Tagged With "Early Childhood"
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ACE Resolution introduced in the Alaska Legislature
Representative Geran Tarr, (D-Anchorage) introduced a resolution in the Alaska State House of Representatives yesterday to encourage the governor and legislature to address ACEs in Alaska. Here is the title of the Resolution: “Urging Governor Bill Walker to join with the Alaska State Legislature to respond to the public and behavioral health epidemic of adverse childhood experiences by establishing a statewide policy and providing programs to address this epidemic.” The...
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ACEs mural project offers hope to victims of childhood trauma [anchoragepress.com]
“Art is a powerful venue through which to have hard conversations,” said Trevor Storrs, President and CEO of the Alaska Children’s Trust, as he was drawing the attention of the crowd at the Church of Love for the opening of Resilience After Trauma: An ACEs Mural Project last week. It was an accurate description for the nature of the project being unveiled. Steve Gordon, a renowned local artist, art instructor at UAA and creator of the project, explained that it had all started a year ago as...
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Afterschool programs and a trauma-informed approach [Afterschool Alliance]
“A trauma-informed, culturally responsive lens must be a part of everything we do.” This statement by Laura Norton-Cruz, Director of the Alaska Resilience Initiative, sums up the key message of last week’s Senate Afterschool Caucus briefing for Congressional staff which focused on “Afterschool Programs and a Trauma-Informed Approach.” On Wednesday, Sept. 11, the Senate Afterschool Caucus* — in partnership with the Afterschool Alliance, Alaska Children’s Trust – Alaska Afterschool Network,...
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Alaska ACEs pamphlet
In case you haven't seen it, here's the pamphlet. The PDF is attached, in case you want to download it, and it's also been added to the Clips section of this group.
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Alaska Children’s Caucus Forms in 31st Legislature [Anchorage Press]
For the first time in nearly seventeen years, members of the Alaska House of Representatives will relaunch the House Children’s Caucus. This edition of the caucus will be co-chaired by Representative Chris Tuck (D-Anchorage) and Representative Sara Rasmussen (R-Anchorage). “Because children are at the heart of our communities, we should cherish and protect them at all costs. The earlier we invest in the health and education of children the better the outcomes for our communities. We all...
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Alaska Edition: "The Impacts of Childhood Trauma on Overall Health" on KAKM Alaska Public Media
Alaska Edition is a weekly news program on Alaska Pubic Media (TV and radio). In recognition of National Child Abuse Prevention Month, Trevor Storrs and Gennifer Moreau-Johnson were interviewed live in the studio. Deborah Bock appeared in brief (2-mins.) videotaped interview. Alaska Edition (30 minutes) http://www.alaskapublic.org/2016/04/15/national-child-abuse-prevention-month/ Full interview with Deborah Bock (19 mins) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPMVMC4f-lU&feature=youtu.be
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Alaska House Health and Social Services Committee refers HCR 21out of Committee
The Alaska State House Health and Social Services Committee, chaired by Representative Paul Seaton, took testimony on HCR 21, titled "Urging Governor Bill Walker to join with the Alaska State Legislature to respond to the public and behavioral health epidemic of adverse childhood experiences by establishing a statewide policy and providing programs to address this epidemic." [ LINK HERE ] HCR 21 now goes to the House Finance Committee but it has no fiscal note, so that shouldn't be an...
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Alaska legislature takes up ACEs resolution similar to those passed in Wisconsin and California
A hearing will be held April 2 on Alaska House Concurrent Resolution 21 (HCR 21) to respond to adverse childhood experiences. The resolution is very similar to those passed in Wisconsin and California . Testimony will be heard in the Health and Social Services Committee on the bill introduced by Representative Geran Tarr. In her statement about the bill , Tarr calls on Governor Walker “to establish policy and programs to address the public and behavioral health epidemic of adverse childhood...
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Alaska Native & Native American gathering on trauma and resilience in AK
On May 18th, the Alaska Resilience Initiative, First Alaskans Institute's Alaska Native Policy Center, and the Native Village of Chickaloon hosted a gathering of Alaska Native and Native American people from across the state to discuss ACCCEs (adverse childhood, cultural, and community experiences) and resilience.
