Building Community Resilience Learning Collaborative Convenes in Portland, OR


June 4, 2019

Center for Community Resilience

On November 14 - 17th, 2017, Building Community Resilience (BCR), a national collaborative at the Redstone Center, convened partners from its five test sites (Washington, DC; Dallas, Texas; Portland, Oregon; Cincinnati, Ohio; and Wilmington, Delaware) as well as additional observers from around the country. The convening, held in Portland, brought together more than 100 individuals from education, pediatrics, juvenile justice, government, and other sectors to learn from one another with a particular focus on implementing trauma-informed approaches in a range of settings. BCR released two videos at the national meeting: an overview of the BCR process in communities and the collaborative’s growth over two years: “BCR 2017: Two Years Into Our Journey” and the BCR approach in schools: “Reading, Writing and Resilience.”

Created and led by Wendy Ellis, Building Community Resilience (BCR) is a national collaborative that seeks to improve the health and life outcomes of children, families, and communities. Teams in five cities across the country are using the BCR process and tools to help their communities not only ‘bounce back’ in the face of adversity, but bounce forward. Over the past three years, BCR teams have helped build and strengthen the buffers that can prevent negative outcomes associated with adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), particularly in the context of adverse community environments (ACEs)— the “Pair of ACEs.” Ellis and Dr. Bill Dietz are co-principal investigators on the project.