Workshops

Presented by Monique Liston, PhD of Unbuntu Research & Evaluation, LLC
Participants will discuss the human dignity of Black citizens as it intersects with the experience of poverty.

Presented by Lola Awoyinka of State of Wisconsin Division of Public Health & David Lee of Wisconsin Minority Health & Feeding America
A conversation on the social determinants of health and helping to connect the dots between poverty work and health outcomes.

Presented by Bridget Mouchon-Humphrey of SWCAP
Working with systems and policies to make changes that can enhance people’s and communities’ well-being is not easy. Taking a grounded approach and building relationships, telling stories, and building change in meaningful ways takes time and togetherness. The Asset-based community development strategy used in SW Wisconsin is building people’s sense of their existing resources, and their ability to take ownership and make change. Right now, we are focusing on mental health and addiction, reducing the stigma and enhancing community resources we need working together to improve outcomes. This approach can work toward many community goals; whether you’re interested in behavioral health or in this grounded community approach, lots to learn and discuss here!

Presented by Anna Bierer of Wisconsin Literacy & Joanna Vandestreek of Milwaukee Public Library
Your community library is more than a resource for books—it also provides workforce development resources and events for residents young and old, from teens to senior citizens. This workshop will cover how the Milwaukee Public Library system helps empower citizens to be prepared for the workforce, including computer classes, drop in job help, tutoring sessions, and test and career training resources. In addition, Wisconsin Literacy will provide a statewide perspective with information from adult and family literacy programs located in and in partnership with libraries across the state.

Presented by Betsy Van Heesch of My Choice Family Care
This presentation would include both an educational and a group discussion component with the outcome of audience participants identifying an action step(s) they can take to use a trauma informed approach to affecting the issue of poverty in their community. Participants will gain an understanding of the affect these experiences have on the individual’s ability to secure and maintain housing; have access to reliable transportation; maintain their health and well-being; obtain the needed training and education to secure employment. Gain knowledge on how to respond when an individual has experienced trauma and identify action steps for increasing trauma-informed practices within the community.

Presented by Margaret Yarbrough & Maureen Fitzgerald of Hunger Task Force
Learn how a trauma-informed approach can help more children in Wisconsin graduate from high school, have fewer disciplinary problems and fewer visits to the school nurse. Learn more about preventing ACEs in your community primarily focusing on childhood poverty, food insecurity and hunger. The need to offer school breakfast is based the substantial number of children in Wisconsin who lack access to nutritious food. Access to school meals is an equity issue. Childhood hunger is severe in Wisconsin. One in five children live in a food-insecure household. Child hunger is both a rural and urban problem. Of the 17 counties in which more than 55% of students qualified for free or reduced-price lunches, 14 are located in rural areas without a city of more than 20,000 residents. Hunger students have poorer academic and health outcomes. We will examine the Wisconsin School Breakfast Report Card, Lunch Shaming (the practice of denying students meals because of school lunch debt) and equity in after school meals in Wisconsin. Session attendees will leave with a clear understanding of the issues, and ways to address childhood hunger in their communities through access and participation in federal nutrition programs.

Presented by Maria Elena Perez, PhD of Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers
This workshop will examine the many faces of Trauma. It will explore the impact on relationships, growth and development and societal effects. Attendees will learn what is currently being done to address trauma and will review the advent of trauma inform.

Presented by Wendy Collins of Anthem BlueCross BlueShield
Out of work? Limited income? It’s scary. What happens if you or someone you love needs a doctor and you have no health insurance? This important workshop will show you how to get BadgerCare insurance, find a medical provider, advocate for yourself, your family or people in your community. Insurance can be confusing. Sometimes it’s hard to understand what gets covered and what doesn’t. We’ll help you answer common questions like: What is BadgerCare? What is the Forward Card? What benefits are available? Should I join an HMO? This workshop is too important to miss.

Presented by Marlon Skenandore of Oneida Emergency Food Pantry & Barbara Mendoza of F.R.E.S.H. Project
This training will explore hunger from the perspective of Wisconsin tribal nations. Two Hunger Relief Federation members will discuss the unique challenges faced by those struggling with hunger in their communities (including Oneida Nation and others). Specifically, participants will learn from two Hunger Relief Federation members how they are working toward strong programs that integrate health, wellness, and emergency food support – providing the platform for a model that can be used by other communities who are working toward a healthier future. This presentation may be developed to address more specific topics related to hunger, food programs, and tribal communities – but it will also offer a snapshot as to how Wisconsin is providing food support to its tribal nations.

