Thriving Communities Blog
Passages on the road to a thriving Baltimore...
The State of Our Communities – What Does Our High Infant Mortality Rate Say About Us as a Nation?
This week, we had the opportunity to hear, the President give his State of the Union address where he painted a rosy picture of the US economy and the initiatives undertaken by the legislative and executive branches. We also had the opportunity to hear the opposition...
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When Sexual Abuse Happens Among Children
TRIGGER WARNING: This article and the pages it links to deals with the topic of child sexual abuse and molestation and describes a sexual abuse incident. This information may be triggering to survivors. A couple of weeks ago, in partnership with the Family Tree, the...
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Racism and Trauma – An Infant Mortality Mystery – Solved
On March 17, 2017, the Thriving Communities Collaborative (TCC) jointly sponsored a meeting with the Black Mental Health Alliance on Racism and Trauma. It was one of the most well-attended events we have held in the past year which is positive. It shows that there is...
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“I Am Not Your Negro,” a Portrait of a Nation of Moral Monsters
"I'm terrified at the moral apathy -- the death of the heart which is happening in my country. These people have deluded themselves for so long, that they really don't think I'm human. I base this on their conduct, not on what they say, and this means that they have...
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Building Stronger Connections at Z-HAP in South Park Heights
The Thriving Communities Collaborative (TCC) was excited to have the opportunity to engage in a dialogue with the older adults who come to the Z-HAP Fridays at the Zeta Center for Healthy and Active Aging in the South Park Heights Community. We had only visited once...
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Policy as a Tool in Driving Systemic Change
When we first began holding meetings as the Thriving Community Collaborative (TCC), one of the topics of greatest interest was driving Systemic Change. As a new administration prepares to take over in Baltimore, as well as on the national stage, several...
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Next Steps: From the Brain Science of Trauma to Policy & Action
Back in the early 2000’s, I volunteered in a program here in Baltimore called B4Schools. The program partnered people in corporations as mentors to students in Baltimore City Schools. Each mentor stayed with their student for the duration of their high school...
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Investing in Prevention = Investing in Baltimore
What will it take to convince our leadership at the city, county, state and federal levels that we should prioritize prevention over punishment, that we should fully fund and support programs that empower people living in under-served, at-risk communities? Recently,...
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We Are Stronger Connected
Having Something in Common Creates a Connection Not long ago, I babysat my sister's dog, Brody. I love it when Brody comes to visit for a while because I work at home in front of a computer, and he helps me to reach my goal of 10,000 steps per day. Plus, he's such an...
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Using the Film, “Wounded Places,” as a Launching Pad for Discussions about the Impact of Trauma
When you hear the term, "wounded places" what imagery comes to mind? It strikes me first that this word, wounded, something we use to describe living creatures, is being applied to a thing, in this instance a place. This application of human...
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