In this issue:

• Letter from the Executive Director
• News from the Field
• Upcoming Trainings
• Job Postings and Funding Opportunities 

Lately, I am hearing colleagues voicing the same things I am feeling. The words, tired, exhausted, burnout, unbalanced, overloaded, etc., keep coming up in casual and professional conversations. I believe that when someone is brave enough to say it outload, we all need to listen.

MAC has offered many trainings and even series of trainings on the topic of
Occupational Identity and burnout, especially in mission driven and victim centered work. We are proud to say that Dr. Johnanna Ganz, the leading expertise in this area, is a friend of MAC’s and has been influential in helping us work to create a healthy, supportive, and respectful work environment. I highly recommend watching one of their archived trainings on MAC’s member page.

Here’s the thing, even with all of the work MAC staff and board has done to create great work environment, unless as individuals we are utilizing the tools, policies, and autonomy that’s been implemented and afforded to us, we are just as susceptible to developing an out of balance occupational identity that leads to burnout, as anyone else.

I try to say this to others and myself when I sense they or I am teetering on the edge of being overwhelmed in our work;

1) Your/my mental and physical health is more important to the organization
than any one thing that is on your to-do list.
2) That one thing on your list that you are absolutely sure with fall apart, fail, or lead to catastrophe if you don’t finish it today or tomorrow, will survive if you step away for a day or even a week.
3) PTO belongs to you/me, not the organization. You/I should not need to get
permission to use PTO on days when we need to, and, we should be planning
to take at least a full week off twice a year, or more, depending on our PTO
accrual.

We all need to believe our work matters or we shouldn’t continue to invest in it. We all need to believe our personal well-being matters more, or we won’t be able to continue to do the work. We can’t not support others who need us, if we aren’t supporting ourselves, first.

I love having this conversation with other organizational leaders and staff and am happy to share what I/MAC has learned and continues to learn on our journey to be person centered organization.

In peace,

Bobbi

The Minnesota Restorative Services Directory for 2024 is now available. Click here to access the directory.

Minnesota Women's Press has a series on Re-Imagining Public Safety. Click here to read articles about myths of crime, housing issues, and much more.

Safety Net has put out a new resource “Encryption Basics for Programs Serving Survivors of Gender-Based Violence,” This brand-new guide is available in both English and Spanish.

The International Transformational Resilience Coalition (ITRC), Campaign for Trauma-Informed Policy and Practice (CTIPP), and Trauma Informed Oregon released a free handbook to help guide how communities proactively build population-level mental wellness and transformational resilience for climate change-related toxic stresses, emergencies, disasters, and the harmful individual and collective traumas they can generate.

The USDOJ COPS Office is pleased to release a new publication: Operationalizing Proactive Community Engagement: A Framework for Police Organizations. 

New Research from Lehigh University Highlights Link Between School Shootings and Violence Against Women, finding “that 70% of school shooters have perpetrated violence against women.” 

Pew Charitable Trusts recent article about the power of the lived experiences of people who have survived suicide ideation or suicide attempts.

The Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) is pleased to announce the availability of Professional Development Scholarships to those who work with victims of crime. The program provides up to $1,500 for individuals, $2,500 for individuals whose participation in the event requires traveling to or from the contiguous United States, and up to $7,500 for multidisciplinary teams of victim service professionals seeking education opportunities. Click here for more information.

Teaching Parents to Protect Kids from Financial Sextortion article from OJJDP.

Legislative Updates

The Hennepin County Attorney's Office has started a video series highlighting bills in the state legislature that they are supporting. Starting with the coalitions $20 million dollar CVS funding request. The series is called No Fear or Favor, you can access it on YouTube.

MAC has created a new Public Policy page on our website that lists all the bills we are supporting as well as links to recordings of relevant committee hearings. Click here to access the page.

Save the date!

Action Day at the capitol is now April 3rd, 2024. Please join us in-person to pack the rotunda and make our voices heard. 

