Tagged With "ACEs"
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In the Return to "Normalcy" in 2021
Okay, so we all are hearing of the end of life as we have come to know it for the past 14 months. The social isolation, physical distancing, mask-wearing, business shutdowns, country lockdowns, and travel bans are what we in the region have endured since March 2020. The disruption of life from Covid-19 is expected to come to a close as more than one vaccine has been approved and is being used in the Caribbean. As we adults relish in the return to school of our children, our return to gainful...
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Helpful Video Playlist
Aces Connection offers LOTS of resources on Starting and Growing ACEs Community Initiatives . While many text-based resources are provided on this website, several helpful audio-visual resources can be found on their YouTube Channel . There is a complete Playlist that you can review at your leisure. It comprises a series of webinars with detailed information and examples. To get you started, we've embedded the Overview video in the series is below for your viewing. If you would like...
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When Acknowledgeing Our Family's Failures Is Not Betrayal.
As a child to Caribbean parents, growing up in the 1970s and 1980s, it was rare to see families which did not raise their children with physical and verbal abuse on a regular basis. The conversations we children engaged in with our "best friends" often revealed the dark secrets lurking behind the facades of our picture-perfect family lives. Even in the seeming "best" families, the children faced private, if not public shaming. Some lived in fear of parental outbursts to their childish...
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Linking ACEs to Psychopathy
The issue of Justice is dear to my heart for several reasons. So, in light of the over-use of imprisonment in our region, amidst overburdened or slothful criminal justice systems, I question whether we are "doing justice" when we incarcerate people for what may only be their Trauma Responses. What do I mean? Well, often a criminal investigation does not delve further than the identification of the perpetrator of an alleged and reported crime. Once that is done, if the accused has no or...
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Education Related Resources
With the Covid-19 fallout having its toll on school attendance around the world, many persons of all ages and stages of life have been adversely affected. But it has not only been children who have been impacted. Trauma has arisen through separation from playmates and colleagues, loss of access to food from school feeding programmes, loss of safety from abuse within the household, loss of familiarity with the school environment, loss of employment for non-academic staff, loss of income for...
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"Did You Know?" - Start of a Series
Hey Community! We are planning a series titled, "Did You Know" to highlight some not-too-well-known facts about ACEs science. Along the way, we will bust some myths and educate you, our members, about childhood trauma, resilience, and hope. So if you would like to take part, please comment below and let us know what areas you would like us to cover. Are you in?
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Trading Sex as a Minor is Sex Trafficking
Okay, so I want to share this article with you about the link between ACEs and sex trafficking in the USA. It is titled, " Youth Arrested for Trading Sex Have the Highest Rates of Childhood Adversity: A Statewide Study of Juvenile Offenders ". However, I need to explain something to you (i.e. vent) first... The researchers and article publishers use the term "arrested for trading sex" because in the early part of the century (c. 2014) that was the unfortunate state of the law in the USA...
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ACEs and Human Trafficking Research
Ten years ago today the Trafficking In Persons Bill of Trinidad and Tobago was laid in the country's Parliament. It was eventually passed, assented to, and became law as the Trafficking In Persons Act, Chapter 12:10. (The Act itself took effect in January 2013.) So to commemorate the anniversary of the introduction of the Bill, we will share one of the first of what we hope will be many resources on the link between childhood trauma and human trafficking. The report, titled " Domestic Sex...
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Building Strong Brains Series
The state of Tennessee in the USA has a comprehensive programme to build strong brains by reducing ACEs and combating toxic stress in children and youth. A really positive tone of the programme is that it emphasises Hope by reinforcing that while ACEs science is a FACT it is not FATE. The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) website has a series of 6 short videos outlining the various components. The last 2 videos show how to get buy-in for your initiative from law enforcement agencies, state...
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Question of the Month - Is Child Adversity Linked to Ethnicity?
Hi Community! Here in Trinidad and Tobago, we are probably more diverse in terms of ethnicity than many of our Caribbean neighbours - a callaloo of sorts (Remember the national anthem proclaims: "...Here every creed and race find an equal place..." ) Well, research overseas shows that there is a difference in how children experience adversity based on their ethnicity. In the USA in particular, there are neighbourhoods that are predominantly white and others where the majority of persons are...
