C2: Using the Science of Hope to Foster Community and Organizational Wellness

Hope is a cognitive process that can be enhanced, modeled, and, more importantly, restored during a crisis. It also may be one of the most critical factors to psychological well-being. This session will share insight from a project funded by the Department of Justice Office for Victims of Crime that extends hope science into law enforcement organizations.

Participants will learn how hope science can be applied to support staff at community-based organizations because, like law enforcement, they respond in crisis situations, work with people experiencing adversity, and endure secondhand trauma. This presentation will provide specific methods that can immediately be implemented to increase hopeful thinking and improve essential employee outcomes, as well as share strategies that can be used across the organizations as a framework for action for employee well-being. Recognizing the importance of community connection, presenters will highlight trust building and well-being work with systems, along with Social Current’s approach to equity, diversity, and inclusion, which emphasizes psychological safety in the workforce.

This workshop will encourage participant engagement and interaction. Participants will be able to assess their own hope and examine how the loss of hope may impact workforce, client, and community outcomes. Additionally, participants will have an opportunity to build strategies for nurturing hope that foster positive and strengths-based practices that value community connection.

Learning Objectives

• How to examine practices from the science of hope
• Ready-to-use tools and knowledge to embed hope science
• Hope science as a practice model for trauma-informed practice in the community
• How implementing evidence-driven strategies that nurture and restore hopeful thinking can increase well-being outcomes for children, organizations, and families
• Strategies for community and organizational wellness and approaches to building trust

Presenters

Romero Davis
Director of Practice Excellence
Social Current

Angela Pharris
Assistant Professor, Director Center for Child Welfare, Senior Researcher Hope Research Center
University of Oklahoma

Stephanie Freeman
Chief People Officer Deputy Secretary for Workforce Management
North Carolina Department of Adult Correction

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