READI Chicago staff from all five community areas gathered this month for our quarterly all-staff retreat to share best practices, celebrate all the progress made this year, and recognize frontline staff and their critical contributions to working with READI Chicago participants. Staff also took a moment to acknowledge members of READI Chicago who have been with the initiative from its very beginning in September 2017.
With more than 110 staff across six partnering community organizations, coming together to share what each of our organizations is learning is crucial to helping us grow and to the overall success of READI Chicago. Each community presented on different ways to engage men at the highest risk of violence involvement, and outreach and transitional jobs partners shared how they work together or prioritize safety for staff, participants, and communities.
In addition to the learnings from READI Chicago staff and partners, the retreat also featured a presentation by Mark Sanders, of the University of Chicago and On the Mark Consulting, who discussed the effects of trauma, ways trauma affects both our participants and staff, and how frontline staff can practice self-care to avoid burnout and prioritize their own mental health.
