Plan to Attend Colorado's Fall Veterans Reintegration Workshops

I had the pleasure of meeting Elizabeth Hawkins and Steve Robinson with ONE Freedom at my Boulder stop on this past summer's Moving a Nation to Care tour.

ONE Freedom is a Colorado Springs, Colo., nonprofit that offers free reintegration programs for returning veterans and their families. They've got two new workshops coming up on November 17 and December 1. Highly-recommended participating if you can.


In educational interest, article(s) quoted from extensively.

From ONE Freedom:

ONE Freedom, Inc., is offering its Fall 2007 reintegration workshops for Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom veterans and their family members, ages 18 and over, in Colorado Springs on November 17 or December 1, 2007.

The 1-day workshop “Strength after Service” provides returning Colorado veterans and families education and training on how prolonged stress changes the brain and body, and how specific, scientifically-based skills can improve the impacts. ONE Freedom’s training model re-frames the way warriors and their family members understand stress; and provides a normalizing look at how we are changed by experiences and what can be done to positively impact negative effects.

“Service members and their families are trained up for war,” said Elizabeth Hawkins, executive director of ONE Freedom, “and they need a vehicle for training down once they return home. ONE Freedom approaches reintegration from a bio-physical standpoint which is a non-stigmatizing and non-therapeutic way for them to better understand and take charge of the reintegration process.”

Local Nonprofit Offers Reintegration Workshops for Returning Veterans and Their Families in Colorado Springs on November 17 and December 1.

The 1-day workshops have been well-received by young veterans and family members, active duty and National Guard, with over 1,000 Colorado veterans and families having attended workshops since the spring of 2007. 1st SGT Shields of the Colorado Air National Guard reported, “I spoke to everyone in our unit, and they told me it was the best post-brief they’ve had on stress management.”

Taught by a team of military and civilian trainers, these 1-day sessions offer a new approach to issues of reentry into home, community and work.

Dates: November 17, 2007, 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
December 1, 2007, 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Location: La Foret Retreat and Conference Center
6145 Shoup Road, Colorado Springs, CO

Participation, meals and childcare are free of charge to veterans and family members with registration. Space is limited to 30 people. To register, e-mail register@onefreedom.org or call (303) 444-1221 or toll-free (888) 334-VETS.

ONE Freedom's mission is to teach audiences a ‘101 version’ of the neurophysiology of stress and to promote skills that elevate the ability to manage adverse life experiences.

For more information, visit www.onefreedom.org.


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