Equity Leadership Collaborative Introduces

The Powerful Five to Healing: Community Healing Circles, Navigating Double-Consciousness, Mindfulness Wellness Practices, Art Restorative Healing Sessions Culminating in the Building of a Community Mural of Remember and Hope and Learning Workshop with Referrals to resources and funding to Build Economic and Housing Security Workshops.

All Sessions are Free!

COMMUNITY HEALING CIRCLES / MINDFULNESS MEDITATIONS SESSIONS

Join us for weekly Community Healing Circles and Mindfulness Wellness Practices to address and overcome negative core beliefs, and generational trauma, due to the institutional War on Drugs public policies that impacted Black and Brown families.

No experience is necessary to participate.

Currently Recruiting.

Maximum Capacity per Session is 15. A Total of Three (3) Cohorts Session 1: Intergenerational Community Healing session is 2.5 Hours. Session 2: Intergenerational Mindfulness Meditation Techniques is 1.0 Hour. Session 3: Intergenerational Session - Living Your Preferred Future is 2.5 Hour.

Cohort One, Session One, begins Saturday March 22, 2025 @ 10:00 am

A series of Economic Development Workshops (identified below) begin March 18, 2025, and will be held every Tuesday from 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm. Once you register for Community Healing and/or Art that Cares Restorative Healing, all economic workshop classes will be available. After you register for a “cohort”, you will receive a “zoom link” to register and attend any one of the four (4) workshops.

If you are interested, please click here and complete the registration form.

Serving as the Facilitators for the Community Healing are Tracy L. Brown, MA, MPP and Rion Tisino Tai Mattox will serve as Facilitator for the Mindfulness Meditation Sessions.

Tracy is an expert in Equal Opportunity and Race and Social Justice Issues. Tracy will co-lead the Community Healing Sessions. She is a former state and federal civil rights investigator. She has led conversations on systemic discrimination and their impacts in: education, employment, environmental justice, and housing.

Rion Lee Tisino, LICSW, CMHS, SUDPT, EMMHS, MHP is a licensed Clinical Social Worker. He specializes in individuals struggling with trauma and generational challenges, often feeling overwhelmed and lacking coping skills. They need support to navigate these barriers and restore their understanding of family and community. Their goals include reducing recidivism and learning sustainable practices for a healthier life. They seek practical skills and specialized techniques to address unstable mental health and foster resilience. Ultimately, they want to break the cycle of disadvantage, rebuild strong family connections, and cultivate a fulfilling, stable future for themselves and their loved ones.

MINDNFULNESS MEDITATIONS

Tai Mattox has a BS from Cornell University and is a Certified Meditation Instructor (Chopra Center) and RYT200 Yoga Teacher. She is a certified and licensed vibrational sound therapy practitioner. Tai’s superpower is conveying challenging information with grace and guiding others to slow down. What Tai wants you to know is “I am passionate about helping people slow down and take time for themselves. Mindfulness is an excellent way to do that.”

For those who complete the program will be given the following one of two Wings That Soar Inspirational Greeting Card Packages (Five (5) Cards) from the Wings That Soar Inspirational Card Collection:

• Wellness Wisdom and

• Never Forgotten and Always Present

• Or another series from the Collection.

Certificates of Completion Ceremony

Upon completion of all three Community Healing, Mindfulness Meditation, and/or Art that Heals Restorative Sessions, participants will be invited to an in-person ceremony where they will receive a “Certificate of Completion.” This event is scheduled for early May 2025, with the specific location and time to be announced at a later date.

Session #1: Understand the Physical and Mental Healing Power of Intergenerational Community Circles (2.5 Hours - Includes 2-minute breaks) - 10:00 am - 12:30 pm

Healing is something that we don’t have to do alone. Community Healing creates a space that allows people to connect through shared-experiences and learn from each other. Community Healing allows a pathway to emotional growth, resilience, and sustained wellness in a supportive environment. Individuals and families who were/are impacted by the “War on Drugs” can benefit from the Community Healing model due to shared experiences. Black and Brown people disproportionately suffer from Double-Consciousness. Double-Consciousness refers to the internal conflict experienced by Black and Brown people who navigate dual identities. This concept involves reconciling self-perception with societal perception, particularly in the context of racial division. Since marginalized communities face ongoing challenges in maintaining a sense of self in the face of societal expectations, prejudices, stereotypes and structural racism, understanding and navigating double-consciousness is crucial to living an authentic healthy quality of life.

Session #2 Mindfulness Wellness Practices Techniques” One Hour Session — 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm. The sessions will focus on understanding where is the discomfort while breathing through it, without judgement but with acceptance. Strategies and tools will be provided to work through and navigate double-consciousness, societal impacts and other experiences. The aim is for participants to practice mindful meditation within the group and transfer that to families to heal themselves and each other.

Individual and Shared Intergenerational Voices: Speaking Your Truths to Heal and how to use Mindfulness Wellness Practices and other techniques to work through the tension.

Utilize the Community Healing Circles as a “safe space” for participants to share their personal stories due to “War on Drugs” public policy impacts within their lives. As participants share their stories, similarities and trends surface, with opportunities for participants to discuss impacts and solutions on how they built a bridge to overcome and press forward. Journaling with be encouraged to capture ideas, feelings, shared experiences with other participants, resources identified to assist them, and potential solutions to address areas of concern.

Session #3 Visualization and Living a Preferred Purpose-Driven Future (2.5 Hours - 10:00 am - 12:30 pm - Two - 15-minute breaks)

This session will also concentrate on assisting individuals with envisioning to achieve their preferred future. Self-Care techniques, Self-Compassion, Self-Determination, Perseverance, Fortitude, Belief in Oneself, and Why We/I Matter and living a purpose-driven life are explored as the last session. How can family, friends, houses of worship, community organizations help toward your preferred future? How can we reunite families that were torn apart due to the war on drugs?

Engage in a virtues activity and journals are encouraged for participants to participate in visualization of where they are currently, where they want to be, and what steps are needed to reach their goals.