Calendar

Jan
23
Thu
Dear Black Male: Session 4: Dear Black Male Family
Jan 23 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Dear Black Male: Session 4: Dear Black Male Family

CWLA has partnered with Welcome2Reality, LLC to present the engaging four-part training series, Dear Black Male. We invite you to join us for a training that will provide an overview of the history and culture of African Americans with a focus on recognizing cultural mistrust, issues faced, and perceptions of Black males. Through lecture and discussion, participants will identity how efforts to adequately provide for Back males can be linked to the fight for larger social justice goals for themselves and their communities. Participants in this training will:

 

  • Develop an understanding of the importance of the role of the historian in interpreting African American history;
  • Expand their knowledge and awareness of the disproportionality of Black males who are institutionalized and the impact it has on communities;
  • Learn the most common mistakes professionals make when working with Black males and how to avoid them; and
  • Engage in dialogue to identify strengths-based practices and interventions that foster family health and resilience.

 

This training is open and welcome to everyone. The training format will incorporate lecture, discussion, video, and group activities. The following topics will be covered during the four (4) two-hour training sessions:

Trainers:

Anthony Gay, BA is the Director of Curricula Development at Welcome2Reality, LLC. Anthony is passionate about teaching and conducts research, develops training modules /curricula, and facilitates training. Anthony spent several years as a full-time trainer, developing or co-authoring training modules on fatherhood, professionalism, cultural competency, trauma, working with adolescents, family-centered assessment, and human trafficking. For over ten years, Anthony has been focused on improving communities by advocating for equality for fathers. Anthony is a member of a national fatherhood network that shares resources and ideas to improve fathers’ and families’ outcomes. Anthony is a leader in the realm of fatherhood in Connecticut and hosts numerous fatherhood themed events throughout the year, promoting positive fatherhood. As a result of his dedication, Anthony has received numerous awards recognizing his work with fathers and families.

 

Qur-an Webb, MSW is the Director of Operations at Welcome2Reality, LLC. Qur-an has been in the social work field for over 20 years and is the Connecticut Chapter Lead for Media Literacy Now, which focuses on education around media literacy. In this role, Qur-an was instrumental in getting Public Act No. 15-94 and Public Act No. 17-67 passed in Connecticut, which now mandates school systems to educate the safe use of social media and computer programming instruction, and in creating an advisory council related to digital citizenship, internet safety, and media literacy. He also works as an independent contractor and is an adjunct instructor. Qur-an is the vice president of the Association of Black Sports Officials. In this role, Qur-an advocates for the rights of and opportunities for Black sports officials and pushes for equality among officials. He also provides training and professional development opportunities domestically and internationally for the company.

REGISTER HERE

Jan
26
Sun
Renewing Hope: Innovative Strategies for Engaging Families in Child Physical and Sexual Abuse Interventions @ Town & Country Resort, Palm Room 5&6,
Jan 26 @ 10:00 am – 6:30 pm
Renewing Hope: Innovative Strategies for Engaging Families in Child Physical and Sexual Abuse Interventions @ Town & Country Resort, Palm Room 5&6,

Morning Session: 

Strategies for Engaging Non-offending Caregivers and Addressing Professional Challenges in Child Sexual Abuse Cases 

Child sexual abuse remains a pervasive societal issue, with nonoffending caregivers playing a crucial role in ensuring effective case outcomes and supporting child victims’ recovery. This workshop explores the complex dynamics of culpability, belief, and support in child sexual abuse cases, emphasizing the indispensable role of nonoffending caregivers from initial disclosure through forensic interviews, legal investigations, prosecution, and treatment. 

Featuring two case histories of adult survivors, the session provides a window into the lasting impact of caregiver support on the long-term healing and outcomes for child victims. Participants will learn strategies to address challenges in engaging nonoffending caregivers, navigate professional frustrations, and apply trauma-informed approaches to foster caregiver involvement and kinship support in investigations. 

This workshop underscores the importance of cultural sensitivity in investigations and interventions, identifying it as essential for the welfare of the child and family. Participants will also discuss the intergenerational aspect of child sexual abuse, addressing recidivism within families and the need for culturally sensitive practices to prevent and break abuse cycles. 

In discussing implications for research, practice, and policy, the workshop advocates for a holistic, evidence-based approach that considers the complex, intergenerational nature of child sexual abuse cases. Participants will explore ways to advance research, foster supportive policies for nonoffending caregivers, and enhance collaborative, trauma-informed practices among professionals involved in child abuse investigations and treatment. 

