At Phenix Legacy peer mentoring is the foundation for all we do.  We strive to promote Post-Traumatic Growth in three key program areas:

• Peer Mentoring
• Family Support
• Work Resilience

PEER SUPPORT

• Phenix Legacy Coffee Hour

Every Tuesday at the Jesse Brown VA,  Post 9/11 veterans are welcome to meet for coffee and Panera pastries. During these weekly sessions, Phenix Legacy provides mentorship and support in addition to employment readiness assistance, linkage to VA, local, state and federal  benefits, referrals for mental health assistance and other services that promote empowerment, self-reliance, and independence. Best of all Veterans are able to meet with each other and talk about what is going on in their lives. There is no predesignated agenda, just great people and treats!

• One on One Peer Mentoring

No one understands the sacrifice of a veteran or first responders better than someone who has worn the uniform. Peer mentoring is a strategy for individuals with like experiences to gather, share, and explore ways to positively transform their lives. This approach reframes the way we look at Post-Traumatic Stress and it challenges each individual to make it into their own Post-Traumatic Growth. Peer Support Specialist are trained to encourage recovery and enhance the quality of life by providing a sense of hope and teaching new adaptive ways to thrive.

• Mentoring 2.0
  • Introduction to Whole Health  

VAs around the nation are building a more proactive and personalized health care system that honors Veterans’ service and empowers them to achieve their greatest level of health and well-being. This person centered approach involves peer support and outreach. In conjunction with the Office of Patient Centered Care and Cultural Transformation, Phenix Legacy is now teaching the Introduction to Whole Health Class.  Twice monthly, new veterans and family members are invited to explore their mission, aspiration and purpose during this time in their lives.

• Golf

Phenix Legacy and world-renowned trick shot artist, Peter Longo have partnered up to bring,  Phenix Legacy: Camp LiberTee 3-day golf clinic. This FREE clinic is for registered military veterans and first responders of all golfing experience, ability, and injury levels. This clinic brings peers together creating comradery in the open outdoors free from alcohol. So if you are a pro, proficient at getting the ball into the bunker, or anything in between this camp is for you.

• T.O.C.

Anyone in the military knows that all things important happen in the T.O.C (Tactical Operation Center). The same holds true for Phenix Legacy’s T.O.C, which stands for Trusting Our Community. T.O.C. is a Chicago mobile peer mentor concept. Trained mentors host meetings in predesignated areas of the community.  At times, there may be no pre-assigned topics, just a meetup area for warriors, first responders, and family members to gather and enjoy the camaraderie. Although our concept of peer mentoring may sound simple, the precise execution and delivery of our peer mentoring initiative is the reason why it has had such a life changing impact for many of our first responders, veterans, and their families.

FAMILY

• Baby Brigade  

The Baby Brigade parenting curriculum, developed by ZERO TO THREE, is a psycho-educational support group for Veteran parents who have very young children. Phenix Legacy staff are trained facilitators and are currently working with the Jesse Brown VA to offer meetups to Chicagoland area families.  

The goals of the Baby Brigade program are to help Veterans and their partners to (1) feel supported in caring for their young children, (2) feel connected to other Veteran parents and community-based resources, (3) consider ways of further promoting their children’s emotional wellness, and (4) strengthen their own self-care and wellness. Baby Brigade is compatible with the Strengthening Families Protective Factors Framework and works to promote parental resilience, social connections, knowledge of parenting and child development, and social-emotional competence of children.

Work Resilience ( Coming in Fall 2018)

• Career Commitment

The Career Commitment program is focused on keeping service members retained in the workforce. Legacy consultants do a 360 assessment of warriors’ work environment and make recommendations based on HR best practices.
Businesses and Warriors can also opt for the following support:

1. Employer briefing on military/first responder culture, which focuses on how to utilize the work ethic and strengths of service members
2. Employment seminars, which educate veterans on best practices when transitioning to civilian life; business etiquette, dress, and workplace expectations to ensure that military training and culture are not misinterpreted
3. Mentor workshops which develop and utilize peer mentor skills of both those who served and those who didn't. After attending both warriors and civilians will be better equipped at listening and communicating.    

• Phenix Legacy: TechOp (Coming Fall 2018)

TechOp Program was developed & implemented to promote a foundation of mentorship that reflects an empowerment standard to our service members. Under this standard, Phenix Legacy first addresses the initial need of guidance & support that those who are transitioning from service occupations are experiencing, then provides an assortment of academic, professional, and/or personal services that support the individual’s goals and address the obstacles to empowerment in the Tech industry. Service members (military, first responders and their families) attending the Phenix Legacy: TechOp program will obtain introductory, foundational and immersive enablement on emerging trends in the tech industry. This program, designed with key checkpoints, such as monthly meetups, mentorship roadmaps, and resource facilitation, will benefit the participants, providing them with information necessary to pursue further skills in areas such as data science, machine learning, artificial intelligence and more. Phenix Legacy:TechOp program establishes a group of 7-10 service members to include men and women in the armed forces, police, fire, and ems fields. Additionally, they can be active duty, veteran, have an injured status, and their families may participate as well. The groups would meet at Phenix Legacy's main office in Chicago, IL or a predesignated location in Schaumburg, IL or Elgin, IL for 2-3 hours each meeting with additional hours spent on assignments, follow-ups, and member-specific tasks completion. Our Program will begin in August of 2018 and continue monthly until August of 2019.