SRQ Strong and Healthy Teens Enter Phase 2 of Local Youth Trauma Training Team
SRQ Strong has been awarded a Community Impact Grant from the Community Foundation of Sarasota County (CFSC) to support their ongoing partnership with Healthy Teens of Manatee County.
In 2021, with the help of CFSC, SRQ Strong and Healthy Teens developed a local youth trauma training team, called the Trauma Leadership Corps (TLC), to respond to the increasing impact of stress and trauma on youth mental health. This year, that team is putting everything they’ve learned into action.
The grant will support the strengthening and addition of new material to the curriculum, training of a new group of Teen Health Educators and Young Adult Leaders (ages 15-25), and working alongside several local youth-serving agencies to provide trauma-based education and mentoring. According to psychologist Andrea Blanch, a founding member of SRQ Strong, “Last year, the youth who joined TLC became grounded in the science of trauma and resilience, learned to recognize stress-related feelings and behaviors, practiced self-care, and developed a unique, fun-filled way of presenting the information to others. This year, the curriculum will be expanded to include techniques for emotional regulation, tips for when and how to share personal information, and basic concepts of trauma healing.”
Healthy Teens Executive Director, Jonathan Evans, adds “our young educators benefited greatly from the training last year, and we are excited to offer it to more of our group. This growing group of young people will be ready and able to support their peers by working with youth-serving and even adult-serving agencies across the area.”
The project will continue to raise community awareness about the power of youth peer-to-peer training and support. Funding for this stage of the project is provided in part by the Paul and Anne Finstad Fund 1 of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County.
(Pictured: Amandine Louis-Charles from TLC providing trauma education to Educational Consultants Consortium (ECC) students at Kelly Brown Center in Palmetto)
About SRQ Strong; SRQ Strong is a growing group of Sarasota County residents committed to promoting awareness about the causes of trauma, its effects, and help and healing after trauma. SRQ Strong actively supports all efforts in the community to prevent and address trauma. OUR MISSION: To promote community-wide trauma awareness through Healing, Education, Action, and Leadership. OUR VISION: To create a community that cares for itself. Learn more by emailing sarasotastrong@gmail.com or visit www.srqstrong.org
About Healthy Teens of Manatee County, Inc.; The Healthy Teens is dedicated to reducing risky behaviors by providing Manatee and Sarasota County youth with the knowledge and skills to make informed choices about their physical, mental, and emotional health and well-being.
Healthy Teens works alongside a grassroots group of over 180 individuals representing more than 60 nonprofit social service agencies and community-based health providers. Since its inception in 2010, the Healthy Teens Coalition and their award-winning Teen Health Educator Program has served more than 10,000 higher risk Manatee County and Sarasota County youth. Participants in the Teen Health Educator program remain committed to serving as peer mentors and peer educators, as well as youth health advocates with elected officials. To learn more, visit https://www.healthyteensmanatee.com/ or email hey@healthyteensmanatee.com.