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Alaska one of 14 communities awarded MARC grant
[Originally posted by Leslie Lieberman] Fourteen communities from across the country now have an opportunity to expand their innovative work in addressing childhood adversity through a new project launched by The by The Health Federation of Philade lphia , with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The California Endowment. Called Mobilizing Action for Resilient Communities (MARC), the project supports communities building the movement...
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Alaska passes trauma-informed legislation
In the dark early hours of Mother’s Day, May 13th , before the 2018 Alaska legislative session adjourned, Senate Bill 105 was approved by both the Alaska House and the Senate...making Alaska one of only a handful of states to pass ACEs awareness into statute. This represents years of education, collaboration, and some creative and dogged advocacy this last legislative session. It also represents a promising path forward.
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Alaska Resilience Initiative to begin trauma-informed training program [stateofreform.com]
In December, Premera Blue Cross Blue Shield granted two years of funding to the Alaska Resilience Initiative (ARI) to develop a program to train professionals in recognizing and responding to trauma and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). The Alaska Resilience Initiative is a statewide organization that brings together a variety of groups and individuals with the goal of ending child maltreatment and systemic trauma. The ARI works to develop solutions to systemic trauma in Alaska while...
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Alaskan “teen safety card” provides teen-friendly education on healthy and unhealthy relationships, and support and resources for youth who need help
Authors: Laura Avellaneda-Cruz, LMSW & Jaclynne Oyoumick, BA of the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC), Alaska Native Epidemiology Center, in Anchorage, Alaska What are the goals of the card? The wallet-sized, fold-out safety card is an evidence-based tool developed by health and domestic violence professionals for use in health care to promote safety and support for patients experiencing intimate partner violence, sexual violence, and/or reproductive coercion.
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All Alaskans have a role to play in helping others choose life, not suicide [AlaskaDispatchNews.com]
As we recognize National Suicide Prevention Day, I reflect on the old proverb, “What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.” This statement is a reflection of the most destructive force in our world today...
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Anchorage premiere of the film 'Paper Tigers' [AlaskaDispatchNews.com]
Alaska Children's Trust is hosting an exciting new documentary around Alaska. Paper Tigers follows the lives of six students in Walla Walla, Wash., as they attend an alternative high school that has begun to look at how chronic stressful events such...
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Annual Innovation Summit shows the opportunity of economic crisis [CapitalCityWeekly.com]
The state’s fiscal crisis is no tiny problem. Oil prices are volatile, reserves are depleting and the state is facing a financial deficit. At this year’s Innovation Summit, held in Juneau in early February, Governor Walker addressed more than two hundred of the state’s top entrepreneurs, politicians, investors and leaders. He discussed his budget plan and the need to diversify and shift the state away from a mono-focus on a non-renewable oil industry. Tough budget cuts, Walker explained are...
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Apply now to Showcase your work at the San Francisco National ACEs Conference in October 2018!
Applications due June 18. Application link included in this post
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Artists in the ACE and Resilience Movement: Creative Avenues to Change
They began with a song and ended with a poem. In-between, there were photographs and giant graphic renderings, movement exercises and a “human pulse” formed when 90 people stood in a circle and squeezed each other’s hands. At a June summit in Whatcom County, Washington, titled “Our Resilient Community: A Community Conversation on Resilience and Equity,” the arts played a starring role. Kristi Slette, executive director of the Whatcom Family and Community Network, one of two Washington sites...
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As teens, they faced the same temptations. One made it, one didn’t. Why? [ADN.com]
This is the story of two childhoods that brought two grown men to opposite sides of a table in Mountain View, one after a life of pain and one of privilege. The meeting was a little awkward. A fine art painter was recruited to learn about a recovering addict, now a car salesman, and depict how childhood events had shaped his life. "It's certainly not something that I'm used to," said painter David Pettibone. "I was absolutely nervous going in. I wasn't quite sure of the questions I was going...
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Balancing Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) With HOPE*
New Insights into the Role of Positive Experience on Child and Family Development *Health Outcomes of Positive Experience Abstract This report presents evidence for HOPE (Health Outcomes of Positive Experiences) based on newly released, compelling data that reinforce the need to promote positive experiences for children and families in order to foster healthy childhood development despite the adversity common in so many families. These data: Establish a spirit of hope and optimism and make...
