DAY 2 : Kai Cheng Thom - Growing In the Wild Garden: Trauma, Resilience, and Conflict in Community Work
.webp)
What do we really mean when we seek out "trauma informed" approaches to public service and community organizing? How can we build radical mental health and wellness approaches into the work of service and social justice when that work inevitably brings up conflict and stressful change? What is the difference between centering trauma and centering resilience? Somatic coach, consultant, and conflict resolution practitioner Kai Cheng Thom explores these fundamental questions in her keynote address. Grounded in the neuroscience of trauma as well as over a decade of experience in mental health and community organizing practice, Kai Cheng will provide participants with a nuanced lens for understanding trauma as well as several practical frameworks and strategies for promoting community resilience and collective liberation in the context of service provision. Kai Cheng will also provide a brief introduction to her Loving Justice model, a spiritual and somatic lens on conflict resolution and trauma.Instagram: @kaichenthom; Twitter: @razorfemme
Kai Cheng Thom is an author, community worker, somatic healer, lasagna lover, and wicked witch based in Toronto. She has spoken and published widely on the topics of trauma, transformative justice, and mental health. A former clinical social worker, Kai Cheng has also spent over a decade working in public sector mental health with LGBT youth and their families, an experience that continues to inform her work today. She is also the author of four award-winning books, including the Stonewall Award-winning essay collection I HOPE WE CHOOSE LOVE.
