The Drew Lewis Foundation will host screenings of the film, Resilience: The Biology of Stress and the Science of Hope December 7 and 14 at the Moxie Cinema.
To understand why these screenings are being held, it's important to know the back story.
Meghan Storey, director of RISE Fairbanks, became intrigued with the science of hope during a talk on the subject nearly two years ago at a local conference. The goal of RISE is to help people reach independence through support and education. There have been 374 people served by the program. One hundred and two are currently being served, according to Storey.
She’s seen people who have experienced trauma go through RISE – some who were resilient through it all and some who weren’t. She wondered why that was.
"What's the difference between individuals who, you know, have the high trauma and are able to accomplish amazing things and individuals who...experience trauma and are not able to move forward in the same way?" she asked.
Inspired by that talk and the book, Hope Rising, Storey and her team began to incorporate more intentional coaching and classes in the RISE program. She said the idea is that hope is not just a feeling – hope involves having goals, willpower and pathways. RISE helps people identify all three.
"We believe that if an individual has the capacity for hope, they have the capacity to not only plan but also move forward and start achieving those goals," she said.
Storey hopes that the screenings of the film, Resilience: The Biology of Stress and the Science of Hope will help people become hope givers. Anyone can become a hope giver, according to Storey. Even a person who helps talk someone through a need falls into that category. She says it just takes passion for being there for your fellow community members.
She hopes the events on December 7 and 14 will allow people to learn more about the hope movement and how it's going to take everyone to be able to make a significant impact.
Tickets to the film screenings are free, but space is limited.