Presented by Jim Winship of Beechwood True LLC
Organizations and advocacy groups often use stories in their communication with key audiences because people respond more fully to stories than they do to facts and figures, engaging more emotionally and with more parts of our brain. However, the stories that are told often do not have the desired effects, and there are important ethical considerations when the stories of clients/participants are used. In the first part of this workshop, two approaches for utilizing stories will be presented, a public narrative model in which advocates/staff members can craft their own stories for public presentation. The second approach involves the development of digital stories from clients/participants. For this approach, techniques for ensuring client privacy and ownership of their own stories will be shared. In the second part of the workshop, workshop attendees will work in small groups on the application of these approaches and techniques to their own organization or cause.

Presented by Jamaal Smith of YWCA Southeast Wisconsin
The purpose of this workshop is to discuss the 2016 Community Readiness Assessment released by YWCA Southeast Wisconsin discussing the prevalent disconnect between job seekers and employers in Milwaukee.  Reports have shown that there are multiple job openings that exists, but a shortage of workers to fill those roles; however, within marginalized communities in Milwaukee, residents are constantly looking for opportunities to gain family sustaining employment.  This workshop will explore the barriers leading to the disconnect between job seekers and employers

Presented by Kisha Shanks of Infinite Family Solutions
This workshop gives a comprehensive overview of inter-generational poverty and the impact on public health, from a psychological and social perspective. Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of the psychology of poverty and its long-term implications on social behaviors, such as raising children. Also, attendees will be given tools that will assist them, and their respective organizations with improving service delivery outcomes to impacted families

Presented by Lola Awoyinka of State of Wisconsin Division of Public Health & David Lee of Wisconsin Minority Health & Feeding America
A conversation on the social determinants of health and helping to connect the dots between poverty work and health outcomes.

Presented by Raphael Ramos & Sofia Ascorbe of Legal Action’s Eviction Defense Project
This presentation will provide attendees with information about Legal Action of Wisconsin’s Eviction Defense Project and discuss the services provided by the EDP. We will also discuss the Project’s history, the various community partners that have helped make the Project possible and successful, and how interested communities could create similar projects. From a practical perspective, we will also discuss common strategies to help tenants avoid eviction and how to defend against eviction. We will also address laws, and recent changes in law, that advocates and social services providers should be aware of when advising tenants in order to avoid issues that could lead to eviction.

Presented by Margaret Yarbrough & Maureen Fitzgerald of Hunger Task Force
Learn how a trauma-informed approach can help more children in Wisconsin graduate from high school, have fewer disciplinary problems and fewer visits to the school nurse. Learn more about preventing ACEs in your community primarily focusing on childhood poverty, food insecurity and hunger. The need to offer school breakfast is based the substantial number of children in Wisconsin who lack access to nutritious food. Access to school meals is an equity issue. Childhood hunger is severe in Wisconsin. One in five children live in a food-insecure household. Child hunger is both a rural and urban problem. Of the 17 counties in which more than 55% of students qualified for free or reduced-price lunches, 14 are located in rural areas without a city of more than 20,000 residents. Hunger students have poorer academic and health outcomes. We will examine the Wisconsin School Breakfast Report Card, Lunch Shaming (the practice of denying students meals because of school lunch debt) and equity in after school meals in Wisconsin. Session attendees will leave with a clear understanding of the issues, and ways to address childhood hunger in their communities through access and participation in federal nutrition programs.

Presented by Molly Gena & Susan Lund of Legal Action of Wisconsin
This workshop addresses the relationship between poverty and driver’s license suspensions, and the importance of driver’s licenses for employability.  It will address the legal issues in Wisconsin, and how Legal Action of Wisconsin works to help low-income people restore or obtain valid driver’s licenses.

Presented by Maria Elena Perez, PhD of Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers
This workshop will examine the many faces of Trauma. It will explore the impact on relationships, growth and development and societal effects. Attendees will learn what is currently being done to address trauma and will review the advent of trauma inform.

Presented by Mariah Hennen of Legal Action of Wisconsin Farm Worker Project
In this workshop, the presenter will provide background on farmworkers and dairy workers in Wisconsin. Challenges faced by farmworkers and dairy workers are highly prevalent and widespread, but not well known to non-farmworker communities. Farmworkers and dairy workers face numerous barriers that affect their ability to access legal justice. Issues such as wage theft, worker’s compensation, recruitment fraud, discrimination, and access to public benefits impact farmworkers and their families. By highlighting challenges specific to farmworkers and dairy workers, attendees will learn how advocacy and service provider organizations can better serve farmworkers, dairy workers, and their families.

Presented by Marques Hogans, Curtis Marshall, & Tiffany Cobb of the Milwaukee Health Department
This workshop aims to provide attendees with an alternative approach to issues that have been identified at a population level and often leaves the burden on the individual or individuals that are affected. The Public Health Approach can be applied across sectors including trauma, violence, health and other societal burdens. The presenters will provide you with key definitions and other components that can be adopted/adapted for intentional work.

