211 Talks

Helping those who help others

Thank you for attending the inaugural 211 Talks! The event provided a chance for hundreds of service providers to become more informed, connected, and empowered as they continue to work tirelessly to meet the needs of others. The daylong breakout sessions covered an array of topics that allowed exploration into the evolution of social services and self-care as it relates to helping others within our established systems.

If you are interested in staying up to date on next year's event and other 211 announcements, please subscribe to the 211 Newsletter.

Subscribe Now

Partnering with 211 to Get Great Stuff Done
Presenter/Facilitator: Dr. Andrea Wallace, Dr. Nasser Sherera, Lance Spencer, Britnee Johnston

This session will explore experiences and outcomes of three projects in which programs at the University of Utah have collaborated with 211 to conduct projects aimed at better understanding the needs of Utahns for social and health-related needs.

At the end of this session, attendees will be able to:

Describe the process for working with 211 to procure and analyze data
Describe how 211 data have been applied in novel ways, and the implications of these projects on future policy initiatives

How 211 Data Can Help Drive Your Decisions
Presenter/Facilitator: Anna Fonnesbeck & Gloria Casteneda

View the Presentation

Did you know that during the process of connecting callers to resources, 211 gathers many points of demographic and needs-related data that may help you illustrate the needs present in the community you serve? For example, it might be helpful to know how many single parents call from a particular zip code, what top met or unmet needs are presented in your city, or what the outcomes are for callers needing rent payment assistance in your county. In this session, Gloria and Anna will review the types of data available from 211, the online tool for accessing much of the data, and how to request specific data reports. Outcome:

Become familiar with the data 211 has available, how it might be meaningful to your work, and how to get access to it.

Healing from Guilt and Shame
Presenter/Facilitator: Esterlee Molyneux

Guilt and shame often go hand in hand, but they are different and distinct emotions. Guilt is adaptive and can be helpful. Shame is an intensely painful feeling that comes from believing something is wrong with us, therefore we are unworthy of love and belonging. Shame is much more likely to be the source of destructive and hurtful behavior. So how do we let go of shame?

This interactive workshop will explore guilt, shame, and how to heal from the negative impacts these emotions may have on your life. Self-compassion is key, as is the self-talk we engage in constantly. What is the theme of our internal chatter? How does it affect us? What type of judgement do our thoughts place on others? How can we improve our self-talk? How do we practice self-compassion?

The tips and tools discussed in this workshop can be used with children, our partner, co-workers, clients and above all, ourselves. Participants will receive a keepsake to help remember a particular point of the presentation. Material based off the renowned work of Drs. Brene Brown, Kristin Neff and Shauna Shapiro

DWS Essentials: An Overview of Services
Presenter/Facilitator: Gina Sanchez & Patrick Concepcion

View the Presentation

Since being created in 1997, the Utah Department of Workforce Services has sought to provide services consolidating employment and public assistance programs. There are more than 2,200 Workforce Services staff assisting individuals in preparing for and finding jobs, meeting workforce needs of Utah businesses, administering temporary assistance, and providing economic data and analysis.

Through a collaborative approach, the department has served millions of Utahns and has become a leader on several statewide initiatives. These include intergenerational poverty, homelessness, affordable housing, supporting refugees, helping rural communities, serving veterans and individuals with disabilities, and getting Utahns trained and back to work.

This presentation will better illustrate the wide variety of services DWS offers to the people of Utah and the different ways to access them.

Money Management for Nonprofit Practitioners
Presenter/Facilitator: Martha Wunderli

Human service practitioners work closely with people who are high risk of financial disaster caused by a variety of factors that are often shared by us! These include lower wages, income volatility, inter-generational poverty, paycheck to paycheck financial planning, lack of emergency savings, medical emergencies, student loan debt, change of family circumstances and use of high interest financial products when the inevitable unexpected crisis occurs.

This session provides helpful financial self-help strategies and products for nonprofit professionals. Please join us if you, a coworker or someone you supervise is among the 59% of Americans who worry about their personal finances.

Making a Case for Cultural Competency: Meet People Where They Are
Presenter/Facilitator: Shirley Draper

If you work with or serve individuals from a different culture or background than yours, best practice dictates that you learn how to best interact for better outcomes. Benefits of building an organization's cultural competence are: Increased respect and mutual understanding among those involved; increased creativity in problem-solving through new perspectives, ideas, and strategies; decreased unwanted surprises that might slow progress. This session will help participants examine cultural biases and learned prejudices and increase active listening and effective communication along with other suggestions for internalizing culturally responsive practices.

Meetings that Matter
Presenter/Facilitator: Tyler Asman

View the Presentation

Results-Based Facilitation, based on work by Jolie Bain Pillsbury, starts with the belief that conversations are at the center of our ability to create the conditions that we want for our children, families, and community. Holding the kinds of conversations that support people to work together differently is difficult, but can be practiced and learned. Participants will understand why meetings matter for results and elements of planning effective meetings, they will receive templates for facilitator’s agendas, a decision-making matrix, and a toolkit of meeting processes.

