Preventionists are doing vital work in unprecedented times. Many of our usual strategies have been unavailable to us, as social distance, stay-at-home orders, and illness have changed all our lives. COVID has dramatically increased people’s vulnerability, so prevention work is more necessary now than it ever has been before.
Social networks have proven their value, bringing uncommon resources into health, social services, education, justice, and other systems – we have seen how powerful family, friends, and neighbors can be. But we have also seen the impact of social isolation and stress, especially among people who had a history of adversity before the pandemic began.
Our job as preventionists is to get a “right-fit” between the support we establish in communities, and the experience of people we are intending to benefit. The social context within each community is vastly different because the unique, amazing, sacred individuals in each place bring gifts and challenges into the landscape.
To navigate that landscape, we need to understand how adversity generates changes to people’s brains and bodies and how those changes affect participation in preventive community action. We also need to understand how to affect the typical social responses in America that often make matters worse.
Session 1 in the Preventing Trauma and Its Consequences series will discuss equity from the perspective of welcoming and supporting every person’s leadership. It will help preventionists make strategic choices about investments with the power to stop progression of adversity across the life course, putting healing and hope at the center of community life. We look forward to our time with you in this session!
