Intergenerational Healing & Communication Conference

Breaking intergenerational trauma is vital in helping immigrant and refugee families heal and thrive. Poverty, racism, sexual violence, and other forms of trauma can impact generations of families if not addressed.

This conference comprises of four workshops that will provide culturally-responsive strategies to break this cycle of trauma, improve healthy communication between generations of families, and ultimately strengthen family relationships. Social workers, educators, youth workers, healthcare providers, and anyone who works with immigrant/refugee families are encouraged to attend.

Attendees will:

• Learn 4 culturally-responsive and trauma-informed strategies to strengthen multigenerational immigrant/refugee families
• Network and share strategies with other professionals working with immigrants and refugees

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WORKSHOPS & FACILITATORS

Our Challenges in the Communication Process

Facilitated by Alejandro Maldonado (he/him)

• This workshop aims to create awareness about the possible barriers in the communication process of refugees and immigrant children (and USA-born children to refugee and immigrant families) in the context of the dual cultural framework.  The presenter will have a dialogue with the audience about challenges and suggest viable solutions to challenges presented by attendees.
• About Alejandro: Alejandro Maldonado Rodriguez is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT), certified coach practitioner, and nationally certified healthcare interpreter. Alejandro brings his experience of 30+ in the fields of community services, public policy, community and healthcare interpreting, and mental health work to the conversation about challenges encountered by refugees, immigrants, and their youth.

Heal Generational Wounds and Help Your Future Generations

Facilitated by Julie Vang (she/they/nws)

• Your past generations not only carried pain for you to endure, but they also carried resources and wisdom for you to live a free life. You’ll be guided through an interactive Family Constellations session, a group transformational practice that allows you to uncover the deep family and historical wounds passed down that keep you repeating patterns or traumas you no longer want or need in your current lives. This practice involves dynamic movement and tapping into the “energetic field" to connect with your families and ancestors, where you’ll receive the answers you need to resolve within your life and gain insight that’ll help future generations.
• About Julie: Julie Vang (she/they/nws) is the Founder of Im Soul Ready LLC, a generational healing, entrepreneur mentorship, and spiritual community for BIPOC and LQBTQIA+ folks co-creating a just and loving world. As a queer second-generation HMong American, Julie has been on a lifelong journey of reclamation. From communicating with spirits as a kid to suicidal attempts, and multiple career changes to being three and a half years sober, it put her on a path to healing, slowing down, and truly living life again. They have blended their life experiences with their innate gifts and the medicine of their ancestors. They are devoted to awakening people to their truth, inner freedom, and light. Whether it be through one-on-ones, ceremonies, social media posts, or on stages, Julie shows up with wholesome energy, soul-stirring wisdom, and emotional vulnerability that bloom seeds and actions of lasting transformation.

Filling the Acculturation Gaps: Building Bridges Across Generations

Facilitated by Zamzazm Dini, MA, LAMFT (she/her)

• Understanding the lived experiences of another builds empathy, compassion, and patience. Communicating across generations requires specific skills and emotional intelligence that are not innate. In this workshop, we will discuss the common misunderstandings that occur in immigrant intergenerational relationships and ways to navigate acculturation differences. The emphasis will be on building emotional closeness, practicing vulnerability, and expanding our expectations. 
• About Zamzam: Zamzam's passion and love for advocating for others developed from a young age. As a psychology major during her undergrad, she was able to begin putting the pieces together about how people interacted and develop her curiosities. Working with families and family systems is a huge part of addressing the issues that people of color face, every single day. As a first generation immigrant herself, she understands the difficulties of navigating the complex school system, college life, and all of life's transitions while balancing cultures. Zamzam has a Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy and is currently pursuring her PhD in Family Social Science at the University of Minnesota. 

Heal the Center, Heal the Whole: Emotional Health and (Emotional) Trauma Care for Building Stronger Relationship and Deeper Connection

Facilitated by Angela Hed Vincent (she/her)

• In this workshop you will learn the basics of EFT (a.k.a. Tapping). This simple and highly effective tool has many applications. Angela will be sharing how you can use it to release intense emotions during and after heightened states of stress and trauma, how to move more easily through feelings of frustration that get in the way of communicating with others, and how by tending to the pain within each individual in a family system, there is healing for all.
• About Angela: Angela Hed Vincent (she/her), owner of True You Tapping, is an EFT Master and Energy Medicine Practitioner. She helps her clients honor and release emotional trauma, dissolve blocks, collapse issues, and unearth their true potential, allowing them to use their biggest challenges as catalysts for transformation and pathways back to their truest selves... so they can navigate their lives with clarity and confidence. Angela introduces something new to the world of healing and wellness. She has developed a unique approach to burnout recovery and intuitive development and continues to create innovative programs to help people find their balance in various aspects of life. Learn more at: https://www.trueyoutapping.com