Training ... with a twist: Shelley Blundell and Dana Zedak will work with attendees to co-create this Group Crisis Intervention Training Session.

The Education Department wants to learn more about your recent advocacy and group crisis intervention experiences, good and not so good, give you all the opportunity to discuss those experiences with a group of folks who truly ‘get it,’ and then engage in some moderated “VV/PP” at the group level. This session is open to all Direct Service staff and to any interns or VAP staffers who want to join us.

Although mostly informal/conversational, Dana and Shelley have a few questions to ask of attendees to kick off the session, and will co-moderate this piece – attendees' guidance and recommendations will be used by the Education Department (in consultation with our GCI superstar, Christel Durbec) to create and distribute some resources that everyone can use in their continuing advocacy and GCI work.

Then, those attendees who feel comfortable doing so will be invited to share their experiences with the group, and we will collectively integrate our GCI and “VV/PP” skills and tools throughout as part of the experience. We want to prioritize holding space for you all right now by giving you the opportunity to process everything that’s happened recently with each other and, if you’re comfortable, asking you to share your thoughts and feelings in a peer-supported environment with those who’ve stood right beside you doing this work (especially for those who have been heavily involved in post-June 2 advocacy and recent school GCI sessions).