September 2020

The Children’s Commissioner for England has published a blog looking at how lockdown during the coronavirus crisis has affected children’s lives at home . The blog discusses: the home environment and access to open space; and family relationships. To read the blog, click on the link .

Trauma inside An estimated 7% of all youth in prison in the USA are being raped inside ( https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/svryjf18.pdf ). This presents a huge trauma for an already vulnerable population. Even the rigorous PREA Act from 2003 was not able to stem this tide. Most rapes are perpetrated by other inmates but also by staff. The consequences from ordinary rape outside (circa 12% in the general population) are already devastating, but rape inside is wrought with extra problems and...

By Barnaby Lashbrooke, Forbes, August 26, 2020 Almost a fifth (18%) of employees believe their mental health is currently poor, or very poor, compared to just 5% before the coronavirus struck. That number is considerably higher amongst unemployed workers, of which 27% are reporting poor or very poor mental health, versus 7% before the pandemic. In addition, 42% of those employed and 47% of unemployed say their stress levels are currently high or very high, with top stressors including...

By John Fensterwald, EdSource, September 1, 2020 California would become the first state to require that all high school students pass a one-semester ethnic studies course to graduate if Gov. Gavin Newsom signs a bill that the Legislature passed on Monday, the last day of the legislative session. But in order to get Assembly Bill 331 out of a Senate committee and on to a final vote, the primary author, Assemblyman Jose Medina, D-Riverside, proposed one amendment and accepted several others.

By Howie Knoff, SmartBrief, August 31, 2020 Throughout this pandemic, the American public has sometimes had to choose between science and beliefs, between objective data and personal testimonials. And while the medical, social, economic and educational toll from the COVID-19 virus is unprecedented, some of the effects have been politicized by our leaders, and sensationalized by the press. Sadly, the latter has occurred when discussing the emotional status of our students as districts prepare...

By Jennifer Nurick, Body + Soul, August 31, 2020 We are living in a world where we are being encouraged to use this extra down time to work out more, take up a hobby or do a new course. This “extra time” is due to a global pandemic. Meaning more hours at home, a lot more hours working from home and an overarching feeling of uncertainty. People are being their own worst critic and are forgetting to rest and simply take care of themselves. We are experiencing the same, collective trauma which...

By Chad Dion Lassiter, Penn Live, August 31, 2020 In the wake of the murder of George Floyd, protests have erupted across the nation. The news cycle has been dominated by one graphic scene after another of a police officer killing an unarmed, subdued Black man. Unfortunately, children born at the turn of the millennium are growing up against a backdrop of unending images of lethal police brutality and violent White supremacy. It is well-documented that prolonged exposure to violence is...

I am interested in attending a training/webinar/have conversation OR offer a webinar on how this Pandemic is impacting our Children, Families, and Communities. I have been searching for this information and cannot seem to find, so I am open to collaborating and providing a webinar. The coronavirus has shattered the system that protects children, leaving some confined in troubled homes or lingering in foster care. The social/emotional effects have yet to be fully seen on how this is damaging...

I recently had the pleasure of attending via zoom, a Trauma-Informed Care training. I wanted to share some take always and encourage all to attend one. Hosted by Community Resilience Initiative, with trainer Rick Griffin. The trainer had such a lovely way of taking heavy topics that can feel uncomfortable to talk about and deliver them in a gentle, authentic way that provided the human touch with extensive knowledge. This being my first formal training on just Trauma-Informed care I learned...

Dr. Elisa Nicholas, a pediatrician and chief executive officer of TCC Family Health Clinics in Long Beach, California, relays an example of how the COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on the lives of the clinics’ patients. Most had already been struggling financially prior to the pandemic. “Both the mother and father came down with coronavirus,” said Nicholas. “Their child was in on a telephone visit with one of our doctors. They did not have any way to get food. They had no money to pay for...

In Fresno, volunteers from local churches were already working with the schools, mentoring kids and running weekend recreation programs. Community-based non-profits were in conversation with educators; pastors were talking to social-service providers. The problems were clear: nearly 30% of Fresno’s residents living in poverty (the rate tops 40% for Black residents), with a 20-year gap in life expectancy between the richest and poorest parts of this sharply segregated city. For several years,...

Five years of convening Newark’s ACE Impact Team has taught Keri Logosso-Misurell a crucial lesson: Fight the urge to reinvent the wheel.