In this edition:
- ReCAST Introduction Videos Now on Website
- Racial Equity Ordinance Public Hearing Dec. 6
- ReCAST Minneapolis Year One Celebration
- Expert Panel Comes Together for Last Session of Trauma Training Dec. 14
- Psychological First Aid Training for City Staff
- Save the Date for Upcoming Trainings in ReCAST Capacity Building Institute
- Minneapolis Police Department Receives IACP Grant
- Request for Proposals Available to Engage Northside Residents on Ongoing Issues
- Neighborhood Board Representation Training for People of Color
ReCAST Introduction Videos Now on Website
Check out the ReCAST videos on the ReCAST Minneapolis page. These videos were developed at the beginning of year one through a contract with local artist D.A. Bullock. These were created as a part of the ReCAST Minneapolis Need Assessment process to qualify how stress and trauma show up in the communities City staff serve and the workplace. The themes of each video:
- The first video explores the trauma that community members and City staff are facing on a regular basis. By understanding the type of trauma that all people in Minneapolis are feeling, the healing process can begin.
- The second video expands on how communities heal and that for the most part, communities of color heal collectively. Different people from the community share how the people they work with heal.
- The third video introduces the need for resources and infrastructure to heal. The tools and people to help others through healing already exist in community but assistance is need to sustain those tools.
Racial Equity Ordinance Public Hearing Dec. 6
On Dec. 6 the Committee of the Whole held a public hearing for the Division of Race and Equity Ordinance. This ordinance proposes that a Race and Equity division be created to execute the City's intent to purposefully incorporate a racial equity framework to be applied to the work of every department in the City. Many City staff attended the hearing as well as several community members. Overall, those who spoke were in support of approving the ordinance and creating the Race and Equity Division but offered their concerns to the City Council.
The community members that spoke yesterday were concerned that the ordinance does not clearly state how the community will inform the City's equity work, if at all. Many urge the City of Minneapolis to engage community members on how best to do this work and as a way to keep the City accountable to its residents..
Another concern that was raised about the ordinance is the lack of funding for the Division of Race and Equity. Many of the opinions shared yesterday argued that the amount of money allocated for certain programs is a reflection of the City's priorities. Therefore, when equity work is underfunded, it communicates that racial equity is not a core value as the City claims it to be.
Once the Committee Chair closed the public hearing, the committee unanimously approved the ordinance to move to a City Council vote of Friday, Dec. 8.
Division of Race and Equity Ordinance
Watch the full Committee of the Whole meeting
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ReCAST Minneapolis Year One Celebration
The first year of ReCAST Minneapolis has come to a close with many accomplishments and a clearer vision of the work being planned for year two. Completing the needs assessment, developing the strategic plan, creating an evaluation model and beginning the implementation process would not have been possible without the voices of our partners.
As we anticipate an extensive rollout of work in 2018, the ReCAST team wants to take a moment to reflect with you on the journey thus far. There are many things to celebrate; the points of collaboration and the decisions made together with ReCAST's partners. There will also be a reflection on the work agreed upon that will define the year ahead. Based on the many lessons learned throughout year one of the grant, there will also be an opportunity to highlight new ways of engagement for broader-based resident, staff and other stakeholder voices in moving the work forward.
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Join the ReCAST Minneapolis team for a celebration of year one
Tuesday, Dec. 12 from 10-11:30 a.m.
Robert J. Jones Urban Research and Outreach-Engagement Center (UROC)
2001 Plymouth Ave N. 55411
Please send your RSVP or any questions to ReCASTMinneapolisInfo@minneapolismn.gov.
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Expert Panel Comes Together for Last Session of Trauma Training Dec. 14
The last session of the CLUES trauma trainings will be a panel discussion featuring experts in the mental health field, as well as those from immigrant and refugee communities coming together to discuss the trauma they have experienced.
- Dec. 14 from 9 a.m. - noon at the Central Library in the Pohlad Room
The facilitator, Mauricio Cifuentes, is the Senior Division Director of Health and Well-Being for Comunidades Latinas Unidas En Servicio (CLUES). Previously he trained in Colombia as a lawyer where he practiced and taught law for almost twenty years until he shifted his focus to pursue clinical social work. Cifuentes received his master's degree in Social Work and moved on to earn his Ph.D. in Social Work with a focus on social stigma being a barrier to remaining in therapy for Latino clients from the perspective of Latino clinicians.
He will be joined by:
- Ahmed Ismail Yusuf, author of three books: Gorgorkii Yimi, Lion's Binding Oath, and Somalis in Minnesota. His mental health publications appeared in the Journal of Muslim Mental Health, Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, and International Society for Traumatic-stress Studies, Psychiatry times;
- Foua Choua Khang who balances the world of the new and the old between her colleagues at Health East/Fairview as well as within the social dynamics of the Xiong clan. Foua Choua identifies as a practicing Hmong woman as well as a Community Health Worker. Bridging between the western and eastern approaches to health and well-being, she hopes to accomplish world peace someday;
- David Soto, a Financial Empowerment Coach, has provided services based around financial capability since 2011. His knowledge of the U.S. financial system, in conjunction with his experience as a first generation Mexican-American, allows for a culturally relevant approach to the delivery of services. Being a DACA recipient, he holds a unique, yet common perspective around the challenges that surround the immigrant community.
