On February 11th, all Richmond Promise Neighborhood (RPN) Action Teams assembled for a powerful conversation about Health and Wellness in the East End. Peter Paul – through the work of Richmond Promise Neighborhood – is becoming the change agent of inside-out transformational revitalization in the East End. Resident leaders, service providers, and other stakeholders are working side-by-side to support our children and families through the Action Team model (click here to learn more about our Action Teams).
Action Teams meet as needed throughout the year and all five teams convene quarterly for a combined session. This quarterly meeting gave members a chance to weigh in on the work to date from the Health & Wellness Action Team. Amber Haley, from the VCU Center on Society and Health (CSH), and Chimere Miles, a community advocate, RPN Advisory Board member, and resident researcher with CSH co-convene the Health & Wellness team. Staff from the CSH facilitated three break-out sessions focused on community generated priorities for action:
- Mental Health and Substance Abuse
- Trauma Informed Community Building
- The “Invisible” Population (those living in public housing who are not on the lease)
East End residents, service providers, and funders worked together in these sessions, to identify the strengths in what Richmond service agencies are already doing, opportunities to build on existing services, and recommended new actions. Bringing together all stakeholders for dialogue around community priorities is carving out a pathway for collectively transforming the East End into a vibrant, thriving community. We are excited to be at the center of this transformational action!