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Behavioral health focus of Mat-Su Health Foundation grants [AlaskaPublic.org]
As state lawmakers prepare to grapple with a tight state budget, one non-profit is gearing up to deal with health needs in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough. The Mat-Su Health Foundation is stepping in to provide funding for behavioral health services in the face of expected cuts. One program benefiting from grant money is aiming to curb the earliest sources of drug and alcohol abuse with a focus on Adverse Childhood Experiences awareness. .....Minard says a third report to be released in...
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Breaking the link between childhood trauma and suicide [KTOO.org]
Close to 200 people in Juneau joined forces Thursday to break the link between childhood trauma and suicide. They’re taking part in a two day suicide prevention conference. Day one focused on establishing the trauma-suicide link....
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Call for Abstracts for NCHDV 2020 conference
The National Conference on Health and Domestic Violence (NCHDV) seeks submissions that highlight research reports, practice innovations, advocacy initiatives, educational advances, and/or community programs that address one or more aspects related to domestic/sexual violence, other forms of violence, and health. The Call for Abstracts (CFA) invites leaders working in the fields of health and domestic/sexual violence to present their work at the 2020 Conference. Submission Deadline: Monday,...
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Childhood trauma could be causing your adult health problems [adn.com]
It’s no secret that Alaska struggles with high rates of sexual assault and abuse, neglect, and other crimes against children. Alaska consistently has one of the five highest child abuse rates in the country, according to the Child Welfare League of America. The state Office of Children’s Services told Alaska Dispatch News this summer that in 2017 it has averaged more than 50 reports of abuse and neglect per day. What's less well known is that these kinds of traumatic experiences, along with...
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Community groups gather to address social issues [Frontiersman.com]
Representatives from local governments, tribal governments, businesses, and community organizations gathered Monday to discuss ways to work together. Organizers of the Mat-Su Collective Impact Event said the main focus was to find ways to...
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Community Voices: Creating a Just, Healthy and Resilient World
Two years ago Alaska (as a partnership between ARI , Southern Kenai Peninsula Resilience Coalition , and ROCK Mat-Su ), was chosen as one of the fourteen pilot sites across the country building strong cross-sector networks to help heal and prevent early childhood adversity. See some of these amazing, inspiring stories: Go to the Collection Download the PDF
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Community Voices: Creating a Just, Healthy and Resilient World
Mobilizing Action for Resilient Communities (MARC) is a vibrant learning collaborative of fourteen sites actively engaged in building the movement for a just, healthy and resilient world. Using the science of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and resiliency as their organizing framework, these communities have built strong cross-sector networks to help heal and prevent early childhood adversity. From October 2016 through May 2017, we were privileged to travel to all fourteen MARC...
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Conference in Anchorage Aug 18th on Complex Trauma and Addictions
Longitudinal Progression of Complex Trauma and Addiction: Case Studies and Interventions The University of Alaska Anchorage - Department of Human Services is hosting a conference on August 18, 2017 from 8 am -5:30 pm with a Dinner presentation from 6 pm - 7:30 pm at the UAA Lucy Cuddy Hall. The conference will spotlight case studies highlighting the necessity of a multi-disciplinary approach in addressing the complexity of trauma combined with addiction. See attached flyer for more...
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Dr. Linda Chamberlain's Toolkit on DV & ACEs now available
Dr. Linda Chamberlain from Homer, Alaska introduces the Domestic Violence and ACEs toolkit that she developed and tested throughout the Arctic.
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Economic Costs of ACEs in Alaska
Alaska is facing an historic budget deficit which is requiring the Legislative and Executive branches to focus on cost reduction and revenue enhancement. These two goals can be uniquely addressed by a focus on the real and opportunity costs...
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Expansion of ACEs in Alaska
I just want to pass along ACT's recent announcement regarding work tied to ACEs in Alaska. It is an incredible opportunity and encouraging to see this work move forward in Alaska. WKH Alaska Children's Trust (ACT) is proud to...
