Empower Vashon

The annual Community Survey is a required part of our state funding – the Community Prevention and Wellness Initiative program. This annual survey gives the coalition insight as to community perceptions regarding youth substance use, informing our strategic and actionable plans. It is a survey given to communities across the state, and local results are compared to the state average. The results are an invaluable part of evaluation and planning for the coalition. (The survey takes 10-15 minutes to complete, and results are anonymous.)

Community Survey | VARSA Every year, as part of our grant requirements, VARSA asks Islanders to take the Community Survey. Information gathered is used to track community attitudes and respond to the underage substance use issues we face here on Vashon.

We need to change the way we offer mental health treatment to children. In our current model, we have a child who is struggling with their mental health because of the environment they live in (stressful home, unhealthy schools/relationships).

The child receives therapy outside of these environments and typically without parent/guardian involvement.

The child returns from therapy to live in their troubled environment and we expect them to behave and be healed from therapy.

Does this not make sense to anyone else? Any suggestions on what we could do differently?

Dove Project offering October 29th.

These ABCs help me remember to be tuned into my body and recognize when I'm needing to step back from my schedule, seek out connection and rest.

"As we know from the earlier section on the importance of babies being attuned with their caregivers, humans thrive on feeling in sync with others. Trauma survivors often lose attunement with those around them when they collapse or shut down for survival; they can benefit greatly from activities that put them back in sync with others in a visceral way, such as kickboxing, dancing, choral singing, and the martial arts practice of aikido. Even forms of play can give people a sense of connection and physical attunement with each other." -Bessel van der Kolk from The Body Keeps the Score

https://www.vashoncenter.org/virtual-activities/2021/9/17/ic-self-care-for-seniors

Self care for seniors
September 17th at Senior Center
with the Vashon Dove Project.

If you or anyone you know has ever faced trauma or addiction or if you just want to be more informed: listen to this audio book. Hearing Oprah and Dr. Perry tackle these subjects in a loving, informative way is refreshing. It is the epitome of current trauma informed research and practices in a wonderful package. Stop asking what is wrong, ask what happened.
What Happened to You? by Oprah Winfrey, Bruce D. Perry, narrated by Bruce D. Perry, Oprah Winfrey on my Audible app. Try Audible and get it here:

What Happened to You? Check out this great listen on Audible.com. "[Oprah Winfrey and Bruce D. Perry] are both capable, likable narrators who are sincerely engaged with their subject matter...The performances of these two humanitarians make this a must-hear for anyone recovering from their traumatic past." (A...