Vibrant Emotional Health Partners with NYC Department of Youth & Community Development to host Healing the Hurt Conference
Media Contact:
Divendra Jaffar, [email protected]
NEW YORK, NY – May 25, 2023 – Vibrant Emotional Health (Vibrant), one of the nation’s leading mental health organizations and the nonprofit administrator of the national 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, partnered with the NYC Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) to host the 8th Annual Healing the Hurt Conference. This year’s conference was themed around Connecting Hope to Action and focused on enhancing our collective impact toward healing our communities.
In her welcome remarks, Lisa Furst, Chief Program Officer at Vibrant Emotional Health, discussed the importance of the partnership between Vibrant and DYCD. “We are so thrilled that we are here for the 8th time partnering with our incredible community partner, DYCD. This would not happen without that partnership,” said Furst. “How do we heal? It’s not in isolation. It’s together and in relationship, and that’s what today is really about.”
In his welcome address, Keith Howard, Commissioner of the NYC Department of Youth and Community Development, described how one of the greatest advantages of serving this generation of youth is their openness about mental health, which creates more opportunities for open discussion. “We commonly say in the youth services industry that we have to meet young people where they’re at – but what does that mean?” said Howard. “We can’t regulate this in our office, and we can’t understand this behind our desk. We have to be in the community, the schools, the community centers, and where young people are to have these conversations.”
Healing the Hurt was initially launched in 2014 in response to a surge in community violence impacting youth-serving programs. DYCD and Vibrant Emotional Health have since collaborated to develop training programs that build the capacity of professionals to understand trauma and its impacts, identify and manage vicarious trauma in the workplace, and transform program practices through a trauma-informed lens.
From 2014 to 2022, seven in-person Healing the Hurt conferences were held, providing DYCDfunded program staff with valuable information, strategies, and insights about building trauma-informed programs that meet the needs of all youth and communities.
Vibrant’s groundbreaking emotional health solutions and support are critical in keeping people healthy and safe and providing essential services to communities when, where, and how they need them. In addition to the national 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, Vibrant’s outreach includes community wellness programs, nationwide advocacy and education initiatives to promote mental well-being, and leading-edge phone, text, and web-based hotline resources such as the Veterans’ Crisis Line, Disaster Distress Helpline, NFL Life Line and NYC Well. Vibrant currently serves more than 2.5 million people each year.
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About Vibrant Emotional Health
Vibrant Emotional Health is a non-profit organization that helps individuals and families achieve emotional well-being. For over 50 years, our groundbreaking solutions have delivered high-quality services and support when, where, and how people need it. We offer confidential emotional support through our state-of-the-art contact center and crisis hotline services that use leading-edge telephone, text, and web-based technologies, including the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, the Disaster Distress Helpline, the NFL Life Line, and NYC Well. Through our community wellness programs, individuals and families obtain the support and skills they need to thrive. Our advocacy and education initiatives promote mental well-being as a social responsibility. Each year we help more than 2.5 million people live healthier and more vibrant lives. We’re advancing access, dignity, and respect for all and revolutionizing the system for good. Visit vibrant.org. And follow Vibrant on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram
About New York City Department of Youth & Community Development
The New York City Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) invests in a network of community-based organizations and programs to alleviate the effects of poverty and to provide opportunities for New Yorkers and communities to flourish. Since 1996, DYCD has been committed to supporting New Yorkers of all ages through high-quality initiatives such as COMPASS afterschool, the Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP), Beacon and Cornerstone Community Centers, Adult Literacy and Immigrant Services, and Runaway and Homeless Youth. Visit nyc.gov/dycd to learn about DYCD’s funded services, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
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