Tagged With "Western Youth Services"
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ACEs Connection Network Confab -- Southern California, May 10, 2016
(l to r) Sienna, one of the teens from Youth Voice from City Heights; Dana Brown, ACEs Connection Network regional facilitator and co-founder of Youth Voice; Francisco Mendoza, CEO, Mendoza Consulting; Jessica, Youth Voice; Lizette, Youth Voice; Talitha Thompson, Youth Voice co-facilitator; Joshua Aguirre, RISE Up Industries board of directors; Stephanie Linderman, Youth Voice mentor; Arturo Soriano, Youth Empowerment co-founder; (in front) Adrian, Youth Voice.
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ACEs gets a day at the (Sacramento) Capitol!
No matter where you are, be sure to follow the events of the day on twitter: Follow @acestoohigh and #4CAKidsDay17 to get live updates all day.
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Adversity Is Not Destiny
Childhood adversity can activate the human stress response system, which is primarily made up of the hormones/chemicals cortisol and adrenaline. In the developing brain of a child, prolonged activation of the stress response system can cause these chemicals to actually become toxic. Think of that – a child’s brain being bathed in toxic chemicals due to abuse, neglect, or chaotic household dysfunction. It’s called toxic stress. It’s real, not imagined, and it’s physiological, potentially...
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At a different kind of summer camp, students try out a career in criminal justice. (ocregister.ccom)
Local high school students got a behind-the-scenes look at the county’s criminal justice system Wednesday as part of the Orange County District Attorney’s 17th annual Summer Youth Education Conference. The weeklong program gives students interested in a career in law enforcement a taste of what it’s like to be an attorney, police officer and judge. With educational workshops, the students are walked through the criminal system from the arrest and booking process to the courtroom, said Jose...
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Broadening Your Network and Identifying Partners for More Resilient, Healthier Communities
Who should you partner with to create lasting change through resilience in your community? The Building Community Resilience (BCR) initiative aims to address, prevent, and reduce the effects of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and adverse community environments (ACEs) on children’s health and wellbeing ( The “Pair of ACEs” ). An essential element of the successes of BCR’s five test sites around the country has been strategic collaborations. In your work to build resilience, identifying...
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California 2018 State Profile
Hi, Everyone: Here’s the state profile for California. To review the entire profile, open the PDF that is attached to this post. If you have corrections or additions, please leave them in the comments section of this post. We’ll be reviewing the comments regularly and doing fact-checks. The information you give us will also help us determine how to organize and expand the information in the state profiles. We will be turning this post into a living profile that, with your help and input,...
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California can curb violence against incarcerated children. Here’s how. (ocregister.com)
When I was 16, I was incarcerated in juvenile hall. Whenever I was moved within the facility, I was shackled. They would chain my ankles and handcuff my wrists to a belly-chain. I was bound like this anytime I went to see the nurse, the psychiatrist and whenever I went outside. Twenty years later, I still have scars where the cuffs carved into my ankles. Policies in California’s youth prisons, including the use of shackles, cause serious harm to our children. The vast majority of...
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California: Drop-In Center Services for Commercially Sexually Exploited Children (chronicleofsocialchange.org)
“The County of Orange (County) Social Services Agency (SSA), Children and Family Services Division will be seeking program statements from for-profit organizations, private nonprofit organizations, public educational institutions, or municipalities with experience in providing a Drop-In Center facility that would include offering services and support to victims of sexual exploitation, potential victims and their family members. The Drop-In Center will provide services and programs for...
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California issues update on state residents' ACE scores from 2011 & 2013 surveys
The latest adverse childhood experiences survey from the California Department of Public Health shows that 42% of the population has an ACE score of 3 or higher; 16% have an ACE score of 4 or higher. Those with an ACE score of 4 or higher are: 3x more likely to be current smokers 4x more likely to have a depressive disorder 2x more likely to have asthma 2x more likely to be obese 4x more likely to have COPD 3x more likely to have a stroke Here are a few other highlights from the six-page...
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County’s sex trafficking awareness campaign focuses on child victims (ocregister.com)
In 2012, as various Orange County agencies teamed up to address the sexual exploitation of children, they discovered 17 victims in the county. A year later, the number had more than doubled, to 35, and last year, it multiplied again, to 75. Victims of forced labor are more likely to take public transportation, OCTA CEO Darrell Johnson said Wednesday, so the transportation authority trained more than 1,100 staff and contract bus operators to spot signs of sex trafficking. Oree Freeman, 22, a...
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Discipline reform gets boost in California budget (edsource.org)
Tucked inside last week’s state budget deal was some good news for California’s school discipline reform advocates — an additional $15 million for tackling issues such as bullying and trauma students have experienced, and training teachers and administrators in alternatives to traditional approaches to discipline. The $15 million will go to both the Orange County Department of Education and the Butte County Department of Education, which will contract with a college or university to develop...
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Early childhood educators learn new ways to spot trauma triggers, build resilience in preschoolers
A hug may be comforting to many children, but for a child who has experienced trauma it may not feel safe.