1. Participants will learn at least 3 practical, trauma-informed strategies to support and engage nonoffending caregivers.

2. Participants will be able to identify at least 3 approaches for managing frustrations in these complex cases.

3. Participants will gain insights into the importance of cultural sensitivity in investigations and be able to identify at least 3 culturally sensitive interventions.

Afternoon: 

Get in the Zone: Strengthening Support for Families and Professionals 

This interactive session equips professionals with the skills and confidence to implement No Hit Zones—a straightforward, impactful tool proven to strengthen families and address the leading risk factor for child abuse: corporal punishment. Participants will explore how No Hit Zones, successfully established in churches, daycares, hospitals, and child advocacy centers, are transforming child protection efforts and creating safer, more supportive environments. Through case histories featuring outcomes from adult survivors, along with evaluation results and forthcoming research, attendees will gain insight into the tangible impacts of NHZs. 

This workshop offers practical strategies to prevent children from entering formal care, reduce professional burnout, enhance kinship care, and support investigative processes. Presenters will delve into community partnerships, innovative approaches for engaging families, and strategies for addressing poverty, while emphasizing collaboration with other family-serving systems, such as education, health, housing, and childcare. 

The workshop will highlight the critical role of cultural sensitivity in investigations and interventions, essential for achieving positive outcomes and long-term welfare for children and families. By equipping caregivers with resources and effective alternatives, this session aims to empower child protection professionals to make informed decisions that safeguard children’s future and reduce recidivism. 

Advocating a holistic approach to child maltreatment prevention, this workshop underscores the need for ongoing research to support evidence-based practices and policies that assist caregivers and foster a collaborative, trauma-informed framework among child welfare professionals. 

1. Participants will be able to identify at least 3 benefits of using No Hit Zones in preventing child abuse.

2. Participants will learn at least 3 trauma-informed communication techniques to effectively engage caregivers.

3. Participants will learn at least 3 culturally sensitive alternatives to support a child’s well-being.

REGISTER HERE

Jan
30
Thu
Youth Trauma and Resilience in Poverty
Jan 30 @ 11:30 am – 12:30 pm
Youth Trauma and Resilience in Poverty

Promoting Positive Change in Communities by Confronting Poverty

Louisiana CASA is excited to host our third webinar series. This series is brought to you in partnership with the Louisiana Children’s Trust Fund so we are required to ask participants certain demographic questions during registration. Once you register, an email will be sent to you that includes the link to join the webinar. We hope to see you there!

 

Youth Trauma and Resilience in Poverty

There are unique challenges faced by young individuals growing up in impoverished environments. From exposure to violence to systemic inequalities, this presentation will examine how poverty shapes their experiences and how, despite adversity, many youth demonstrate remarkable resilience. Our presenters will explore protective factors, coping strategies, and community support that contribute to their ability to thrive.

SPEAKER

Dr. Loria Hudson founded Transformations Wellness Center, LLC, and Children Are People Too, a nonprofit organization. She has been educating couples, helping families for over 20 years, and advocating for families, relationships, and marriages. Her work has helped countless couples and families overcome challenges and build stronger, more resilient relationships with themselves and others, leading to a more compassionate and understanding world. Dr. Hudson’s other body of work stems from seeing clients from ages 7 – 70 in Monroe, Louisiana, providing Mental Health Services, assisting Louisiana Center Against Poverty, which is established in Lake Providence and Monroe, Louisiana, teaching young girls ages 9-17 in Louisiana (Girl Power!), a prevention and intervention social change program that promotes positive behavior, enhances social skills, and improves academic performance. In addition to teaching males and females ages 8-17 Life Skills and COPE to help increase their self-esteem, develop healthy attitudes, and enhance their knowledge of essential life skills – all of which promote healthy and positive personal development. As a mental health professional, educator, author, Certified Life Coach, and licensed minister, Dr. Hudson holds a PhD in Marriage and Family Therapy specializing in couple therapy and a master’s in clinical Mental Health specializing in Substance Abuse. Thanks to these skills, she developed tools that have changed all areas of her work. She continues to help transform people’s lives and resides in Monroe, LA, with her husband of over 26 years and one daughter and son. Together, they have five daughters and one son. Dr. Hudson’s practical solutions to real-life issues have a captivating appeal that captures listeners. Her motto is “To Thine Own Self Be True,” which helped build her marriage.

