July 2020

Digital Communal Gatherings ( Open to Everyone! ) at 12 PM & 6 PM EST Monday - Saturday. Daytime Call: Use your computer to join us 12PM EST Monday-Saturday Join Via Link: https://zoom.us/j/284580732 Join By Phone: 1 929 205 6099 Meeting ID: 284-580-732 Evening Call: Use your computer to join us 6PM, Monday-Saturday Join Via Link: https://zoom.us/j/659519104 Join By Phone: 1 929 205 6099 Meeting ID: 659-519-104 Take Care of You is currently meeting digitally every 4th Saturday of each...

Growing up in a home with physical abuse, emotional neglect, mental illness and substance misuse are some examples of Adverse Childhood Experiences, and are among those considered in the original Aces study by Felitti et al (1998). However, it is important to consider Aces that were not reported in that study, such as bullying, discrimination, racial trauma, losing a parent, poverty, unstable housing, family separation — and the list goes on. We can now add the Covid-19 pandemic as another...

If you haven't already, REGISTER for the Virtual K-Ready Community Rally (July 22nd 9:00 - 10:30 am EST) & Screening of No Small Matter ! Seats are limited. Early Childhood Care and Education – the best investment we could make for a more skilled workforce, a stronger economy, and a more just society! You are invited to join Rachel Allen, Director of the Peace and Justice Institute at Valencia College; Glen Gilzean, CEO of the CF Urban League; and Dr. Joel Hunter, Founder and Chairman of...

Thank you to those who were able to participate in Part 1 of our Community Resilience Series with Dr. Ken Ginsburg-- Parenting in an Age of Uncertainty , on July 7th, 2020. In case you missed it or want to watch it again, here is the video recording of the workshop. Please share this widely with your networks so this message of resilience, self forgiveness, and love can get out to other parents during this challenging time! Thank you to our sponsor Orlando Health and thank you to those who...

PJI Youth Academy - Starts August 2nd - Grades 9 -12 Parents asked for it and the Peace and Justice Institute (PJI) responded. A new PJI Youth Academy – Social Justice Series for Central Florida youth in 9th-12th grades will be offered online Monday, August 3, Wednesday, 5 and Friday, August 7, beginning with an orientation on Sunday, August 2, 2020. Do you know any young people, maybe your own, who want an energizing, “not-like-school” summer experience hosted by the PJI? In this program,...

While we know that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can cause risk behaviors, research has told us that the presence of protective factors can help mitigate the effects of ACEs. Common risk behaviors such as smoking tobacco and alcohol misuse can be a result from the trauma of childhood disadvantage. In responding to ACEs, public health research proposes that protective factors such as safe, stable, nurturing relationships (SSNRs) with a caring adult can mitigate the long-term effects of...

Interested in learning what it takes to Grow a Resilient Community? Do you want to learn how to become a member of ACEs Connection Cooperative of Communities? If so, please join us Tuesday, July 7th, 12-1pm PDT for our next 'A Better Normal' community discussion series. In this discussion we will be talking with Brian Semsem of Fresno's Every Neighborhood Partnership. We will be talking to Brian about what led him to work with ACEs and resilience. In addition, we will be discussing the path...

The first time I ever heard the words trauma-informed care and the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) study was in the summer of 2014. At the time, I was working for the local Police Department as the Director of a grant-funded Crime Reduction Project aimed at reducing drug-related and violent crime. Of the many program goals, one was to develop a rehabilitative corrections program for felony offenders with addictions in order to reduce recidivism. Though I’ve lived in this region for...