Suicide in Utah: The Problem, the Altitude Hypothesis, and Research at the University of Utah
Presenter/Facilitator: Dr. Douglas Kondo

View the Presentation

Suicide and suicide-related behavior are important public health problems in Utah. For example, according to the CDC, Utah’s adult population has the highest annual rate of suicidal thoughts (6.8%) among the 50 states, a rate more than 3 times that of Georgia (2.1%). Statistics also show that among Utah children ages 10-17, suicide rose by 141% from 2011 to 2015. One theory is that the Intermountain West’s higher rates of suicide may be attributable to altitude, and the decreased oxygen content in the bloodstream in residents of moderate altitude like Salt Lake City, Denver or Albuquerque. Moreover, the association between altitude and suicide exists in Europe, Asia, and South America. At the University of Utah, researchers are combining magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans that measure patients’ brain chemistry, together with clinical trials of natural treatments for suicidal ideation, bipolar disorder, and major depression. These studies connect with the altitude hypothesis because that theory suggests that similar to how muscle fatigue occurs easily at increased altitude, brain energy metabolism is also altered. Thus the natural treatments designed to improve the brain’s energy supply, may also lead to treatments for high-altitude depression, and for patients with hypoxic medical conditions such as COPD, asthma, and sleep apnea. In closing, some of the new university- and community-based suicide prevention programming and resources will be highlighted. The presentation’s desired outcome is for attendees to gain an understanding of: 1) The scope of the problem of suicide in Utah; 2) The “Altitude Theory” of suicide proposed by psychiatry researchers at the University of Utah; 3) The current research studies open to Veterans, that feature brain imaging and/or natural treatments; and 4) Local suicide prevention efforts supported by the University of Utah.

Why Mental Health First Aid (MHFA)?
Presenter/Facilitator: Amy Mikkelsen

This session will walk participants through the components of Mental Health First Aid and why it is an important tool for helping people who may be developing a mental health disorder or are in crisis. It will also provide resources for connecting participants with MHFA instructors in their community, so they can provide this training to their own group or organization. Disclaimer: This is not an actual MHFA training and is intended for informational purposes only.

GRATIshift: Harnessing the Power of Gratitude
Presenter/Facilitator: Tony Child

Leaders that operationalize a culture of gratitude in their companies experience a host of positive outcomes that show up at the bottom line. Individuals that harness the power of gratitude in their lives experience higher levels of happiness. During this one hour presentation, participants will learn why gratitude matters in life and how it can make a significant impact to their organization and the people around them. Changing culture starts by understanding the psychology of employees and how they are showing up to work each day. By gaining an understanding that employees are showing up either positive or negative is a significant first step. Participants will leave with access to a variety of tools and technologies that will help them shift their life and the results their achieving. Participants will learn the following:

Power of culture (both personal culture and organizational culture)
Need for leaders to own their individual culture and the various culture with which they are embedded
The power of practicing gratitude daily

How do I know if this is workshop is right for me?

I know someone who suffers with depression and/or anxiety (possibly me).
I am exhausted and feel like life shouldn’t be this hard.
I want to be more engaged with home and work. I want a greater work/life balance.
I love the practice of gratitude and want to learn more.

The Role of Diversion in the Homeless System
Presenter/Facilitator: Patrice Dickson

What is diversion? Why is it important? This presentation will discuss the role of diversion and its impact on clients, the homeless system and the community. Participants will learn how to access diversion services for their clients and the benefits of diversion. The workshop will explore what diversion is and is not; looking at a client-focused strategy at the front door of the shelter as a safe alternative to shelter entry. Diversion includes trauma awareness, looking at barriers and client strengths and using skills of conflict resolution, mediation, and active listening. Data will also be addressed as an effective tool to show successful outcomes and impact on the homeless crisis response system.

EveryDay Strong: A New Approach to Anxiety and Depression
Presenter/Facilitator: Michelle Porcelli

We're on a mission to build resilient kids and strong communities.

In 2013, 17% of kids in Utah County said they felt hopeless or sad almost every day for two weeks or more in a row. In 2017, 25% said yes. Every year, the number of children and teens experiencing deep anxiety and depression is going up. If you're like most people, you're wondering, what's the solution? What can I possibly to do help the people around me?

Here's a new way to think about it:

We all know that a kid who's hungry can't focus on making good grades. But kids have other needs that are just as important. They need to feel safe. They need to feel connected to the people around them. And they need to feel confident in their abilities and skills. If your friend was having an asthma attack you wouldn't say, "What’s causing this?" Instead, you'd waste no time in figuring out what her needs are: can she breathe? Does she need to sit down? Then you’d work hard to meet those needs.

Emotional well-being isn't that different.

When our needs to feel safe, connected, and confident are met, we thrive. As a parent, grandparent, teacher, friend, or neighbor, you can start building everyday resilience by building safety, connection and confidence in the children around you.

211 Gives Help and other Volunteer Connectors
Presenter/Facilitator: Panel: Kellie Oler (UWUC), Sara Dorsey (UServe), Marke & Lynne Johnston (Just Serve), and Rebecca Van Maren (SLCC Thayne Center for Service & Learning), Melissa Bowers (Sundance Institute)/ Moderator: Stephanie Rokich (UWSL)

211 not only is a connection line for people who are seeking help, but also serves as a connection tool for those who are looking to give help. Providers can tell us about volunteer opportunities and we will then refer callers looking for volunteer opportunities to them. We appreciate at United Way the benefits of volunteerism. The increased capacity it gives to agencies, the ways it benefits our communities and culture, and the huge benefits that the volunteers themselves experience. 211, however, is just one of the many resources for volunteers and agencies that depend on volunteers, and we are so grateful for our panel members who made it today who can talk about some of those resources.

211 Talks

Break Out Sessions