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The first session of the Starting & Growing Resilient Communities: Online & IRL (In Real Life) was a success. Over 100 ACEs Connection members tuned in despite some issues with registration. I have embedded the video in this post. You have also find the video on the ACEs Connection site here . If you have any questions about the series, please contact Ingrid Cockhren , TN & Midwest Community Facilitator.

GOLDEN, CO -- A new study of Colorado adults shows a correlation between a difficult childhood and adult health problems, lack of productivity and criminal involvement. The study, by the Council for a Strong America shows that adults who report four or more " Adverse Childhood Experiences," or ACEs have a three-times higher risk of an arrest by age 18 and were three times more likely to have a felony charge by age 25. Kids with a higher number of bad childhood experiences also report more...

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper (D) signed two landmark bills into law this session related to improving outcomes for youth in the state’s foster care system. As of June 1, through H.B. 18-1306 , Colorado became the first state in the nation to dedicate millions of dollars specifically to the educational stability of students in foster care. With the new law, Colorado is committing $2.8 million this fiscal year and $3.9 million the following year to ensure that foster youth have...

Colorado is testing a new approach to providing services to struggling families in an effort to address the intergenerational cycle of poverty, incarceration and foster care. Two Generation (2Gen) is a new initiative by the state recognizing that children and their parents are best served by recognizing the needs of the entire family unit. “CDHS embedded the 2Gen approach into all of our services, recognizing that our clients only succeed when their providers or children also get the support...

Suicide is the second leading cause of death in the country for people between 15 and 24. In La Plata County, the youth suicide rate has risen dramatically in the last five years. In our county, numerous suicide prevention efforts are promoting connection at school, in clubs and with behavioral health providers. These solutions stories explore youth suicide prevention programs and initiatives that have been successful outside the area and that have started in La Plata County. This series has...

At the confluence of the Gunnison and Colorado rivers, the town of Grand Junction, Colo., sits in a bowl of a valley ringed by tall mountains, desert mesas and red rock cliffs. For local residents like Victoria Mendoza, sometimes the setting makes her and others feel isolated. "I know we can't really fix this because it's nature," says Mendoza. "I feel like people in our valley feel like there's only life inside of Grand Junction." Mendoza, 17, has battled with depression. It runs in her...