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Guest Column: We must be willing to sacrifice for common good in troubled times By Rachel Allen, Director Peace and Justice Institute at Valencia College We are living in unprecedented times which invite each of us to grow our inner resources and resilience. Nurturing these strengths may seem daunting in light of the health, social and economic crisis our world is facing. Our humanity is being disrupted and tested. How will we adapt? COVID-19 lays bare the reality of our interconnectedness...

All children face challenges – it’s how they learn and grow into responsible adults. But how does one child experience a terrible childhood trauma and survive, even prosper as an adult, while another child is emotionally and physically destroyed by it? The answer is closely linked to the amount of resilience in each child. Click the link to read more https://talkbusiness.net/2020/08/resilience-overcoming-our-past/

Monica McCasklill, left, and her daughter Kena Johnson, at their home in Greenwood, Missisppi. They respectively lost their grandmother and great grandmother, Ethel Huntley, to Covid-19. Huntley lived in a nearby nursing home and the family allege failings in her primary care. Photograph: Rory Doyle/The Guardian. By Oliver Laughland, The Guardian, August 5, 2020 Poor access to healthcare, failed political leadership and the endurance of segregation and racism have contributed to a surge in...

The organization Zero To Three estimates that in the U.S., a child is taken into the child welfare system every six seconds. “Many of society’s most intractable problems can be traced back to childhood adversity. Being in the child welfare system increases the likelihood of more adversity and criminality. Baby court is a proven approach to healing the trauma of both child and parent, and breaking the cycle of maltreatment,” says Mimi Graham, Ed.D ., director of the Florida State University...

ACEs initiative participants in communities where there is tension between the community and law enforcement will want to join Becky Haas in a compelling conversation on law enforcement, ACEs science, COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement and protests. Haas is a nationally recognized adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) science initiative builder and trainer. She and colleagues Renee Wilson-Simmons, the head of the ACE Awareness Foundation of Memphis, Tennessee, and Maggi Duncan,...

In 2012, Greater Richmond SCAN and five other community partners hatched a one-year plan to educate the Richmond, Virginia, community about ACEs science and to embed trauma-informed practices. Eight years later, the original group has evolved into the Greater Richmond Trauma-Informed Community Network (GRTICN) with 495 people and 170 organizations. And they're just scratching the surface.

“In order to cope,” writes Mary Trump, “Donald began to develop powerful but primitive defenses, marked by an increasing hostility to others and a seeming indifference to his mother’s absence and father’s neglect….In place of [his emotional needs] grew a kind of grievance and behaviors—including bullying, disrespect, and aggressiveness—that served their purpose in the moment but became more problematic over time. With appropriate care and attention, they might have been overcome.”

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,...