Social workers, law enforcement officers and two School Board members were among those who filled the room for the inaugural public meeting of Peace4Gainesville, a new initiative aimed at tackling childhood trauma and the many social problems that arise from it.
Signs of possible trauma in various age groups were described at the meeting and lists of people who should be alert to it -- doctors, teachers and police among them -- were handed out. Also discussed were the ways, once alerted, that people can get help for the kids.
“The bottom line is, we want to change the entire community's perception about children who are experiencing trauma,” said Teresa Drake of the University of Florida Levin College of Law. “What's unique in Gainesville is the town and gown -- UF and the local community. I hope this will be a blending of what we are training our new professionals with what our current professionals know are best practices.”
[For more of this story, written by Cindy Swirko, go to http://www.gainesville.com/art...&tc=pg&tc=ar]
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