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Help Inform and Transform the Caribbean with ACEs Caribbean Community
Hi there. We recently started the ACEs Caribbean Community on the website, Aces Connection, to rally our Caribbean people and those who love the region to work together to bring the knowledge of Aces Science ( Adverse Childhood Experiences ), Resilience, Hope, and Truth to our regional people and government institutions. We are facing an epidemic of crime, violence, addiction, despair, and suicide throughout the region and we believe that a better understanding of the connection between what...
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Can ACEs Training Help Doctors and Patients During Covid-19?
For more than a year the world has been gripped in the throes of combating the Novel Coronavirus 2019 and over 1 million lives have been lost globally to the disease. In the face of the fear, anxiety, despair and grief which has arisen, a question for those familiar with ACEs science is whether this body of knowledge can help alleviate the prevailing stressors. Here is where Hope steps in. Last month, panelists in an Aces Aware webinar discussed the secondary health effects associated with...
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ACEs primer -- great five-minute video that explains ACEs science
This was produced by KPJR Films, and edited by Jen Bradwell.
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How Trauma Affects the Body.
In a post on the website, Aces Aware, California paediatrician, Dr. Eric Bell shares how he and his family experienced Trauma after the death of a pet, which was a close member of their family. As a doctor, he was aware of his physical, emotional and other symptoms and is able to clearly articulate these as well as the benefits he and his family derived from implementing protective factors, stress-busting strategies and using other resilience building tools. We love how he is able to use his...
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Is There A Link between ACEs and Human Trafficking?
Today is March 25th and - just in case you have no clue why that date is significant to us in the Caribbean - it marks the anniversary of the Slave Trade Act of 1807 by which the British Parliament abolished the trade in slaves in the British Empire. (If you are not a student of history, you can read the Wikipedia version here .) True, the abolition of the institution of slavery itself occurred nearly 30 years later but this 1807 legislation was a proverbial "nail in the coffin" for slavery...
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First Weekly Update from ACEs Caribbean Community
Hi everyone! Hoping you're all staying safe. 😷 We just posted a weekly update to our new YouTube channel on how things are going for us as a brand new ACEs Community. https://youtu.be/y4hllID0Fcg Thanks to all the ACEsAllies around the world for all your support and encouragement! Shout-Out to the ACEs Allies in the USA, Canada, Scotland and across the African continent, who were so kind and embraced us on Twitter!🙋 Don't be strangers. Connect with us on IG, Twitter and YouTube. 😆
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When Oppression Becomes Competition.
Big Shout-Out to @Real_Toons on Instagram who creates these amazing cartoons and sparks a series of interesting discussions. While the cartoon is framed with a Black man and a Black woman from America, the question I want to raise here is "Do we see this in our discussions around ACEs?" The outcry against racial injustice in 2020 has triggered multiple events which reminded some and gave a platform for many to highlight the generational trauma inherent in slavery. However atrocious that...
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Register for Free Webinar on ACES Aware.
Happy Resurrection Weekend, ACEs Caribbean Community! Please click on the picture below for a link to a webinar about ACES Aware - the California partnership between medical and community-based providers and the prevention sector. The program trains pediatric providers across the state on how to conduct ACES screening, reimbursable by MediCal (California’s Medicaid). Community partnerships go beyond screening to help ensure that children and families are connected to services and supports...
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A Nation in Trauma [A newsday.co.tt article]
Mr. Benjamin asked, "Does the cycle of death, trauma, outrage, and dismissal deal with the root causes of the violence which affects each person in T&T?"
"...the nation is full of people whose traumatic childhood experiences have set them on a path that would lead them down violent roads with a fatal end. He said unless T&T puts preventative measures in place to handle childhood trauma, the cycle will continue and T&T will remain a nation in trauma."
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Sex Offenders and High ACE Scores
In the Caribbean and elsewhere, sex offenders tend to be considered the worst of all offenders. If their crime was against a child, then they themselves become targets for violence from other inmates in prison. So it requires a mental adjustment and an objective stance to write about this research. Done by Barry University's Jill Levenson, the title is " Incorporating Principles of Trauma-Informed Care Into Evidence-Based Sex Offending Treatment ". She cites previous research to establish...
