06.03.20 Mental Health Wellness Update

While we all are telecommuting, OSFA will be sharing some ideas to boost your mental health during these difficult times. If you know of any videos, podcasts, articles, events, ideas, etc. that would be perfect to include in these emails, please send them along to Erica Tisdale at erica.tisdale@wisc.edu. Due to the deep anguish, frustration, and sorrow many of us are feeling due to the police-involved death of George Floyd and the ongoing racial injustice in this country, this week’s Mental Health Wellness message focuses on groups to engage with in our community to make a difference and a few resources to continue to work on yourself. For our team members who are personally affected by the racial injustice impacting our country and are suffering, we see you and we want to share the Audre Lorde quote – “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare”. Please take care of yourselves, make space for your own healing, and cultivate joy. Please reach out if you are struggling and there’s anything the team can do to assist.   Groups in Madison to Engage: This is merely an excerpt of groups in Madison that are doing work that has a profound impact on our community. There are many others that folks in our office are already engaging with thru donations and volunteer work that focus on a variety of different topics that are rooted in equity framework. Find an organization that works for you and make an impact!

• 100 Black Men of Madison – https://www.100blackmenmadison.org/
• The Beacon – https://thebeaconhelps.org/
• Boys & Girls Club of Dane County – https://www.bgcdc.org/
• Briarpatch – https://youthsos.org/
• Freedom Inc – https://freedom-inc.org/
• Free the 350 Bail Fund – https://freethe350bailfund.wordpress.com/
• Groundwork – https://groundworkmadison.com/
• Nehemiah – https://nehemiah.org/
• Urban League of Greater Madison – https://ulgm.org/
• Urban Triage – https://urbantriage.org/
• UW Odyssey Project – https://odyssey.wisc.edu/
• YWCA Madison – https://www.ywcamadison.org/

If you don’t have the funds or time available to contribute to these organizations, you can still engage with these organizations by following them on social media and learning about their experiences and causes. Many organizations will share templates of messages to send to your local government to show your support of their cause that only take minutes to send. Listen and contribute when you can. Recommended Movie: Just Mercy is currently free to stream on all digital platforms during the month of June. Recommended Podcasts:

• Code Switch – https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/
• Fare of the Free Child – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fare-of-the-free-child/id1138611256
• Intersectionality Matters – https://aapf.org/podcast
• Pod for the Cause – https://civilrights.org/podforthecause/
• Seeing White – https://www.sceneonradio.org/seeing-white/

  There are many other articles and books to read, podcasts to listen to, and videos and movies to watch to work on yourself and combat your own implicit bias.