June 2021

This film was made possible through a grant from ACEs Aware and with the support of Owen’s Valley Career Development Center. This project is an attempt to unpack the question “how do we heal from trauma?” The film draws on the lived and professional experience of three women in the rural community of Bishop, California. The subjects of the film are all mothers who have found their calling in the helping professions. Heather is a nurse responding to the opioid epidemic, Tawni is a social...

By Ali Tadayon, EdSource, June 21, 2021 T he name Juan Crespi never meant much to eighth grader Anaya Zenad and her classmates, other than it was the name of their middle school in El Sobrante. But after the students researched the Franciscan missionary — and his role in expeditions that paved the way for the brutally oppressive California mission system in the 1700s — they felt the name had to go. Earlier this year, Zenad joined with faculty to lead a series of community meetings on the...

By Sara Tiano, The Imprint, June 21, 2021 In May, Veronica Vieyra graduated from San Jose State University with a bachelor’s degree — a feat fewer than 6% of California former foster youth achieve. But entering a job market ravaged by a yearlong pandemic has proven an unexpected challenge. Months of submitting applications have so far been met with silence. What has allowed Vieyra to keep forging ahead toward her goal of working in a public health career, she said, is a $1,000 payment she...

By Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, June 23, 2021 The Los Angeles Board of Education late Tuesday approved a record $20-billion budget for the upcoming academic year — a massive influx of funding made possible by two unprecedented occurrences: pandemic relief money and record state tax revenues . How specifically that money is spent on a school level will play out in months ahead, but the budget will include the projected hiring of thousands of new employees in a school system where students...

FINAL NETWORK OF CARE ROADMAP NOW AVAILABLE! "The Trauma-Informed Network of Care Roadmap: A Guide for Strengthening Community Relationships" Join us for a special webinar highlighting the final release of the ACEs Aware Trauma-Informed Network of Care Roadmap. Monday, June 28, 2021 12 - 1 p.m. Register Here The Network of Care Roadmap provides practical steps that health care providers, clinics, community-based organizations, and social service agencies can take within their communities to...

A consensus of scientific research demonstrates that cumulative adversity, especially when experienced during childhood development, is a root cause to some of the most harmful, persistent, and expensive health challenges facing our nation. But there is hope. We can take action now to change and save lives. The impacts of ACEs, trauma, and toxic stress are treatable. Start by watching the short educational video below. For more information please visit: https://aceovercomers.org/...

By James Bruggers, Inside Climate News, June 12, 2021 Experts are forecasting above-normal activity for this year’s hurricane season, which began on June 1 and runs through November. It wouldn’t be surprising if people in Texas, Louisiana and other vulnerable states are already feeling stressed. The same goes for people in the flood-prone Midwest and in California, where numerous wildfires have already broken out. Last year, a historic onslaught of 30 named storms hammered the Gulf Coast.

By Dave Mason, Santa Barbara News-Press, June 19, 2021 There’s help available for children and families experiencing toxic stress. Cottage Health, on behalf of the Pediatric Resiliency Collaborative (PeRC) and Resilient Santa Barbara County, is now accepting applications for the Network of Care Buffering Services Grant Program. The Buffering Services grants integrate community-based services to support children and families experiencing toxic stress. The grantees will partner with pediatric...

By Deke Farrow, The Modesto Bee, June 16, 2021 To better engage families with their children’s educations, Modesto City Schools is preparing to launch a Parent Ambassadors program for the upcoming school year. Eventually, there will be an ambassador at each school, the Board of Education was told at its June 7 meeting. They will connect parents to internal and external resources, answer questions and share information on ways to get involved with student activities and athletics, school...

Have you ever suffered from the shame of addiction or at a complete loss about how to help someone you love who is struggling with addiction? More than 200 people are dying every day from drug overdose, according to the CDC — 81,000 each year, most due to opioids. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism says that 23 million adults ARE struggling with substance abuse. Join us on June 23 for a real and honest conversation that will enlighten, inspire and leave us feeling...

By Nigel Duara, Cal Matters, June 18, 2021 Eleven mayors, including two in California, announced today their commitment to support federal reparations legislation and establish pilot programs for Black residents in their cities as part of a new nationwide coalition. The mayors of Los Angeles and Sacramento will join nine other mayors, from cities as populous as Denver to tiny Tullahassee, Okla., one of the oldest surviving Black towns in the West, on the Mayors Organized for Reparations...

The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has released the latest version of its Five-Year State Prevention Plan (the Plan) for the Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA). This new plan reflects some notable changes from the prior draft that went out in March, including the following: Clarification of the vision of the FFPSA Prevention Services Program, including connecting the goal of reducing disproportionality to specific actions in the Plan; Inclusion of all...