The Heart of Virginia ABCD Network grew out of our 2021 learning cohort and 2022 community of practice. This group hosted an ABCD Overview workshop and Learning Cohort in the fall of 2023 with the support of Torrie Patterson of We Understand Youth, Callie Walker of Agrarian Commons, and Allison Crews of Natural pHuel (all 2022 Power Shift graduates). This year’s learning cohort introduced ABCD to institutional participants from the Virginia Cooperative Extension, Piedmont Health District, and engaged participants from Farmville Parks and Recreation, Contrast Counseling and The Interfaith Collective in a Power Shift Part 1 learning cohort throughout the fall of 2023. 

This regional network launched their first action team, teen talks, in the spring of 2023 and completed their first formal youth-led, youth focused listening project in the summer of 2023. Collaboratively, they are launching their second action team focused on youth wellbeing and creative expression focused in the winter of 2024 with their first initiative being a black history program in February. 

This group will continue their ABCD journey with three members receiving individual coaching and additional action teams in the works for 2024.