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PSA Campaign from ACEs Matter
Hi everyone. Today we were contacted via Instagram by the Florida based organisation, ACEs Matter to participate in a universal Public Service Announcement campaign to raise awareness of ACEs. Below is the text of the communication. "I'm looking for people to collaborate on a PSA campaign. WHERE ARE OUR FUTURE ZIP CODE HEROES? ACEs Matter is organizing a universal campaign to show our unity for survivors and advocates of ACEs & we could use some support if you're willing. BECOME A ZIP...
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Re: PSA Campaign from ACEs Matter
You are welcome, Cendie. Welcome to ACEs Caribbean Community!
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Wondering Wednesday - Could Your Children Study Here?
Hello everyone! Welcome to "Wondering Wednesday" where we share insights and experiments from across the globe and inquire how they might work in the Caribbean. For many of our territories, there have been waves of the Coronavirus and those have led to periodic imposition and relaxation of various public health restrictions. At present, Trinidad and Tobago is under a 3-week period of restrictions where beaches and rivers are off-limits following the Easter holiday weekend and a spike in...
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Secret Service Study on Children Who Kill Finds Link to ACEs.
Hello Community. It's Friday again! To kick off the weekend, we want to examine some research from the USA conducted by the Secret Service that has found a link to Adverse Childhood Experiences in youth who plotted or executed mass murders or shootings at school. According to the study, most of the perpetrators were "motivated by grievances against them, usually peers and bullying. Many were suicidal or had depression." Eight had a desire for fame or notoriety. "More than half had been...
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Florida Study Reveals Link Between ACEs and Sex Trafficking of Minors
Hi everyone! We trust you are doing well and enjoying the Community and benefiting from the resources being shared by our members. It is the 25th day of the month and you know what that means - we are looking at the issue of ACEs in the context of human trafficking. Today we have another resource to show the link between childhood adversity and the vulnerability of persons with high ACE scores to human trafficking. In this 2016 study, " Human Trafficking of Minors and Childhood Adversity in...
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Still I Rise - A Documentary Highlighting Sex Trafficking (with ACEs Lurking in the Background).
Hey everyone! We hope the weekend has been a blast so far. As you know, we rarely post on the weekend. However, although it is Sunday, the date is the 25th of April, so we are sharing this post in fulfilment of our promise to highlight the issue of ACEs and Human Trafficking on the 25th day of every month. We did submit a post on the topic on 1st April to observe the 10th Anniversary of the laying in Parliament of the Trafficking In Persons Bill in Trinidad and Tobago. If you missed it,...
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Can We Talk About George Floyd? [Al Jazeera article]
Hi everyone. As everyone knows, the year 2020 was defined by a series of events, many of which linger to this day. Covid-19, as devastating as it and government efforts to curb it have been, may have been eclipsed for a time by the reporting and riots which ensued after the horrific death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers in the USA. Last week, the tension of a 3-week trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd ended with a guilty...
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Wondering Wednesday - Could California's Roadmap to Resilience Help the Caribbean?
Hello everyone and welcome to another Wondering Wednesday. This is where we examine what is working or has been introduced in other parts of the world and explore the value of adapting those ideas and concepts to the Caribbean. Today we are examining some of the components of a report published in December 2020 by the State of California in the USA. Titled "Roadmap for Resilience: The California Surgeon General’s Report on Adverse Childhood Experiences, Toxic Stress, and Health", it is...
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Be What You Did Not Have
Good morning everyone 😀 and welcome to the end of the work week and the end of yet another month. As we move into the weekend, let us be inspired to continue healing from the trauma of what happened to us. Put in the work and know that the sacrifice is worth it. Do not believe that because you had multiple ACEs that you must pass on to your children what you received from your parents. You are the disruptor in the family! Break the cycle and be to your children what you wished you had...
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Re: Can We Talk About George Floyd? [Al Jazeera article]
I hope you will attend our PACEs Connection Reacts event this Friday and share your thoughts on this topic. https://www.pacesconnection.com...in-the-united-states <-- Register here.