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(Free!) Epigenetics webinar with Dr. Courtney Griffin
Alaska Children's Trust is sponsoring this training called “What is the science of epigenetics teaching us about multi-generational transmission of trauma?” for the second time because Dr. Griffin's first training was so incredibly informative, clear, and visually-engaging.
September 22, 2016 @ 12:00 PM
https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/583399901
and/or +1 (408) 650-3123 Access Code: 583-399-901
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Homework: Moving Toward Compassionate, Trauma-Informed Schools
It was the little red trauma-informed schoolhouse. Katherine Wickersham-Wade, the Nay’dini’aa Na’ Kayax (Chickaloon Village) clan grandmother who started the Ya Ne Dah Ah School , Alaska’s first Tribally operated school in 1992, might not have used that language. But she did envision a school that would wrap its students in Native ancestral traditions and Ahtna language, instill self-confidence and repair some of the damage inflicted by historical trauma—the disruptions to culture and...
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How ACEs Play Out In Small Town Alaska [sewardcitynews.com]
Seward is a thriving and warm community, full of people who care and want to nurture one another. Even so, the fact remains that we don’t all start with the same opportunities and that early childhood trauma can have a lasting impact on people’s lives. This is the concept that has broken into the field of child development over the last few years. The new way of talking about this concept of unequal starts is known as ACES. According to the national Prevention Institute “Adverse Childhood...
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'In my childhood the monsters were very real' — Lt. Gov. Valerie Davidson talks about childhood trauma [KTUU]
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) — Valerie Davidson is Alaska's version of a rock star. Well-liked and respected, she's often stopped in public by people for a hug or chat. The 51-year-old Yup-ik from Southwest Alaska first made headlines when she was just an 18-year-old college student who spoke out against alcohol abuse in villages. These days, she's serving as the state's first woman Alaska Native lieutenant governor. She's also a sexual abuse survivor "Even though it's really hard to talk about,...
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International Women's Day & the Feminist Origins of Child Trauma Work
Today is International Women's Day, an appropriate day to take note of and honor the decades of feminist-led research and activism that preceded the ACE study and built the foundation for so much of the trauma and resilience field of work. While the high percentage of people experiencing child sexual abuse may have been unfamiliar to the medical field prior to the ACE study, feminist researchers, anti-violence activists, and community leaders had been studying, writing, and b reaking the...
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Investing in Prevention: Working Together in Early Childhood for Healthy Alaskan Children, Families, and Communities 2015
An Alaska interagency workgroup began meeting in 2013 to put together this report , which has a large section on the effect of ACEs on Alaska's citizens to demonstrate the urgency for resilience-building programs. The state departments that...
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ITRC calls for Universal Resilience Education and Skills Training for Climate Trauma
Sneak Preview for ITRC ACEs Connection Members! Next Tuesday, Jan. 8, the ITRC will release a major report Preparing People on the West Coast for Climate Change. The media release about the report is below (and attached). It includes a link to the webpage for the report, where people can download the full report, and find a link to the webpage with examples of resilience programs across the west coast. You can connect with the ITRC CA and PNW Facebook page:...
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Jill Burke: Cuts to early childhood care will deepen Alaska's fiscal crisis [ADN.com]
As the state grapples with a $3.5 billion budget deficit, we must not lose sight of slowly acquired gains, those that require continued investment now before they pay off in the future. If we dont, the dollars the state might think it is saving now will be lost later when we have to spend more as we try to undo trauma-based harm to our states future workforce. This presents a crucial intersection of social and economic policy that should not be overlooked. In a bare-bones fiscal era, we need...
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Join a webinar on Friday (Jan. 11) featuring Alaska’s new statute directing state policy to incorporate principles of brain development
Please join ACEs Connection and the Campaign for Trauma-Informed Policy and Practice (CTIPP) for a free 60-minute webinar this Friday (Jan. 11) starting 8:00am AK/ 9:00am PT/ 12:00pm ET that features a new Alaskan statute directing state policy to incorporate principles of brain development. Hear the story first hand from the champion of the bill in the Alaska legislature, Rep. Geran Tarr, and the lead advocacy group—the Alaska Resilience Initiative —executive director, Laura Norton-Cruz.
