November 2023

The Attachment and Trauma Networks 7th Annual Creating Trauma-Sensitive Schools Conference, the Largest Gathering of Trauma-Informed Educators, will be held in Dallas, Texas on February 18th-20th, 2024. Registration is now open with early-bird pricing expiring Dec 15th . And although we have been at it for 7 years, this may be your first-time hearing about it or considering attending. There is something for everyone at the conference, but if you are new to a career in education or your...

At the start of 2023, in partnership with DCF’s Office of Resilience, the Central RAC (Regional ACEs Collaborative) distributed microgrant funding to nine projects that began their respective journeys toward launching, expanding, or transforming their programs. After eight months, we’ve seen great success with well over a thousand individuals being touched by these initiatives. From youth learning financial literacy and decision-making skills, to families spending more quality time together,...

…and the result is a catastrophy.“ Gopal Norbert Klein, a German trauma therapist A wonderful video on how Honest Sharing influences our nervous systems and society: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=H0GZb3vVKfE More about Honest Sharing: https://www.pacesconnection.com/g/practicing-resilience/blog/happy-relationships-through-honest-sharing

By Laura Gallant, 11/16/23, https://positiveexperience.org/blog/ Starting off the holiday season, many people celebrated Diwali in India and around the world this past week. Diwali celebrations support access to positive childhood experiences (PCEs) and the Four Building Blocks of HOPE . Diwali, the festival of lights, is a highly celebrated holiday in India that is observed over five days. Throughout the third day, people come together to pray, light fireworks, and share in a big feast.

One of the biggest questions that Andi and I get whenever we talk about a trauma-informed approach is something along the lines of “Ok I get ACEs and toxic stress, but what can I do about it in my organization?” We get it–this approach can seem overwhelming because it is literally a lens through which you see everything. We often say that a trauma-informed approach is less about what you do and more about how you do it. So how in the world do we even begin the work of operationalizing our unders

A Crisis of Parenting and Family Relationships. There is a devastating effect of family instability on ACEs. Mental health and drug issues in the household have increased over time. Physical violence against the child has decreased over time. The more ACEs, the more that certain medical conditions increase. Ideas for prevention..

By Reed Abelson and Jordan Rau, Image: screenshot from article, The New York Times, November 14, 2023 Margaret Newcomb, 69, a retired French teacher, is desperately trying to protect her retirement savings by caring for her 82-year-old husband, who has severe dementia, at home in Seattle. She used to fear his disease-induced paranoia, but now he’s so frail and confused that he wanders away with no idea of how to find his way home. He gets lost so often that she attaches a tag to his shoelace...

In Libemuket, Ethiopia, climate change and drought are threatening crops and livestock, pushing the local population to the brink. UNICEF/UNI417897/Pouget By Tess Ingram, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), November 13, 2023 1 in 3 children – or 739 million worldwide – already live in areas exposed to high or very high water scarcity, with climate change threatening to make this worse, according to a new UNICEF report. Further, the double burden of dwindling water availability and...

By Warren Lowell and Maria Hanratty, Photo: SeventyFour/Shutterstock, Housing Matters, November 8, 2023 Federal agencies and programs don’t use a universal definition for identifying people experiencing homelessness; in particular, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Department of Education (ED) define homelessness differently. The biggest difference between HUD’s and ED’s definition of homelessness is that ED also defines people as experiencing homelessness if...

From Human Rights Campaign, Image: from artice, November 2023 Transgender Awareness Week and Transgender Day of Remembrance is a time for the LGBTQ+ community to celebrate, uplift and honor our trans community. By publicly demonstrating support while challenging anti-trans legislation and negative rhetoric, we can turn our solidarity as LGBTQ+ people and allies into a collective power to advance equality and justice. Together, we can transform the world. [ Please click here for more...

The behavior data pointing to detrimental effects of early-life stress provides further evidence of the need to address adverse childhood experiences, Lenz said. Credit: Neuroscience News By Emily Caldwell, Neuroscience News, November 13, 2023 Summary: Researchers discovered that early-life stress alters more brain genes than childhood head injuries, as shown in a rat study. This research used a rat model to mimic human early-life stress and head injury, revealing significant genetic changes...