Maine Resilience
Much of the novel Reaching Home is set in the author's adopted home state of Maine. In an effort to give back to the citizens of Maine, the author and publisher have donated use of the novel and copyright materials to Maine Resilience in interest of building resilience, readiness and response to any adversity.
About Maine Resilience
Our Partners
Maine Resilience teaches participants to manage adversity to bounce back more quickly. Benefits include improved morale, decreased medical and mental health problems, increased team spirit and cooperation, and better relationships among co-workers and community members.
How Maine Resilience Got Started
Maine Resilience began in January of 2007. A major focus of the program has been to obtain sponsorships and continuing support. In December of 2007, the program received a grant from the Cumberland County Emergency Management Agency which has allowed the program to offer five workshops each year in Cumberland County for the last three years. In addition a number of organizations have funded training programs for their employees and members. The program has been coordinated with the effort, materials and information offered by the American Psychological Association and the Maine Psychological Association through their Public Education Programs. Clark Associates has also provided funding for seminar training and promotional materials.
Maine Resilience will continue to seek support from business who pride themselves on the resilience of their company employees and products with the goal of making Maine Resilience self-supporting and self-sustaining.
Maine Resilience Goals to continue to
- Assist citizens of Maine in building resilience, readiness and response techniques needed to bounce back from tragedy - whether a national disaster, or a personal one.
- Train people with disabilities to utilize their untapped resilience skills to become trainers/coaches for Maine Resilience and conduct workshops to teach others the techniques needed to adapt in the face of disaster, and in the ups and downs of daily living.
- Recruit first responder professionals - fire fighters, police, EMT's, Red Cross personnel and other community leaders having resiliency skills, to be trained by Maine Resilience as trainers/coaches who will then conduct resiliency workshops for Maine businesses and the public.
- Invest in the citizenry of Maine to create a more effective and resilient response to crises. Both disabled people, and society as a whole, will benefit together by increasing resilience in communities.
- Teach participants to overcome adversity more quickly. Benefits include improved morale, decreased medical problems, better mental health, less sick time used, fewer accidents, better team spirit and cooperation, more rapport and relationships among co-workers and community members.
- Use story-telling to bring across the techniques of resiliency - permission has been gained, and use donated, for locally authored books, Reaching Home, and Duct Tape Isn't Enough, the readers and coaches guide to Reaching Home, to aide individuals and groups as they learn and teach the concepts and skills involved in resilience.
- Organize and conduct Train-the-Trainer workshops in the Portland and Bangor areas. Resilience Trainers/Coaches recruited will be disabled persons, emergency first responder personnel, and other community leaders. They will be compensated for their coaching time and expertise.
- Schedule conferences and mini-workshops with Maine businesses and community groups to provide resilience training workshops with continuing access to follow-up support sessions. A strong focus will be on partnering with local businesses and other Maine organizations for employee and citizen resilience training.
- Coordinate the program with existing efforts, materials and information offered and sanctioned by the American Psychological Association on resilience.
- Obtain sponsorships, partnerships and continuing project support from corporations, organizations, and foundations created on ideals in-line with the mission of Alpha One.
- Offer future components of Maine Resilience training tailored for: 1) schools, focusing on all grade levels; 2) pinpointing specific resiliency issues in time of war for Maine citizens; and 3) supporting Maine's war veterans and their families upon returning home.
- Offer Continuing Education credits for attendees participating in future Maine Resilience training sessions.
What Maine Resilience Needs Now
Your support! If you would like to be a sponsor, or would like to have your organization’s members/employees trained in resilience, contact Dr. Breazeale at rhcf@gwi.net, or call Alpha One at 1-800-640-7200