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Re: Can We Talk About George Floyd? [Al Jazeera article]
Today, Juror Number 52 outlined in interviews with the media how he and other jurors were affected by the stress of having to watch the video of the death of George Floyd on multiple occasions during the trial. These incidents reopen the age-old discussion about the impact of re-hearing details of traumatic events on judges, lawyers, court clerks, jurors and, of course, witnesses in criminal trials.
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Monday Motivation - Be Kind
Good Monday morning, everyone. We trust the weekend was an opportunity to refresh yourself and be revived. As we commence the work week, we wish to remind you that all of us hide an aspect of ourselves from the world behind our smiles and levity. Whether it's past or present hurt, trauma, fear, grief, loss or disappointment, we all have that "something". The best thing we can do for ourselves and each other is to be patient, kind, gentle, forgiving, hopeful, encouraging and compassionate.
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Resources - Racism and Discrimination as Risk Factors for Toxic Stress
Hi everyone, we hope you are all doing well and keeping safe and healthy. On April 28, 2021 there was a very informative online discussion hosted by Aces Aware of California, USA on the topic of Racism and Discrimination as Risk Factors for Toxic Stress. "Featuring opening remarks by California Surgeon General Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, this is the first in a series of webinars that will explore research demonstrating how racism and other forms of discrimination can serve as risk factors to...
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May 6-7: Canadian Sexual Exploitation Summit: Disrupt Demand
Hello everyone! Are you interested in Trauma and ACEs as they relate to child sexual exploitation and human trafficking? Well, there is an upcoming Summit which you should enjoy. It will take place this week so be ready to take action. This year's edition of the Canadian Sexual Exploitation Summit will be held virtually on May 6 and 7 with the theme: "Disrupt Demand". With over 50 Canadian, American and international speakers and presenters, the Agenda of the Summit will cover a wide cross...
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Action on ACEs Conference 2021: From ACEs to Resilience (June 10)
Hi ACEs learners. We're trying to ensure you have access to credible information and training on ACEs by sharing links to such events. Today is no exception. The organisation, Action On ACEs, based in Gloucestershire, UK is hosting a free virtual conference on Thursday 10th June 2021 from 9:30 am to 3:30pm UK time. The conference, ‘From ACEs to Resilience’ will focus on "resilience, how to build it in children and young people and how we can support adults who have experienced ACEs. It will...
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New Campaign To Raise Awareness of ACEs
Hi everyone, ICYMI today marks the start of a new awareness campaign to heighten knowledge of the importance of ACEs science. It's called Your Number Story. This is the link to an article here on PACEs Connection by Joy Thomas that explains the campaign and the rationale behind it: https://www.acesconnection.com/blog/impacts-of-adverse-childhood-experiences-aces-inspires-launch-of-number-story-national-public-awareness-campaign The campaign, funded through private philanthropy, is a creation...
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Upcoming "YouTube Live" - ACEs & The Boy Child (May 16 @ 2pm EST).
In observance of Mental Health Awareness Month and World Day of the Boy Child (WDBC) on May 16, 2021, ACEs Caribbean Community will be hosting its first "Live" online chat on the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences in the Caribbean. In a virtual discussion titled " ACEs & The Boy Child ", we will speak with the founder of World Day of the Boy Child, Dr. Jerome Teelucksingh, and explore Mental Health and the effect of Adverse Childhood Experiences on boys with consulting psychologist,...
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We Did It!
Good Monday morning everyone. In case you missed it, ACEs Caribbean Community had our inaugural online event yesterday (16th May 2021) in honour of both Mental Health Awarenesses Month and World Day of the Boy Child with a discussion on "ACEs & The Boy Child". Despite technical challenges, we persevered and those who logged in for the livestream received wisdom from our experienced team of speakers. The discussion included our two ACEs Caribbean Community Managers, Adrian Alexander and...
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Re: We Did It!
Good morning. Thank you for your kind comments and your encouragement and support on all social media platforms, @Elizabeth Perry .
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Re: We Did It!
