A Community Approach to Addressing Trauma

June 21, 2022

At the heart of Alive & Thrive Wyandotte County is a simple concept: provide grassroots communities with tools, resources and support so they can build a more resilient and trauma-informed community.

In May, Alive & Thrive, a project administered by Wyandot BHN, held a virtual Mid-Year Summit to advance that work. The half-day event brought together residents, organizations and Alive & Thrive staff to further articulate plans for community projects that promote resilience in Wyandotte County—especially in communities that experience the effects of generational trauma.

“We’re really grateful for all who participated,” said Alive & Thrive Director Chandra Green. “The energy in the room—the virtual room, that is—was palpable. Even more important, the work we completed built momentum that will carry us through the year.”

Summit participants broke up into groups to generate ideas for implementing ideas for prospective community projects within three topic areas identified by the participants at Alive & Thrive’s Community Healing Conference, held late last year:

Mental Health: Participants in this category proposed activities that would promote cultural competency among behavioral health therapists and increase the number of BIPOC and bilingual therapists available to Wyandotte County residents.

Trauma Education: Participants in this category proposed creating materials that would provide information about the effects trauma can have on youth, especially the potential trauma that youth may have experienced during the pandemic. The materials would avoid providing generic information and be tailored for specific communities in Wyandotte County. This project would be led by the Uniting Cultures group that has already lead projects under the Alive & Thrive banner.

Safety and Violence Prevention: Participants in this category recommended activities that would provide more safe spaces for youth in Wyandotte County. They placed a special emphasis on providing youth with healthy and enriching activities.

As the year progresses, Alive & Thrive will identify champions to lead the Mental Health and Trauma Education projects. To learn more about these projects or to get involved, visit aliveandthrivewyco.org or connect with Alive & Thrive on Facebook and Instagram.