CAMBRIDGE, MA., JULY 9, 2015 — East End House was recently chosen to serve as a Brain Science Cohort site and will take part in Change in Mind: Applying Neurosciences to Revitalize Communities, an exciting 3-year initiative of the Alliance for Strong Families and Communities, in partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and the Norlien Foundation. Change in Mind will demonstrate the larger impactful role of the nonprofit sector as educator, convener, advocate, and true influencer of getting appropriate systems aligned with brain science. The initiative will identify, support, and evaluate the processes that the 15 Cohort organizations in the U.S. and Canada will use to influence local, state and national systems in a way that creates positive long-term outcomes for youth and families. As a Cohort site, East End House will have the opportunity to advance its work on creating environments conducive to learning for youth who have had Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), while disseminating best practices to the wider community, state networks, and nationally through the Alliance. East End House is uniquely committed to accelerating the integration of brain science research into the work of the nonprofit sector and larger policy frameworks. "The participation of East End House in this exciting initiative shows that there is no more uniquely qualified sector than the nonprofit to lead larger systems change, by aligning policy, regulatory, and fiscal areas into alignment with the brain science." — Susan Dreyfus, President and CEO of the Alliance East End House is taking the lead in guiding and accelerating this work locally. At the same time, the agency hopes to serve as a demonstration project for the rest of the Cohort and the country, as a knowledge broker offering evidence-based best practices that can be disseminated. "East End House is excited to be a part of the Brain Science Cohort. Participation in the Cohort will allow us to bring innovative, new approaches grounded in the best practices and research available to our agency and community." — Michael Delia, East End House President and CEO The organizations in the U.S. chosen by an independent selection committee through a competitive application process include: |