Childhood trauma, historical trauma, trauma from racism, or other forms of discrimination and exclusion increase risks to our long-term health and wellbeing. Understanding the dynamics that either debilitate or nurture resilience allows us to build healing-engaged communities and develop approaches rooted in social justice and that center belonging.
Master Community Builders (MCB) have the knowledge and skills to create trauma-informed, healing-engaged, and resilient communities. Communities where all members can grow from and thrive after experiencing adversities. MCBs fulfill a critical role in addressing the health crisis that results from the systemic inequities in our communities. As Teri Barila, founder of the Children’s Resilience Initiative, said, “trauma-informed individuals build trauma-informed communities.”
The MCB Program (MCBP) uses a social-ecological approach to resilience that recognizes the intersections between the individual and community experiences and how policies and structures influence them. The program uses different ways of knowing, including research, local knowledge, personal experience, and indigenous worldviews, to support transformational learning.
Participants in the MCBP gain a foundational understanding of the impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), historical trauma, oppression, and racism on our health and wellbeing. By engaging in a transformational learning process, MCBs will develop an inner compass that will guide them in building resilient communities of belonging. MCBs will raise awareness, give workshops, hold training, develop and apply approaches, influence policy, and provide technical assistance for programs and practices that promote human-centered and healing-engaged communities with a culture of belonging.
The will take place one Saturday of the month from 9:30 am – 4 pm, and there will be a Zoom session every second Tuesday of the month from 7 – 8 pm. The total number of hours of instruction is 50 hours. Program dates for the 2024/25 cohort will be announced soon. Download the program brochure HERE.
For more information about the next cohort, please contact Julika von Stackelberg at jv426@cornell.edu.