This is such an important conversation. Thanks for hosting. Thanks for recording. Thanks for sharing. If we don't change how we're raising our boys, we're not going to transform humanity. I can't thank you enough for working to address this. Elizabeth Perry Canadian ACEs and TI Network Manager on PACEs Connection @ACEsCanada2020 @PACEsCanada1
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Being Defined By Your Worst Past.
Good Tuesday morning everyone. As we navigate the various systems of our nation, one in which trauma often manifests is the penal and criminal justice system. In our nation, thousands of men and boys and hundreds of women and girls are warehoused in some form of youth detention, pre-trial detention or incarceration after having been failed by dysfunctional or abusive families, and ineffective educational institutions. Often bursting at the seams due to overcrowding, these places of detention...
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Wellness Wednesday - Weighty Matters
Happy Wellness Wednesday, everyone! For some people who have experienced childhood adversity, coping with the horrors of what happened to them can take them into using food for comfort. As such, some develop certain lifestyles and gain an unhealthy amount of weight such that their health is comprised. This was evident from the original Kaiser Permanente study in 1998. It is also revealed in a recent study involving 1,647 adults aged 27-33 . “A history of any childhood maltreatment was...
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North Carolina Looks at Feasibility of Having Trauma-Informed Courts.
Hello ACEs Caribbean Community! Do you think that Trauma-Informed Courts will work well in the Caribbean? Before you say, "No", remember that some of the region's justice systems already have examples of problem solving courts. Last week, PACEs Connection staff member, Ms Carey Sipp posted that "p lans to integrate practices and policies based on the science of adverse childhood experiences in North Carolina’s 6,500-person,100-county statewide judiciary were announced... by Chief Justice...
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Adverse Babyhood Experiences (ABEs): 10 New Categories of Adversity Before a Child's 3rd Birthday (Free Downloadable Journal Article) | PACEsConnection article
Hi ACEs Caribbean Community! We know some of you receive the email updates from PACEs Connection but sometimes a riveting article may slip through the cracks. So, just in case you missed it, we are happy to share the article from Dr Veronique Mead on Adverse Babyhood Experiences (ABEs). Here is an excerpt: "Adverse babyhood experiences (ABEs) are a new construct derived from large bodies of evidence that identify a different group of risk factors from adverse childhood experiences (ACEs).
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Intergenerational transmission and prevention of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) [Science Direct]
Hi everybody. It's Friday and we want to share some ACEs research wirh you that you can digest over the weekend. 📖 This is a heads-up on a recently published study from the USA on intergenerational trauma and ACEs and how it is transmitted and can be prevented. Angela J. Narayan, Ph.D., L.P. and her colleagues published it in April 2021. Here is an excerpt from the abstract. "In recent years, research and practice on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have shifted from delineating effects...
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Human Trafficking Training on Protective Factors for Children.
Hi everyone. As stated before we're posting on issues related to ACEs and Human Trafficking at least once per month on the 25th usually. In addition to a regularly scheduled blog post, we want to.imgorm you that this month there will be a webinar on the issue of Protective Factors for Children taking place on the 25th from 2:00 p.m. EST. It is being hosted by the US National Human Trafficking Training and Technical Assistance Center. It will highlight emerging trends and case studies on how...
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Immature Brains Cannot Regulate Themselves Alone.
Kudos to Gerry Diamond who shared this image on Twitter. His handle is @gerrydiamond71 As Gerry put it, this challenge of regulation also is seen in young people who have unaddressed ACEs and Trauma. They often present with arrested emotional development. Parents and caregivers, including teachers, may need to remember that the young minds in their care are not yet equipped to make the mature choices or decisions the adults hope they will make. Being mindful of the fact that emotional...
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ACEs and the Oldest Oppression.
Hi everyone. So it's still the 25th and apart from expressing how important it is to use appropriate language when discussing child trafficking and exploitation, we do have another post for you on this important topic of ACEs and Human Trafficking. Mrs Harmony Grillo, a Survivor Leader and founder of the nonprofit Treasures, recently did a TEDx Talk titled, The Oldest Oppression in the World. As you can expect, she is referring to the sexual exploitation of primarily women and girls in...