Julie’s Works
“I’ve been blessed to work in many different spaces over the years. I truly believe we are all in this together. I often refer to the honor of loving and raising each other up as ‘being apart of the village.’ Taking in information, learning how to give, how to receive or draw boundaries when necessary are all skills I continue to build up when working in relationship with others.”
- Julie, Weathervane Director
Science of Grief
Volunteer Coordinator
I was invited by Natasha T. Miller, the founder of Science Of Grief, to bring together licensed therapists and community members to be compassionate listeners for participants throughout the 14 hour event. Our resource table allows folks to engage with local and national organizations dealing with grief and loss; we also have an altar for participants to interact with.
Natasha and I met when she was reciting poetry at They Say in Detroit back in the early 2000’s. I followed her journey to bigger stages and when I learned she lost her brother in 2014, as I had in 1997, we connected further in the mission to hold space for grief.
The work is incredibly rewarding - it was a joy to witness artists, scientists, and comedians alongside community members. All experiencing all types of grief in their lives, while honoring the collective space of the stage to emote freely.
Grief Centered Groups, Workshops, and Retreats
Facilitator + Educator
Loss line development, verbal expressions, group poetry, and internal reflections can all act as vessels to process how we hold our grief. These are all examples of past collaborations I’ve participated in with other healers.
The types of groups that I have facilitated include: - long-term, loss-specific groups - mixed loss grief groups in schools, ranging from elementary to high school age students - spaces within conferences and events, assisting families in creating space for the anniversary of death for their loved one(s).
I cherish each of these experiences.
Memorialization, intentionally making room for our feelings of any kind, can be a special but very difficult thing to do. I’m blessed to assist in holding that space. Taking the group's lead while acting as an anchor are skills continually flexed in this work.
Peace for Paul
Consultant
Through my personal travels, I learned about Peace for Paul in Uganda. I have been engaged as a fundraiser/sponsor for this amazing group for 6 years.
Peace for Paul provides education and housing for youth in Eastern Uganda. I traveled to clients’ homes in Mwiri and 3 of the area schools that the youth attend.
I was immersed in a learning exchange with local psychologists, social workers, and caregivers. I visited schools in Eastern Uganda; I spoke with educators and students about systems of learning in the U.S. compared to Uganda. Lastly, I worked with their lead social worker/caregiver regarding social emotional learning programs within their communities.
One of my favorite quotes came from the wall of one of the schools I visited there. It read: "The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn." My head and heart still holds onto the lessons about the way we can educate young people with joy and affirmation, and how mental health as a whole is viewed in Ugandan culture.
Kids-Talk Children’s Advocacy Center
Children’s Forensic Interviewer
As a part of the interdisciplinary team in place for Child Welfare cases, I conducted interviews at Kids-Talk Child Advocacy Center of Wayne County, Michigan. When a report was received by the Department of Health and Human Services, or law enforcement, that a child may have been a victim of physical or sexual abuse, or may have witnessed a violent crime, I interviewed the child.
There are CACs (Child Advocacy Centers) in every county in the U.S. where interviews are performed and prevention/outreach services are offered to children and their families. Services vary at different CACs but may offer physical exams, group and individual therapy, community safety presentations and more.
The respect I have for the children who experience abuse and trauma, as well as the forensic interviewers who experience vicarious trauma, is insurmountable.
While working with Hamtramck High School, I created a team of educators to participate in phases 1 and 2 of the African American Student Initiative run by the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) focusing on cultural proficiency. I then went on to complete phase 3 which was a smaller group of educators focused on supporting each other in systemic ways to connect further with their community, through relationship building and policy change.
I then joined MDE facilitators in developing and delivering Cultural Proficiency curriculum for adults and student voice workshops specific to the MI-CAPP program. MI-CAPP serves under-resourced and first generation students from middle school up to graduate programs.
I always left sessions full of new perspectives and dynamic discussions regarding race relations, historical and current affairs regarding the culture of education. I highly recommend other educators to join this program as it expands across the state.
Michigan Department of Education
Cultural Proficiency Facilitator
Working nationally and internationally as a K-12 School Counselor has been exponentially rewarding. I’ve been able to work with rural, city, suburban, “gifted”, under resourced, and some of the most resourced students.
