Equity Leadership Collaborative (ELC) proudly announces the opportunity to collaborate, participate and support community healing for those who were disproportionately harmed by the war on drugs through the:
If you are interested in participating our free programming register using the below four separate links:
Community Healing Circles and Mindfulness Wellness/Sound Bath
Art 4 Healing and “Mural of Remembrance”
WA STATE COMMUNITY REINVESTMENT PROJECT
COMMUNITY HEALING PROGRAM
The Community Reinvestment Project (CRP) is a community-designed plan to uplift communities disproportionately harmed by the war on drugs.
The goal is to create lasting economic benefits, build wealth and ensure everyone has a fair chance at success.
To support and align with the goal, ELC introduces a host of programming (community healing sessions, economic and housing stability workshops and a community mural) to provide:
A series of restorative community healing and mindfulness meditation, and art restorative healing sessions.
The culmination of both sessions will result in the designing and building of a “Mural of Remembrance and Hope.”
COMMUNITY HEALING CIRCLES / MINDFULNESS MEDITATIONS SESSIONS
Join us for weekly Community Healing Circles and Mindfulness Wellness Practices/Sound Baths 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 Four (4) Cohorts comprised of the three sessions below with the definitions to the right.
Session 1: Intergenerational Community Healing session is 2.5 Hours. (Saturdays)
Session 2: Intergenerational Mindfulness Wellness / Sound Bath is 1.0 Hour. (Thursdays)
Session 3: Intergenerational Session - Living Your Preferred Future is 2.5 Hour. (Saturdays)
Cohort One, Session One, begins Saturday March 22, 2025 @ 10:00 am. (Completed)
Cohort Two, Session One begins Saturday April 26, 2025 @ 10 am (on-line) Session Two (Mindfulness Wellness / Sound baths) - May 1, 2025 (6 pm - 7) Session Three (Living Your Preferred Future) - May 3, 2025 (10 am - 12:30 pm)
Cohort Three, Session One begins Saturday May 17, 2025 @ 10am (on-line) Session Two (Mindfulness Wellness / Sound Bath) - May 22, 2025 (6 pm - 7) Session Three (Living Your Preferred Future) - May 24, 2025 (10 am - 12:30 pm)
Cohort Four, Session One begins Saturday May 31, 2025 @ 10 am (on-line) Session Two (Mindfulness Wellness / Sound Bath) - June 5, 2025 (6 pm - 7) Session Three (Living Your Preferred Future) - June 7, 2025 (10 am - 12:30 pm)
If you are interested, register 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 and Cynthia Davidson will serve as Facilitator for the Mindfulness Wellness and Sound Bath 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. 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/Sound Bath” 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.
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.
Community Healing, Art Restorative Sessions and Economic and Housing Stability Workshops to Address the “War on Drugs” Impacts”
Since the mid to late 1971’s, the "War on Drugs" had a devastating impact on Black and Brown women and families, who have been greatly affected by policies. Policies that required mandatory minimum sentencing, prosecution of low-level drug offenses, increased conviction and imprisonment of those with relationships to drug dealers. The War on Drugs disproportionately criminalized Black and Brown women with drug addiction and mental health problems, who also had histories of sexual abuse.
The War on Drugs egregiously disrupted and broke up families, especially Black women, who were incarcerated at three times the rate of white women. Such incarceration tore families apart, children were put in the foster system that subjected them to lasting scars. For those who served their time and were released from prison suffered from a high recidivism rate, due to an inability to obtain employment, housing, and other resources to assist them in becoming contributing members who paid their debt to society.
