Our History
The Center for Social Justice and Trauma Responsive Care was established during the summer of 2020 by Linda Olson , Pat Brougham, Margaret Miles, Michael Reeves, and Marian Kurath. Our founding members specialize in areas of sociology, social work, and criminal justice.
The purpose of the Center was (and is) to be a hub for Rutland County resources and to fill gaps for schools, social service and criminal justice agencies. Additionally, the Center would work to ensure that our campus is one grounded in both social justice and trauma responsive care so that our students leave campus and enter their professional lives understanding the importance of both, broadening the Center’s work on the Trauma Studies certificate.
The core team faculty on the Castleton campus saw the Center as a sustainable and important force that would connect the public college more intentionally to the needs of larger Rutland County while also serving the needs of our students and campus community. The COVID-19 pandemic brought DEI, social justice issues, and the need for trauma informed (responsive) care to the forefront, but unfortunately those were often seen as separate issues rather than connected realities. The Center would focus on the interconnection of these issues, believing that one cannot look at social injustice as an abstract structural reality without acknowledging the trauma it has caused historically and currently in individual people. To look at trauma only as an individual tragedy without working to dismantle the structural inequalities causing the trauma is applying a band aid where a tourniquet is necessary. The emphasis on both social justice and trauma set us apart from other programs. Focusing on just one issue is not adequate to ensure lasting social change.
The Center worked with community partners to assess their needs over the next year and hosted a wellness conference on the Castleton campus for community providers in June 2022, 2023, and 2024. We were awarded a Bowse Health Trust grant through Rutland Regional Medical Center beginning January, 2023. This funding allows for paid leadership positions and training/conference costs. We provide training to local agencies, host a monthly luncheon to talk about community issues, and host an annual conference for first responders. We continue to work to build a mentoring program with VTSU Castleton students in the Rutland City Public Schools. We have expanded our training to Addison County via a VPLO grant.
In 2023, the Center established an advisory board with community providers and experts. In 2024, our core team was expanded to include Brittney Green (McNair), Debbie Warnock (McNair), Isa Drekter (Health and Wellness), and Jackie Eddy (Health and Wellness). We also established a collaborative relationship with the VTSU Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice.
Meet our Core Team
