of the political climate?
Ibram X. Kendi said, “Americans have long been trained to see deficiencies of people rather than policy. It’s a pretty easy mistake to make. People are in our faces. Policies are distant. We are particularly poor at seeing the policies lurking behind the struggles of people.”
This workshop seeks to create a candid conversation with a panel of experts. Does the mission and work of today’s human services sector encompass policy changes that address or remove root causes of poverty, mental and behavioral health issues, child maltreatment, and financial instability? Does it include responding to crises beyond offering thoughts, prayers and press releases? This session will explore ways to remain in a state of readiness for emerging crises as well as how to navigate the intersection of social justice issues and politics within your organization.
Learning Objectives
- Intersection of politics and the social sector
- Learn and share examples of how organizations are in a state of readiness to respond to societal/political crises, or how they are attempting to
- How the political agenda frames the works we do and the communities we serve
- Define the role of the sector and create examples of how we can effect change
Presenters
Kim Peterson
Vice President of Change Management
Aviva Family and Children’s Services
Marlo Nash
Managing Director
Children’s Home Society of America
Undraye Howard
Vice President, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Engagement
Social Current
Kinship navigation programs across the country are innovating rapidly to meet the needs of families and prevent entry into foster care—but how are these programs strategically and equitably meeting the learning needs of their frontline staff and kinship caregivers? Join Ohio’s Kinship and Adoptive Navigation (OhioKAN) regional director and statewide trainer to learn how their program tackled the redesign of their onboarding training for new hires as well as the implementation of neuroscience-informed trauma training for kinship caregivers. In this workshop, you’ll learn about Ohio’s statewide approach to gathering feedback on staff onboarding experiences, how to leverage a variety of learning tools to promote learner engagement, how to strategize the implementation of a new learning management system (LMS), and a practical application of equity principles in developing curricula for frontline staff and kinship caregivers. If you or your organization are committed to equity and looking to facilitate a culture of continuous learning for both your staff and the communities they serve, this workshop is for you!
Learning Objectives
- How to strategize, implement, and integrate key training objectives with overall family-serving staff onboarding
- How to use an equity framework to create a resilient workplace culture of continuous, peer-based learning
- Methods and tools, such as focus group design and learner profile development, for gathering feedback from frontline staff and families with lived experience to inform the design of a responsive, innovative curriculum on a learning management platform.
Presenters
Yvonne Fox
Associate Policy Analyst
Chapin Hall at University of Chicago
Maria Laib
Regional Director
Kinnect
Teresa Scrimenti
Statewide Trainer
Kinnect
During this informal and intimate candid conversation, presenters will establish a circle of trust, so that all attendees feel comfortable to be authentic and transparent speaking about experiences leading or participating in their organizations’ EDI journeys.
This session will be guided by two community leaders who were sponsored by longtime Social Current corporate partner Aramark to participate in Social Current’s Advancing EDI for a More Perfect Union training, as well as the Aramark EDI Implementation grant opportunity, helping to lead EDI implementation efforts at their organizations: Jessica Moore from Dallas-based Bucker Retirement Services and Regina Anderson from Washington, D.C.-based Food Recovery Network.
These two bring a wealth of experience and knowledge in the EDI space and are enthusiastic to share their struggles, successes, and lessons learned while leading organizational and community change efforts. They’ll walk through their specific EDI-related implementation efforts, while also digging into the personal aspects of the journey.
But their experiences are meant to serve as a jumping off point, allowing plenty of time for group discussion, questions, and sharing. Join us for this engaging deep dive into what this work takes, while building connections across the Social Current network.
Learning Objectives
- What an inspired, yet realistic EDI implementation journey requires
- Strategies to support the individuals at the helm of driving organizational change
- A handful of tactical strategies/implementation ideas to support the growth of an EDI-focused culture
Participants
Emily Merritt
Senior Engagement Manager
Social Current
Jessica Moore
Manager of Program Administration
Buckner Retirement Services
Regina Anderson
Executive Director
Food Recovery Network
@FoodRecovery @ReginaDM
The topic of equity is one that is central to many systems of practice. This session will examine the root threads of equity in community and society from a health and economic lens and follow through to the significant health and economic outcomes of inequity. Buzzwords are incredibly powerful indicators within our fields of practice, including, most recently upstream approaches.
In this interactive session, we will take a closer look upstream by examining equity from its true health and economic lenses and imagine together how this deep understanding can inform addressing these concepts in practice. This will include a discussion of the ways in which addressing equity can lead to a more equitable distribution of resources and opportunities, as well as the ways in which addressing equity can lead to more effective and efficient use of resources.
This session will also explore specific real-world examples and case studies of how addressing equity has led to improved health outcomes, including examples of policy changes and community-based initiatives that have worked to address issues of equity and promote health.
Finally, we will discuss the importance of ongoing efforts to address equity and the role that individuals, organizations, and communities can play in this work. This will include a discussion of the ways in which individuals and organizations can work to promote equity and the ways in which communities can work together to address structural issues and promote health.
The overall goal of the session is to raise awareness of the importance of equity in relation to health and to provide attendees with a deeper understanding of the ways in which equity and health are interconnected, and how addressing equity can lead to improved health outcomes for all.
Learning Objectives
- How foster care and other ‘problems’ are actually symptoms of a larger structural issue including racial, economic, and access equity
- Why a return and remembering of biologically consistent relational richness is the key to a healthy community and society
- How health research can inform day-to-day practice work and macro policy work in our communities and society
Presenters
Elizabeth Wendel
President and Co-Founder
Pale Blue.
Transforming the modern landscape of research and practice related to child- and family well-being requires innovative and meaningful partnerships between researchers and communities. This workshop will provide expertise related to designing and carrying out high-quality program planning and evaluation efforts that pay attention to equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) aspects and socially just planning methods.
We will also help agency leaders, funders, and evaluators better attend to EDI concepts as they involve community members and people with lived expertise in their planning and evaluation activities. We will provide sample requests for proposals that illustrate how to build some of these concepts into actual funding announcements and a funder’s checklist of key dimensions to consider.
Learning Objectives
- Practical concepts and tools for designing and carrying out high-quality program planning and evaluation efforts that prioritize EDI and are socially just
- Strategies for increased EDI that involve community members and people with lived expertise in planning and evaluation activities
Presenters
Julie Collins
Vice President of Practice Excellence
Child Welfare League of America
Sandra Killet
Owner
We All Rise
Peter J. Pecora
Managing Director, Research Services
Casey Family Programs
and
Professor, School of Social Work
University of Washington