Presented by Leland Pan of YWCA of South Eastern Wisconsin
This session is focused on introductory terminology and concepts related to race, racism, and class issues. We’ll focus on both recognizing the common interests of urban and rural communities and the ways race and class differences have divided us. The goal of the workshop is to provide people a baseline to recognize the unique barriers facing people of color while simultaneously seeing shared goals and interests in fighting oppression.

Presented by Allison Yanasak of Betty Brinn Children’s Museum
Betty Brinn Children’s Museum will present Early Childhood Education, Vroom and how parents and caregivers can build resiliency in their children. Vroom is free app for primary caregivers and is a new initiative that the Museum is charged with bring to the City of Milwaukee. We will discuss Activation of Vroom, the importance of early brain development and the resources the Museum has for parents and families.

Presented by Monique Liston, PhD of Unbuntu Research & Evaluation, LLC
Participants will discuss the human dignity of Black citizens as it intersects with the experience of poverty.

Presented by Jerome Dillard of EX-incarcerated People Organizing (EXPO) & Mark Rice of JustLeadership USA
The workshop will focus on how the overuse of incarceration in our state contributes to the numbers of men, women and children living in poverty.  It will emphasize the issue of Crime-less Revocations — whereby thousands of people on parole, probation or extended supervision are locked up, sometimes for years, even though they have not committed a new crime.  A shameful result of the broken system is the existence of the Milwaukee Secure Detention Facility (MSDF).  Hidden in plain sight in downtown Milwaukee, it is one of the most inhumane prisons in the country.

Presented by Bridget Mouchon-Humphrey of SWCAP
Working with systems and policies to make changes that can enhance people’s and communities’ well-being is not easy.  Taking a grounded approach and building relationships, telling stories, and building change in meaningful ways takes time and togetherness.  The Asset-based community development strategy used in SW Wisconsin is building people’s sense of their existing resources, and their ability to take ownership and make change. Right now, we are focusing on mental health and addiction, reducing the stigma and enhancing community resources we need working together to improve outcomes.  This approach can work toward many community goals; whether you’re interested in behavioral health or in this grounded community approach, lots to learn and discuss here!

Presented by Anna Bierer of Wisconsin Literacy & Joanna Vandestreek of Milwaukee Public Library
Your community library is more than a resource for books—it also provides workforce development resources and events for residents young and old, from teens to senior citizens. This workshop will cover how the Milwaukee Public Library system helps empower citizens to be prepared for the workforce, including computer classes, drop in job help, tutoring sessions, and test and career training resources. In addition, Wisconsin Literacy will provide a statewide perspective with information from adult and family literacy programs located in and in partnership with libraries across the state.

Presented by Betsy Van Heesch of My Choice Family Care
This presentation would include both an educational and a group discussion component with the outcome of audience participants identifying an action step(s) they can take to use a trauma informed approach to affecting the issue of poverty in their community. Participants will gain an understanding of the affect these experiences have on the individual’s ability to secure and maintain housing; have access to reliable transportation; maintain their health and well-being; obtain the needed training and education to secure employment. Gain knowledge on how to respond when an individual has experienced trauma and identify action steps for increasing trauma-informed practices within the community.

Presented by Margaret Yarbrough & Maureen Fitzgerald of Hunger Task Force
Learn how a trauma-informed approach can help more children in Wisconsin graduate from high school, have fewer disciplinary problems and fewer visits to the school nurse. Learn more about preventing ACEs in your community primarily focusing on childhood poverty, food insecurity and hunger. The need to offer school breakfast is based the substantial number of children in Wisconsin who lack access to nutritious food. Access to school meals is an equity issue. Childhood hunger is severe in Wisconsin. One in five children live in a food-insecure household. Child hunger is both a rural and urban problem. Of the 17 counties in which more than 55% of students qualified for free or reduced-price lunches, 14 are located in rural areas without a city of more than 20,000 residents. Hunger students have poorer academic and health outcomes. We will examine the Wisconsin School Breakfast Report Card, Lunch Shaming (the practice of denying students meals because of school lunch debt) and equity in after school meals in Wisconsin. Session attendees will leave with a clear understanding of the issues, and ways to address childhood hunger in their communities through access and participation in federal nutrition programs.

Presented by Maria Elena Perez, PhD of Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers
This workshop will examine the many faces of Trauma. It will explore the impact on relationships, growth and development and societal effects. Attendees will learn what is currently being done to address trauma and will review the advent of trauma inform.

Presented by Wendy Collins of Anthem BlueCross BlueShield (Presenting Sponsor)
Out of work? Limited income? It’s scary. What happens if you or someone you love needs a doctor and you have no health insurance? This important workshop will show you how to get BadgerCare insurance, find a medical provider, advocate for yourself, your family or people in your community. Insurance can be confusing. Sometimes it’s hard to understand what gets covered and what doesn’t. We’ll help you answer common questions like: What is BadgerCare? What is the Forward Card? What benefits are available? Should I join an HMO? This workshop is too important to miss.