Flint ReCAST hosts "Shine Your Light"  Resiliency Week and Environmental Justice Summit. This is a free family-friendly event for Flint-area residents and professionals, March 27 - 30.

March 22, 2019

“Shine Your Light” is the theme for the third annual Resiliency Week and Environmental Justice Summit, offering four days of community-centered activities and workshops that promote resiliency and building strong families. The event is sponsored by Flint Resiliency in Communities After Stress and Trauma (ReCAST), a collaborative that supports the Flint community in navigating the aftermath of the Flint Water Crisis while strengthening the community’s collective capacity to minimize the risk of future crises.

“The summit promotes activities and local initiatives that build individual and community resiliency,” said Vicki Johnson-Lawrence, PhD, co-project director for Flint ReCAST and assistant professor at MSU College of Human Medicine’s Division of Public Health in Flint. “Our health and well-being come from a combination of mental health, physical health, and recognizing how the built environment influences the community environment. This is why the summit addresses both resiliency and environmental justice. We want overall health – mind-body health – to be at the forefront of everybody's minds.”

A sampling of activities geared towards families include:

• going to the movies to watch a showing of Inside Out at Flint Southwestern Academy;
• participating in Flint's Youth Got Talent hosted by Ira Dorsey and Mayor Karen Weaver;
• celebrating César Chávez Remembrance Day with live performances by El Ballet Folklórico Estudiantil student dancers and musicians in a play based on the children's book "Harvesting Hope" by Kathleen Krull.

For community leaders and clinicians, speakers from across Michigan and the United States will be sharing their expertise on topics ranging from building healthy and resilient communities, environmental justice, building sustainable communities, healthy schools, supporting the well-being of Flint youth, and much more.

Speakers from across the country will travel to Flint to give keynote addresses. Ronda Chapman, Senior Associate, PolicyLink will lead a session titled “Creating Sustainable, Just and Inclusive Local Communities and Economies.” Elaine Karas-Miller, MSW, LCSW, Executive Director and Co-Founder of the Trauma Resource Institute and Jacqueline Patterson, MSW, MPH, Director of the NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Program will lead a discussion focused on building healthy and resilient communities.

“The tools and resources built within the summit are inclusive of the entire Flint community. ReCAST along with the city of Flint is making sure it is available beyond professional circles and into community spaces, including youth, families, and residents from all backgrounds.” 

Resiliency Week will conclude on Saturday with activities for the entire community. The public is encouraged to learn more about the Community Resiliency Model, hear about the achievements of César Chávez during César Chávez Remembrance Day, learn about what mental health means in everyday life, and how to understand and improve your health during “Health Bodies Start with Healthy Minds: A Community Conversation About Stress and Mental Health.” Saturday activities will take place at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine in Flint.

Programming offers something different every day. Participation in the Resiliency Week and Environmental Justice Summit is free, and snacks will be provided. To see the full schedule of activities and register go to bit.ly/FlintReCAST. On-site registration is also welcome.

About Flint ReCAST
Flint ReCAST is a partnership between the City of Flint and Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, the University of Michigan-Flint, and Genesee Health System. The goal of Flint ReCAST is to support the community in building individual and community resiliency using trauma-informed approaches for local professionals who work with community members at high risk of experiencing trauma. ReCAST also provides evidence-based youth and family programs that build resiliency and communication and supports youth in building expectations for their futures and in building socioemotional capacity. The program is funded by a five-year federal grant awarded to the City of Flint by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, a branch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Find Flint ReCAST online at FlintReCAST.com and on Facebook @FlintReCAST.