Have clients who have expressed interest in talking to lawmakers or getting involved in activism? Invite them to Action Day! 

Fundamentals in Victim Services 201

An online training for experienced crime victim services professionals

Wednesday, March 20th and Thursday, March 21st

8:30am-4:30pm

The March 2024 Fundamentals in Victim Services 201 Training is a virtual training for experienced victim advocates to expand and deepen their core knowledge and skills in providing victim-centered services. This training is designed for victim advocates who have been in the field for 5+ years.

Topics covered in this training:

• The science behind intergenerational trauma, and how to work within family systems
• The value of control and how to work with victims to understand how they can use control to empower themselves
• Occupational Identity (OI) and how to sustain your work for an entire career
• Facilitated networking session with fellow participants
• Putting inclusion into practice with an equity tool
• How to manage people effectively and create a positive work environments.

Click here for full agenda.

Registration is free for MAC Member programs and $50 for non-members. 

Already attended 201 in 2023 and just want to attend the new sessions? Register for the event and join sessions when you can!

Exploring the Intersections Between Substance Use, Domestic Violence, & Other Crimes

Free Webinar

April 11th, 2024

12pm-1:30pm CT

Substance use coercion and problematic substance use are common challenges faced by victims of domestic violence. Victims may also be involved in other crimes as a result of substance use coercion and/or domestic violence. But crime victim service providers are often not equipped to address substance use and vice versa. As an organization with both domestic violence and substance use disorder programs, Missions Inc. Programs is in a unique position to address the intersection of these issues for the people we serve. During this presentation, staff working in both areas will share data and anecdotal experience to illustrate how providers across fields can better address these intertwined issues for clients. 

Presenters: Veronica Hardaway, Missions Inc.’s Hart House Program Manager; Elsa Swenson, Missions Inc.’s Home Free Community Program Manager; Sarah Busch, Community Engagement & Outreach Manager at Missions Inc. Programs

This webinar is free for all to attend. The webinar will be recorded and the recording will be made available exclusively for MAC members.

Improving Youth Interactions Through Fair and Impartial Justice is a two-day training hosted by the National Criminal Justice Training Center. Built on evidence-based principles, this training curriculum supports law enforcement in fostering strong community relationships, enhancing interactions with youth, and creating effective interventions to divert at-risk and minority youth from the justice system. Improving procedural justice efforts in the juvenile justice system offers an unmatched return-on-investment for law enforcement agencies. March 14th and 15th, $325. Click here to learn more.

Verbal and De-Escalation and Conflict Resolution. Presented NCJTC. Learn how de-escalation techniques and communication skills can potentially defuse tense situations and lead to more successful outcomes. March 6th-7th, 10am-2pm, virtual, $225. Click here to learn more.

NOVA’s 50^th Annual Training Event: Registration is now open for NOVA’s 50^th Annual Training Event. The conference will be held in Washington D.C. from July 29^th – August 1^st, 2024. MAC staff member Becca Muskat and MAC board member Maddie Haeg will be presenting a session on July 30th!

EmpowerHER: Black Women's Leadership Training, an empowering and transformative experience designed to cultivate leadership excellence among Black women. May 1-2, 9am-4pm EST. Early bird discount: $250. Click here to register.

A Personal & Professional Perspective on Transitions: Supporting Queer and Trans Youth. Presented by:  Minnesota Association for Children's Mental Health. March 1st, 9am-12pm CT, $45. Click here to register.

Healing-Centered Engagement: Compassion, Connection, Community, Curiosity, and Ceremony. March 5, 12:00 - 2:30 p.m. CT. Hosted by: Minnesota Association for Children's Mental Health. Cost: $30. Register here.

Adverse Childhood Experiences & Comprehensive Trauma-Informed Care Training. March 25 - 26, 8:30am-12:30pm CT. Hosted by: Zero Abuse Project. Cost: $116 - $155. Register here.