My love for creating and delivering curriculum around Social Emotional Learning, student leadership and grief work was present in each school. I’m also trained in Restorative Practices, having led and participated in restorative circles.
Some of my favorite experiences include:
- Cultivating and facilitating “Changing Families” groups, girls groups, as well as mixed loss and specific loss grief groups. - Creating school-wide memorializations and processes around grief, such as setting up triage areas. - Working overseas in Ecuador where I developed an entire Social-Emotional Learning curriculum and counseling program, in collaboration with the mental health team and teaching staff. - Weaving in my passion to learn and lead internationally, I was able to travel with students to Haiti, Malawi, and Nicaragua in cultural exchange through a buildOn club which I initiated and sponsored. - Running and participating in Challenge Days, sponsoring and creating groups like the Black Student Association and Educate, a social justice group aimed at cultural identity education for all. - Princess Prom, an all girls’ prom aimed at supporting our Muslim students, was also a unique and beautiful experience of the power of girls coming together from all backgrounds.
Here’s the link to a map of where I’ve learned and led with my staff and students.
I learned about Green Living Science in Detroit from the Recycle Here! program which is a hub of community arts here in the city.
Green Living Science seeks to educate youth about our environment through art and critical thinking. One of their initiatives is running a Summer Day Camp for the COTS program, which supports families in housing transition.
I trained to the Green Living Science staff on providing a Trauma Informed Space for the young people they serve.
We are always learning more about the brain and how our experiences affect us. Continuing to be a trauma informed and aware practice remains a priority for serving all ages.
Green Living Science Summer Camp
Consultant
Camp Sheilah is an annual Chicago-based 3 day camp serving families who have had someone die by homicide in their life. My role was to connect with Chicago residents, inviting them into the Camp Sheilah family as volunteers.
During camp itself, I ran transitions and announcements with my small but mighty volunteer squad. I also MC’d our Moving Forward Ceremony held with all the families of the young people who attended camp that weekend. I currently co-design and co-lead the Adult Grief Retreat for the family members. It’s a full day experience of healing, laughing and loving together.
I initially became involved in Camp Sheilah as a volunteer matched one-on-one with a camper for two years. I was then invited to become an organizer as the camp grew, and continues to grow.
This work has continued my learning of the large emotional spectrum that grief can represent for the supporter as well as the primary griever. No journey is the same.
Camp Sheilah
Operations and Volunteer Coordinator + Adult Retreat Leader
Comfort Zone Camp
Lead Counselor
Comfort Zone Camp annually offers 3 day grief camps serving young people ages 7-25. Everything we do at Comfort Zone Camp is a matter of challenge by choice. I aim to meet children in their comfort zones, building trust and increasing the ability to take safe risks with their actions and emotions.
After volunteering at a camp through my local grief program in Detroit, Sandcastles, I sought nationwide experiences. This search led me to volunteer at a Comfort Zone Partnership camp in Chicago as an individual “buddy” to a camper. I have since been a Lead Counselor for multiple programs in Virginia and California.
The growth, liveliness, and silence displayed through the many different personalities in a group is always a special and unique experience. I enjoy the reminder that the person who does not speak or look as if they aren’t “participating” is inevitably processing internally or learning from others’ experience.
Gift of Life Michigan
Organ Donation Coordinator
My brother was able to donate his kidneys, through Gift of Life, when he died. I was fortunate to be connected with this organization and work towards assisting others in metaphorically and physically extending lives.
I have communicated with medical teams all over the State of Michigan to match recipients on the registry with donors and arrange logistics to make transplants possible. After working as logistics coordinator, I began training as an on-site transplant coordinator. I had expressed my desire to eventually work directly with families.
It was a precious and amazing experience to work on these teams in such a personal and sensitive space, amongst the families and the donors.
Detroit Safety Team (DST), an Allied Media Project, supports Detroiters in their ability to navigate conflict, harm, and abuse via non-punitive practices, shifting the collective understanding of accountability and personal responsibility.
DST has been utilized by conferences like The Allied Media Conference, at events, within groups, and festivals where they can promote a culture of safety.
The tool of Pod Mapping is a great exercise I learned through this organization. It is often facilitated at events to assist others in identifying their current support system. This tool came from The Bay Area Transformative Justice Collective, you can find their explanation of how they use it and worksheet here.
