Our History of Building Resilience

Capacity Building & Training

• Over 36 trainings for coalition leaders and partners, including:

  • Trust-Based Relational Intervention® (TBRI®)

  • Connections Matter

  • Bridges Out of Poverty

  • Darkness to Light (Stewards of Children)

• Developed Poverty 101 and Trauma 101 workshops to introduce a common language and aligned practices.

Systems Change & Advocacy

• Ensured that each county annual plan strategies embed trauma- and poverty-informed approaches.

• Partnered with state and regional agencies to integrate common language and protective factors.

• Promoted Resilient Georgia’s statewide roadmap through local initiatives and cross-sector collaboration.

Direct Support to Families

• Distributed food, books, school supplies, and parenting resources across all counties.

• Implemented Parent Cafés and Ambassador Committees for family voice and engagement.

• Awarded $29,900 in mini-grants to support grassroots organizations and services.

Community Engagement & Awareness

• Facilitated 15 Civic Dinners, one per county, to gather insights and foster dialogue.

• Hosted 6 screenings of Resilience with discussion sessions for professionals and community members: The Biology of Stress and the Science of Hope.

• Engaged over 7,300 participants (youth, adults, parents/caregivers, and professionals) through workshops, events, and discussions.

• Launched a website and private Facebook group for shared learning and resource access.

Strategic Engagement & Systems Change

In FY23, we intentionally expanded our coalition through the creation of a regional network of stakeholders, composed of community members, youth, caregivers, educators, nonprofit leaders, and public sector professionals. These stakeholders met quarterly to shape systems-change strategies and provide critical feedback on implementation.

Key achievements:

• 15 collaboratives aligned their annual strategies with trauma- and poverty-informed frameworks such as TBRI® and Strengthening Families.

• 10 regional partners sustained active engagement throughout the year, co-leading activities, trainings, and strategic planning.

• More than 15 local and regional partners participated in stakeholder meetings, advocacy events, and community conversations.

• County-level momentum surged through expanded participation in Inclusivv Dinners, civic presentations, and community planning efforts.

Capacity Building & Resource Development

To support local leaders and their teams, BRR launched a region-wide effort to equip partners with tools for long-term sustainability. This included:

• Creation of one centralized digital toolkit housing branded training materials, workshop guides (Trauma 101, Poverty 101), evaluation protocols, and collateral for community resilience efforts. These materials were made available on our website and via the coalition’s shared Google Drive repository.

• Tailored outreach and training for school districts, DFCS, nonprofits, courts, and advocacy centers—enhancing trauma-responsive care and stakeholder readiness.

• Facilitator trainings, professional development webinars, book clubs, and “self-care campaigns” like Be Your Own LifeSAVERS, which reached hundreds of school staff.

Evaluation Partnership with CES

To build a learning culture and assess true impact, BRRNWGA partnered with Community Evaluation Solutions to develop and implement its first comprehensive evaluation plan. This strategic collaboration yielded:

• A dual-layered evaluation strategy: Process and Outcome assessment.

• Data collected from:

  • 15 focus groups representing diverse county collaboratives

  • 15 key informant interviews with coordinators, stakeholders, and partners

  • Coordinator impact survey

  • Regional community survey measuring trauma/poverty awareness and systems engagement

• Evaluation findings supported refinement of implementation plans, advocacy priorities, and toolkit design—ensuring region-wide coherence and effectiveness.

Anticipated Outcomes & Aspirations

• Empowered 14 Georgia Family Connection county collaboratives to meaningfully embed trauma- and poverty-informed strategies into their local annual plans.

• Built a robust network of engaged stakeholders influencing system-wide change through quarterly gatherings.

• Developed a digital resilience infrastructure—a toolkit and repository of knowledge, training, and inspiration accessible to anyone seeking to build healthier communities.

Achievements in Our Key Pillars

• Capacity Building: Over 10,000 individuals participated in evidence-based and research-informed trainings, including TBRI®, Connections Matter, and Poverty 101 workshops.

• Community Awareness: Collaboratives hosted over 100 events—ranging from Civic Dinners and documentary screenings to radio shows and resilience-based outreach—reaching thousands of families, professionals, and youth.

• Systems Change: BRR aligned county strategies with statewide initiatives like CANPP and Get Georgia Reading, while engaging stakeholders in Journey to Action events to map barriers and solutions for families across core systems such as housing, childcare, transportation, and mental health.

A Journey to Action Series

These five multi-county events across Northwest Georgia were designed to uncover barriers families face in accessing essential services and to identify opportunities for meaningful systems change. Over 180 stakeholders engaged in mapping local systems—from education and healthcare to housing and transportation—naming 266 proposed changes to improve community wellbeing.

Key takeaways:

• Top barriers: transportation, eligibility requirements, program capacity, lack of trauma-informed care, limited awareness, and cost.

• Systems change strategies: adjusting policies, enhancing programs, shifting environments, and improving processes within systems like childcare, social services, and mental health.

• Implications: Findings reinforce the need for trauma- and poverty-informed education, community collaboration, and advocacy targeting decision-makers.