Help Upstream #WelcomeHome the community with a financial contribution here!
Learn more about our Memory Rock Wall Campaign, and Reserve Your Rock!
Drawing of Upstream's (new) property by Demo Yaden.
When Upstream hosted its recent strategic planning session, the facilitator asked us to imagine a reporter coming to interview us in five years to talk about our accomplishments. In this prompt, we were asked to dream about what was different and better about Upstream in the future. From this activity, we developed our #WelcomeHome Practical Vision pillar to focus on creating a safe and welcoming space for the staff and community, that guarantees resources and support are accessible to our neighbors who need the connection.
When we imagine this space, we envision a space that can serve as a training location, has space for support group meetings (both under Upstream's umbrella and in the broader community), has availability for one-on-one meetings for our Peer Recovery Coaches and other staff, houses Recovery Cafe JoCo (with a version for youth!), and has office space for the growing Upstream staff.
But most importantly, we envision a place for individuals to come as they are and just "be" in a community that welcomes them.
Social connection is one of the strongest protective factors for continued recovery, positive mental health, and perceived high quality of life. The space Upstream owns will house all of our initiatives, and allow us to increase social connection within and between the volunteers, key stakeholders, and the general community within our many initiatives. More than just an office space, our new location will allow us to provide resources, build social connections among individuals who may feel ostracized because of their past decisions and experiences, give them a positive outlet to give back to the community and provide a space for individuals to serve as a role model for those following in their footsteps.
Powerful healing and connection are available to us when we give beyond ourselves, feel seen for who we are, and are welcomed with open arms.
Upstream has not been able to fully utilize the passion of the (broader than just substance use) recovery community related to outreach and volunteering, as we haven't had a space to launch outreach effectively, or have a designated, public-facing space for individuals who need resources to come in person. When our new space is opened to the public, we expect this program to positively impact the individuals who are our strongest volunteers (by having a space that they can utilize for their initiatives) for the Suicide Prevention Coalition, ATLAS, Empower Johnson County, Empowered Youth, RISE Recovery Coalition, and the Recovery Café JoCo.
Help us #WelcomeHome the community with a financial contribution below. Right now, all donations are being matched $1 for $1 by the Johnson County Community Foundation's Capital & Capacity Building Matching Grant, made possible by The Lily Foundation.