Last year, we shared some insight into how we do community-engaged research (CEnR) here at IWES. This quarter, we're diving further into this work to share information about our Community Institutional Review Board (IRB), a significant component of this work! Our IRB reviews the work of our divisions and programs and advises us on how to comply ethically and create projects that benefit our community, which is often not a part of more traditional IRBs.
 

This past September, Iman Shervington, our Director of Media and Communications, and Petera Reine Diaban, our Sr. Social Marketing Manager, represented IWES at the 2022 World Social Marketing Conference where they presented an innovative concept for understanding the intended audience of a social marketing campaign.The duo infused the principles of Carl Jung, the Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who founded analytical psychology, into the formative evaluation process of audience segmentation. Through core narratives from our short film New Nickels - an exploration of the healing journeys of five Black women living with HIV - they discussed the connection between Jungian archetypes and early trauma, and how one can use archetypes to understand some of the deeper motivating factors for Black women living with HIV that may live in their unconscious, or in their "shadow" selves. We're very excited to announce that Petera and Iman were recognized at the conference for their paper on the subject and they were awarded the Best Conceptual/Theoretical/Discussion Paper!

If you're fascinated by behavior change, we encourage you to learn more about the application of Jungian archetypes to social marketing below.

We're very excited to announce our partnership with the Georgia Health Policy Center (GHPC), home to Aligning Systems for Health, to bring the community to the forefront of efforts that align health care, public health, and social services. Together, GHPC and IWES will co-design strategies and practice guidance to catalyze alignment between community leaders and institutional partners from the health care and social services sector, all in efforts to address the systemic lack of equity, diversity, and inclusion embedded in many systems of [health] care, which ultimately leads to negative health outcomes that impact all of society.

Read more about our partnership with GHPC to push for systems-level changes while elevating community-designed and community-led solutions. 

This October we were awarded a competitive $1.2M grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to address Black youth mental health in Louisiana! We're joining seven other organizations across the United States to create three-year initiatives to demonstrate policy effectiveness to promote positive Black youth mental health, with a focus on suicide prevention. We're in the early planning phases of this amazing opportunity now, yet we look forward to working with and for youth to improve youth mental health, sustainably reduce Black youth suicide rates, and create more space for Black youth to be holistically healthy and thrive.
 

This September CADA Prevention & Recovery Center, a United Way Partner Agency, recognized individuals and organizations working to promote recovery, healing, and resiliency in our community at their CADA Awards luncheon. We are honored to have been chosen to receive the "Making A Difference" Award by CADA for our work to improve wellness in local communities through advocacy, health education, research, and direct services!

See who else was recognized during the ceremony for their impactful work by scrolling down CADA's Facebook page here.

 

We’re so excited to finally premiere our newest narrative feature film, Evergreen, a sequel to our previous feature Woke, which is screened in schools and community centers across Louisiana! With a new lead actor (some of you may guess why our previous lead wasn't available 😀) Evergreen picks up from Woke six months after Maisha moves to New York, leaving Brandon to deal with the reality of his unhealthy family life and the secrets of his past. Written, directed, and edited by our Director of Media and Communications, Iman Shervington, Evergreen stars Brandon Bracey, Destani Simone, Ariel Lucius, Lemetria Dillon, Aaron Romano, Samantha Beaulieu, and Dominique McClellan. It also has a cameo by our very own Health Educator, Kaelyn Charbonnet, and we're honored to have also worked with a very special talent, the late Mrs. Carol Sutton. We hope to see you at the 2022 New Orleans Film Festival, where we will also be a community partner (so follow our social to look out for free tickets and recommendations!!!), and if you miss the films in person, don't forget to check them out virtually! 

Virtual Screening

Available November 3 -
November 13

In October our Puentes Para Invitados team (including our IWES leadership, Media & Communications, and CHC team members) completed a third trip to New Mexico to continue making connections with local organizations and efforts being done to support migrants at the US-Mexico border. Keep an eye out for more information on this trip in our upcoming end-of-year newsletter!

"Happy Birthday, Leonard" is a narrative short that follows a high school student in New Orleans with an unhealthy home life on the worst day of his life so far; his 18th birthday.

"Mosaic" is a narrat8ive short that explores ideas of gender and masculinity among high school-aged youth growing up in New Orleans by following two best friends as they reveal their truths days before graduation. 
 

We are seeking a CHC Program Associate who will support all phases of the planning, implementation, and evaluation of the CHC (Collective for Healthy Communities) program. They will be responsible for coordinating day-to-day program operations, plans, and schedules to ensure effective and efficient program implementation.

This staff spotlight goes out to Danielle Keys, our Communications Coordinator here at IWES! Outside of creating beautiful work within our COMMS Team, Danielle (aka Danikeys) is a multidisciplinary artist who recently had her work on display at the Ogden Museum as part of an Abstract Nola exhibition. If you missed it, please enjoy the above photo of her work, and visit her website here to see more!

This August we were very were saddened to learn that Mr. Albert Woodfox passed away from complications due to COVID-19, but we know that his legacy will continue to live on to reform the prison and judicial systems. In his honor, we chose Solitary: Unbroken by Four Decades in Solitary Confinement. My Story of Transformation and Hope by Albert Woodfox for our book giveaway this quarter. In his memoir, he shares his life story, including his four decades in solitary confinement - 23 hours a day in a small cell - for a crime he did not commit. What makes his words incredibly poignant is the compassion, hope, and strength that he held that helped him emerge to become a vocal leader for change.  

To enter the giveaway, complete the brief form below by Monday, November 14th.