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Kindness for children with an incarcerated parent [juneauempire.com]
11.2 percent. More than 1 in 10. This is the number of adults in Alaska, that had experienced having a family member in jail at some point during their childhood. Seventy percent of those reporting an incarcerated family member grew up with four or more adverse childhood experiences (i.e. witnessed or experienced domestic violence, substance abuse in the household, sexual abuse, neglect, emotional abuse, household mental illness). These ACEs can lead to physical and mental health issues...
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Lunch & Learn: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), Resilience and Trauma-Informed Policy-Making
Join me in Juneau to learn about the impact of ACEs on our communities, workplaces and state. ACEs are a significant contributor to all the issues we struggle with, and cost Alaskan an estimated $866 million per year. Learn examples of trauma-informed approaches to business and policy-making. For those not in Juneau, the Lunch and Learn will be broadcast live and archived at www.360north.org/watch . When: Wednesday, March 13, 2019 at 12 PM – 12:45 PM Where: Capitol Building in Juneau,...
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MARC Booklet 2016: Features Alaska
Please find attached the 2016 booklet for the Mobilizing Action for Resilient Communities (MARC) project, including Alaska and the other 13 communities that have been selected to participate in this 2 year learning collaborative. This is a great summary of the work happening in all 14 communities across the country. I look forward to working with you all in Alaska!
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Mining the “lessons learned” from trauma legislation successes
L to R: Afomeia Tesfai, Rep. Geran Tarr, Jeff Hild _____________________________________________________________________ The planned agenda for the “Learning Series: Policy Approaches to Childhood Adversity” workshop at the 2018 ACEs Conference: Action to Access went out the window when an unexpected guest— California Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula, MD —was invited to open the session and join the other participants in lively exchanges about their advocacy experiences and perspectives on...
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Mobilizing Action for Resilient Communities (MARC) Represented at California ACEs Conference
(L to R) Teri Barila from Children's Resilience Initiative in Walla Walla, WA along with Dr. Ariane Marie-Mitchell from San Bernardino County, CA ACEs Task Force share their ACEs journey in their communities Representatives from several MARC communities were among the 450 people who attended the 2016 Adverse Childhood Experiences Conference in San Francisco, CA on October 19th and 20th. This is the third CA ACEs conference sponsored by the Center for Youth Wellness (CYW), and it was also the...
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New Alaska ACEs data reinforces importance of investment in early childhood
Pat Sidmore, our expert for all things data and ACEs and a planner for the Alaska Mental Health Board, Advisory Board on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, has collected new data that outlines when Alaska's children (0-17) acquire their ACEs. The slide below paints a pretty grim picture showing that our children are accumulating 50 percent of their ACEs before the age of 3, and more than 26% of them before the age of 1. Please feel free to share this slide as you see fit.
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New Alaskan training on healthcare and domestic violence available online for 3.25 free CME/CEs!
An engaging, multimedia training series on healthcare and domestic violence eligible for 3.25 free CME/CEs is now available online! The title of the training series is “Domestic and Sexual Violence (DV/SV), The Impact on...
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New Data Paint Fresh Picture of Alaska’s Health Challenges [StateofReform.com]
The Alaska Department of Health and Human Services recently released a new batch of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) indicator reports , and the latest findings offer the closest look to date at how the state is coping with childhood trauma in its cities and boroughs. Taken together, the 12 indicator reports focus on a broad range of traumatic experiences, from neglect to abuse to mental illness. Research has shown that the presence of ACEs in households contributes to serious health...
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Now available: recording of Chris Blodgett's talk on trauma-informed communities
Dr. Chris Blodgett spoke on Thursday, Nov 3rd at the Anchorage Loussac Library to a room of nearly 140 people and 60 more online. His talk "From ACEs to Action: How Communities Can Improve Well-Being and Resilience" was approximately two hours long. Access the webinar video, audio file, and slides here.
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"Paper Tigers" April 5th, 6-9PM, University of Alaska Anchorage
As part of National Public Health week there will be a public showing of "Paper Tigers" at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Admission is free. Light refreshments will be provided. Thank you to Kate Wright, ACEs Connection member, for creating this opportunity for students and other community members to see this important film.