This panel discussion is open to City employees as well as community members. City employees can register in COMET. Community members can email ReCASTMinneapolisInfo@minneapolismn.gov to register. Spanish speaking members of the community are invited to attend as ReCAST Minneapolis will be providing interpreters for the event.
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 Psychological First Aid Training for City Staff
Psychological First Aid training is being offered to first point of contact staff and leaders. This training is meant for a variety of staff including housing inspectors, community engagement specialists, 911 and 311 operators and others. Cultural, somatic and psychological first aid is an evidence-based, trauma-informed approach built on the idea of human resilience.
Goals and outcomes include:
- Better City responsiveness when navigating trauma and civil restlessness issues.
- Better City responsiveness to communities of color as it relates to trauma and civil unrest.
- Better educational knowledge relating to health, productivity and quality of life for employees.
New dates for City employees:
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Mon.-Tues., Dec.18-19 from 8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
University of Minnesota Urban Research and Outreach-Engagement Center
2001 Plymouth Ave. N.
City employees can register in COMET..
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Save the Date for Upcoming Trainings in ReCAST Capacity Building Institute
Adult Centered Learning and Capacity Building
The intended audience for these trainings is Black or African American adults or those who work with the Black or African American communities. All trainings will be held at the Northside Healing Space (2100 Emerson Ave N.).
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From Historical Trauma to Healing
Saturday, Jan. 13, noon - 4 p.m.
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Foundations of Trauma: What You Need to Know to Start Building a Trauma Informed Environment
Saturday, Jan. 27, noon - 4 p.m.
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Taking Care of the Care-Taker: Trauma and Those who Stand in the Gaps
Saturday, Feb. 3, noon - 4 p.m.
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Working Through Trauma: How to Build Capacity and Partnership for Short and Long-term Support
Saturday, Feb. 10, noon - 4 p.m.
To find out more about providers and training information, please visit the ReCAST Minneapolis website. Registration for the trainings will be available in the coming weeks.
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Minneapolis Police Department Receives IACP Grant
On Tuesday, Dec. 5, the Minneapolis Police Department received the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Vision 21: Law Enforcement and the Communities They Serve: Supporting Collective Healing in the Wake of Harm. The grant is designed to assist agencies and communities in addressing the needs of those impacted by high-profile incidents and enhance community relationships with the hope of possibly preventing future incidents. This includes developing, implementing, and accessing the practical tools necessary for building essential relationships and joint strategies to reduce tensions, maximize communication, and promote trauma-informed interventions, problem-solving, and facilitate healing between law enforcement and the communities they serve.
Congratulations to the Minneapolis Police Department. The ReCAST Minneapolis team is excited to have been a part of the application process and a partner in work carried out under this grant!
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Request for Proposals Available to Engage Northside Residents on Ongoing Issues
Community Action Partnership of Hennepin County (CAP-HC) is partnering with the City of Minneapolis to contract with a trusted leader or organization from the North Minneapolis community to engage North Minneapolis residents, primarily from the Hawthorne, McKinley, Sheridan, Bottineau and Marshall Terrace neighborhoods, in coming up with recommendations on a variety of ongoing issues including but not limited to:
- How to spend the Northern Metals settlements dollars ($200,000 per year for 3 years, within the stipulations of the consent decree)
- A Work Plan/Action Plan for the Northside Green Zone to further the goals below and utilize additional resources (e.g. VW settlement dollars, existing City programs/resources, state, local and federal grants, etc.)
The contract will be available through an open Request for Proposals process. Applications are due by 8 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 12 to kmongoven@caphennepin.org. Access the RFP.
There will be an informational meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 19 from 9-11 a.m. at North Regional Library.
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Neighborhood Board Representation Training for People of Color
If you are a Person of Color or know a Person of Color interested in joining their neighborhood association or district council, CURA's Neighborhood Organizing and Leadership Program is looking for participants for a free training to empower and assist them in their journey toward leadership. They are looking for People of Color that want to create change and fight injustice in their community through neighborhood board membership.
The Board Representation Leadership Training for People of Color will be Thursday, Dec. 7 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. in the Stassen Room 170 at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, 301 19th Ave s, Minneapolis 55455.
Who is this for?
The training is open to People of Color who want to join their neighborhood board and create local change so they are prepared to run at their neighborhood association or district council annual meeting elections, or want to inquire about board vacancies in their community.
Register Now!
For more information or to register, interested participants should email Malik Holt-Shabazz or call 612-791-7734.
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About ReCAST Minneapolis
The Resilience in Communities After Stress & Trauma (ReCAST) Minneapolis Program is funded through a multi-year grant from the Department of Health and Human Services' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). ReCAST Minneapolis is intended to assist high-risk youth and families, and promote resilience and equity in communities that have recently faced civil unrest through the implementation of evidence-based violence prevention and community youth engagement programs, as well as linkages to trauma-informed behavioral health services. SAMHSA created the ReCAST Program to support communities that have lived through demonstrations of mass protest in response to police-involved shootings of unarmed African-American males.
For more information, please email ReCASTMinneapolisInfo@minneapolismn.gov.
This update was developed [in part] under grant number 1H79SM063520-01 from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The views, policies, and opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of SAMHSA or HHS.
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