REGISTER HERE

Feb
3
Mon
Conversations on Race, Equity, and Inclusion Training Series Sessions: Session 1 Being Color Brave and Culturally Humble
Feb 3 @ 12:00 pm – Feb 7 @ 1:30 pm
Conversations on Race, Equity, and Inclusion Training Series Sessions: Session 1 Being Color Brave and Culturally Humble

What does it mean to be “color brave?” In her TED talk “Color blind or color brave?”, accomplished businesswoman Mellody Hobson explores having candid conversations about race that can help us better understand each other’s perspectives and experiences. Gaining this information is at the heart of our ability to build authentic relationships and to attain cultural dexterity. One strategy for achieving this bravery is through cultural humility, which has been defined as the ability to maintain an interpersonal stance that is other-oriented in relation to aspects of cultural identity as defined by that person. Cultural humility challenges us to suspend what we know, or think we know, about a person based on generalizations about their culture. This two-part training session will also discuss the overrepresentation of children of color in the child welfare system. We will offer participants an opportunity to be reflective and introspective about how they manage race relations in their professional and personal lives in hopes of equipping them with tools they can use to better understand and serve the families that they encounter.

REGISTER HERE

Feb
19
Wed
Legal Advocacy for Child Protection: Navigating the Law to Safeguard Children
Feb 19 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Legal Advocacy for Child Protection: Navigating the Law to Safeguard Children

This session will provide an in-depth look at the role of legal advocacy in child protection, presented by an experienced attorney. Participants will gain valuable insights into how the legal system can be leveraged to protect children from abuse and neglect. The session will cover the legal rights of children, the responsibilities of child welfare agencies, and how attorneys advocate for the best interests of children in court. Attendees will also explore the legal challenges and opportunities in child protection cases, including the importance of collaboration between legal professionals, social workers, and other advocates. This session aims to equip participants with knowledge of the legal tools and processes available to safeguard vulnerable children.

REGISTER HERE

Conversations on Race, Equity, and Inclusion Training Series Sessions: Session 2- Implicit Bias and Different Types of Privelege
Feb 19 @ 1:30 pm – Feb 21 @ 3:00 pm

This two-part training session offers participants an opportunity to examine the issue of implicit bias to recognize individual implicit biases and their impact on professional practice in child welfare. Discussion will occur on the issue of privilege and its impact on professional and personal relationships with people of color.

The session will invite courageous dialogue on the highly sensitive issues related to racial disparity and disproportionality of children in the child welfare system. Through the topics of white privilege and implicit bias, the trainers will help participants contextualize how these are some of the root causes of these disparities. This discussion will encourage participants to recognize and develop a deeper understanding of their role as professionals to work as effectively as possible with families and children of color.

REGISTER HERE

Mar
26
Wed
Conversations on Race, Equity, and Inclusion: Session 4 – Intersectionality: A rationale for Cultural Humility
Mar 26 @ 11:30 am – Mar 28 @ 1:00 pm
Conversations on Race, Equity, and Inclusion: Session 4 - Intersectionality: A rationale for Cultural Humility

The civil rights movement of the 1950s and 60s prompted educators and health and human services professionals to develop cultural competence. The belief was, if the mostly white practitioners increased their knowledge of diverse racial and ethnic groups’ values and customs, they could improve the delivery of services to diverse populations. While cultural competence was a step in the right direction, it inadvertently reinforced and created stereotypes about cultural practices and experiences that fell short of achieving its goal of supporting culturally sensitive service delivery.

In this two-part training session, participants will learn the importance of cultural humility: suspending cultural assumptions and, instead, embracing individuals’ personal definitions and expressions of culture. Participants will explore cultural humility by defining their own personal culture using a myriad of identity factors (e.g., skin color, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and ability) and determining whether those identity factors place them in privileged or marginalized groups, or both. They will learn how the intersections of various identity factors create a unique cultural experience for every individual and how these intersections result in systemic power differentials and complex experiences of oppression. Finally, they will apply their cultural identity to the framework of the Cage of Oppression and, using the example of lookism, evaluate how existing power structures impact their lives and the lives of those they serve. By recognizing the societal effects of intersectionality, participants will be challenged to incorporate cultural humility in their personal and professional interactions.

REGISTER HERE