OUR WORDS HEAL
Building a citywide, stigma-reducing, eye-opening, honest conversation about trauma healing.
More than ever, people are talking about trauma, but not enough about trauma healing. Far too many are still unaware or altogether left out of the conversation. And the people leading the conversation are generally not those healing, and helping others heal from trauma.
The OUR WORDS HEAL campaign was designed to change this, and offer a platform that allows everyone to share and learn about how sustained traumatic stress impacts our communities, bodies, minds and spirits. Most importantly, we want to celebrate and honor how we heal.
The origins of OUR WORDS HEAL started with Drs. John Rich and Ted Corbin, both pioneers in healing the trauma wounds of young victims of violence in oppressed, underserved communities. Fundamental to this work has been to change the conversation around violence—from one focused on trauma and criminal justice to one focused on healing and social justice.
Dr. Ted Corbin is is a practicing emergency room physician, as well as professor and vice chair for research in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Drexel University. In addition, at the Dornsife School of Public Health at Drexel University, Dr. Corbin is an adjunct professor in the Department of Health Management and Policy and the director of the DrPH program.
Dr. John Rich is a professor of health management and policy and co-director for the Center for Nonviolence and Social Justice at the Dornsife School of Public Health at Drexel University. He is also a MacArthur Fellow, published author and frequent contributor to the conversation around sustained trauma resulting from violence in predominately Black and Brown communities.
Join and help shape our conversation.
Across the city, people and organizations have been embracing and partnering with this social media campaign as we seek to amplify community voices and first-person stories; ask thoughtful, thought-provoking questions; and seek to inform and affirm trauma healing in Philadelphia’s underserved, oppressed communities of color.
The Center for Nonviolence and Social Justice and its flagship program, Healing Hurt People, are joint efforts of Drexel University’s Dornsife School of Public Health and College of Medicine.
SUPPORTING PARTNER: THE HIVE AT SPRING POINT
Empowering young people to unleash their potential.
This life-saving conversation on trauma healing is funded by The HIVE at Spring Point.
SUPPORTING PARTNER: PHILADELPHIA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH
Helping the people of Philadelphia lead happier, healthier lives.
We're partnering to support each-others healing and public health messaging. Learn more about their work here.
PARTNER AGENCY: MIGHTY ENGINE
For an idea to change the world, it first must be heard and understood.
The strategists, designers and developers at Mighty Engine are committed to advancing vital causes through collective impact and systemic change. Their psychological, culturally-competent approaches fuel novel community-led solutions.
