About Us

Project Rebirth advances its missions locally and aspires to impact communities globally. Community disaster and traumatic loss are part of the human experience. By partnering with renowned experts in the field of thought about resiliency and recovery education and training, the organization fosters initiatives that are professional, relevant and at the forefront of first response.

Though collaborations with Project Rebirth vary, all adhere to the following criteria:

• The organization/individual must be aligned with Project Rebirth's fundamental goal of better preparing first responders to serve others during mass trauma, natural disasters, and/or public loss.
• Collaborations must be comprised of leaders in the field of training first responders, and possess advanced knowledge about pre-trauma resiliency building and recovery training.
• Partners will also have cultural, professional and institutional experience in applying training scenarios that engage all levels of leadership - from senior executives to new recruits.

A Closer Look: Project Rebirth Partners with two Universities

Since 2007 Project Rebirth has led two strategic partnerships with Georgetown University in Washington DC and Columbia University in New York City. Leaders from these institutions have worked with Project Rebirth to develop new technology and advanced coursework that draws on the Rebirth documentary as a media tool.

Students utilizing Rebirth as a tool are pursuing coursework in human development, psychology, social work and education. Upon viewing the documentary with a professor, for example, they may then be asked to select clips from the film that demonstrate how a participant experienced grief, illustrating their own understanding of the unique process of traumatic loss. This practice, drawing on excerpts from real survivors of an actual traumatic community event, provides students with an intimate and highly innovative educational experience, which transcends traditional case-study analysis and demands their interaction with the film, while transforming the documentary into a hands-on teaching tool. Project Rebirth aims not only to educate in the classroom, but also on the front line of first response. Once students enter the field, they are encouraged to provide feedback about how the tool impacted their experience as professionals. This ensures the film, as an educational tool, is continually honed and improved.

Pilot programs are also being developed at leading, nationally recognized, public agencies and include the New York Police Department and Arlington County Fire Department among organizations.

If you are interested in partnering with REBIRTH or learning more about its partnerships and collaborations please send a Letter Of Intent of no less than two pages, describing your proposal, professional experience, and any other relevant information, by email to Caitlin Olson, Project Rebirth's Executive Director, at caitlin.olson@projectrebirth.org.