Save the date: Mending the Sacred Hoop in partnership with the Office of Justice Programs, is offering a day and a half Transformative Adaptation Institute. Two dates and locations to choose from: May 1st and 2nd in Cass Lake, MN or May 7th and 8th in Welch, MN. Registration coming soon.

Free virtual conference: KNOW MORE Global Dialogue Series symposium focused on technology's positive and negative impacts on domestic and sexual violence. NO MORE will convene experts, advocates, and innovators from across the world for a one-day virtual event, which will explore how tech. is being used to stalk, harass, and harm survivors, but also how it’s being used to enhance safety and connectivity. March 4th and 5th.

The Hennepin County Attorney's Office is hosting a community conversation at Midtown Global Market, March 12th, 5:30pm CT on the New U and T Visa Policy which removes obstacles that could have discouraged victims from reporting crimes. This free event has food provided, register here.

Jobs and Funding Opportunities:

Activating Change, a Deaf advocacy organization, is hiring for 2 roles currently. Check out their careers page for more details.

The Minnesota Elder Justice Center is hiring a Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) Coordinator to coordinate and support a vulnerable adult/elder abuse MDT in St. Louis County, MN.  Click here for more information.

Healing Justice is hiring an Attorney (Contract) and a Digital Media and Communications Specialist (Contract). Click here to apply.

Crime Victim Grant Manager Positions now open at the Office of Justice Programs. To see the full postings and to apply, go to the  Minnesota Careers Website, click on “Search Open Positions” and search for Job ID 73890 and Job ID 73909.  These postings will close March 5, 2024.

The Office of Justice Programs is also looking for a Director of the Office of Restorative Practices. To see the full postings and to apply, go to the  Minnesota Careers Website, click on “Search Open Positions” and search for Job ID 73867.  These postings will close March 13, 2024.

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The Bush Prize: Minnesota celebrates organizations that are highly valued within their communities and have a track record of successful community problem solving. Bush Prize grants can be used to build up reserves, test that next big idea, or whatever else would best support the organization's ongoing good work. The grant amounts are up to 25 percent of an organization’s most recent fiscal year expenses, with a maximum of $500,000. Bush Prize: Minnesota will open on April 1, 2024. 

Each year, the Smart Family Fund make several grants ranging from $25,000 to $100,000. When it finds an organization that is making significant advances, it works with them to grow their programs and get them ready for more significant funders who can support them through the growth phase.

Capacity Building Competitive Grants: The Office of Adult Career Pathways, an office within the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, is soliciting applications for funding Capacity Building to eligible Minnesota community-based organizations to increase their capacity to provide workforce services and related training to historically underserved communities of color or low-income communities. Please click here for full RFP and here for Application Packet.

Diversity and Inclusion for Small Employers: The Office of Adult Career Pathways, an office within the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, is soliciting applications for funding Diversity and Inclusion training to eligible Minnesota small businesses to increase their ability to engage, hire, and retain people of color in a variety of roles. Please click here for full RFP and here for Application Packet.

MAC is a membership coalition of more than 90 crime victim service providers in Minnesota, including prosecution-based victim/witness programs, community programs, law enforcement agencies, and individuals committed to supporting crime victims. We support our membership through training, technical assistance, resources, public policy and legislative initiatives, and networking opportunities.

To join our coalition of Minnesota crime victim service programs, click here.

Want to share something in next month's newsletter? Email Becca!

Staff Contact:

Bobbi Holtberg, Executive Director

bobbi@mnallianceoncrime.org

Amee Krogfus, Director - Operations

amee@mnallianceoncrime.org

Becca Muskat, Director - Training

becca@mnallianceoncrime.org

www.mnallianceoncrime.org

MISSION

The Minnesota Alliance on Crime advances a collective movement to eliminate the systemic barriers experienced by people impacted by crime.

VISION

The Minnesota Alliance on Crime envisions a world where people impacted by crime, particularly those who are historically marginalized, can heal, achieve justice, and restore balance to their lives.

VALUES

Equity • Trauma-Responsive • Centering Survivors •  Solidarity