That’s an example used by Julie Kurtz, co-director of trauma informed practices in early childhood education at the WestEd Center for Child & Family Studies (CCFS), as she begins a trauma training session. Her audience, preschool teachers and staff of the San Francisco-based Wu Yee Children’s Services at San Francisco’s Women’s Building, listen attentively.
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How One Connection at CYW’s ACEs Conference Sparked Awareness into Action
Origins offers a number of training and consulting services. We developed The Basics as a half-day session to provide the foundation to support trauma-informed and resilience practices across sectors and industries. The session includes an overview of the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study, the neurobiology of toxic stress, the impact of social and historical trauma, and the science of resilience. We have tested The Basics with two cross-sector audiences, in Los Angeles and Phoenix.
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Hundreds gathered in City Heights last month for the San Diego premier of Resilience -The Biology of Stress and Science of Hope.
The crowd arrived to the aroma of freshly popped popcorn that wafted through the Cherokee Point Elementary School auditorium. With bags of popcorn and plates filled with fresh-cut fruits and vegetables from trays on tables lining the wall, the service providers, policy makers, community advocates, graduate students, teachers and parents settled in for a movie and a panel discussion that brought many to tears. Dr. Dawn Griffin, a professor in Alliant International University departments of...
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Huntington Beach shelter gives homeless teens somewhere to turn (ocregister.com)
Orange County, with its beaches and nice weather, is much more than a spot for tourists - it has become a national magnet for homeless teens. Beaches are an attractive place for teens to “crash” – the coastline provides a place to hang out and sleep, working bathrooms, good weather and the beauty of the ocean. The problem of homeless teens has become so big that, according to the Orange County Department of Education, approximately 30,000 local children were homeless or living in substandard...
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Orange County Trauma and Resilience Network One Pager
Attached find a 2018 version of Orange County community profile detailing information about your community ACEs initiative. This will be shared with CA legislators at the Trauma-Informed Policymaker Awareness Day on May 22nd in Sacramento. I attach it here as a PDF ready to print and share! I also have uploaded into 'Resources for Downloading' the same PDF, and an editable Word document so that you can update or otherwise improve it. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out to...
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Self Care Webinar on 11/16/16 Hosted by Futures Without Violence
Compassion Fatigue & Self-Care for Individuals and Organizations Brought to you by Futures Without Violence’s Supporting Organizational Sustainability Institute (SOS Institute) in partnership with the Office on Violence Against Women. Date: Wednesday, November 16, 2016 Time : 9:30 a.m. PT, 10:30 a.m. MT, 11:30 p.m. CT, 12:30 p.m. ET (1 Hr. 30 Min.) ***Closed caption will be provided. Registration Link:...
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Self-Healing Communities [RWJF.org]
A comprehensive model of building community capacity in Washington helped make dramatic reductions in rates of health issues and social problems. The Issue In the early 1990’s, Washington state set up a program to tackle issues like domestic violence, school dropouts, youth substance abuse, and others that impact families and children. These are issues that typically had been addressed separately, but the team in Washington focused on addressing them collectively. Key Findings Over 10 to 15...
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Strengthening Community Trust Sypmposium - Family & Youth Support Partner Initiative
The Diversity Development Center invites you to attend the first in a series of Strengthening Community Trust Symposiums to take place at Marina Village Conference Center Building A, 1936 Quivira Way, San Diego, CA 92109 on July 18th and 19th, 2018. FAMILY & YOUTH SUPPORT PARTNER MODEL A Family and Youth Support Partner is an individual, with lived experiences in the respective system(s), who is trained and hired to help other families as a paraprofessional. We believe trust is the...
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Strengthening Community Trust Sypmposium - Family & Youth Support Partner Initiative
The Diversity Development Center invites you to attend the first in a series of Strengthening Community Trust Symposiums to take place at Marina Village Conference Center Building A, 1936 Quivira Way, San Diego, CA 92109 on July 18th and 19th, 2018. FAMILY & YOUTH SUPPORT PARTNER MODEL A Family and Youth Support Partner is an individual, with lived experiences in the respective system(s), who is trained and hired to help other families as a paraprofessional. We believe trust is the...
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Syrian Children in a state of Toxic Stress
An article posted by BBC News captures what the children of Syria are experiencing and how many of these children don't know anything but war. This is a huge public health concern that could lead to irreversible damage to an entire generation of children. Save the Children shares, "Millions of Syrian Children could be living in a state of "Toxic Stress" due to prolonged exposure to the horrors of war." I have attached the Report, Invisible Wounds produced by Save the Children if you're...
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Toxic Stress, Toxic Streets (4 minute video)
This video is about 2 years old, but I just came across it last week and wanted to share with you all. It is a powerful statement by the students at Leadership High School in San Francisco, CA. They speak about the ongoing adversity and toxic stress in their daily lives and in their community, all through the power of music. The youth voice is so important as we work to bring trauma-informed and resilience building practices to communities. Link to video: Toxic Stress, Toxic Streets
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Transgender children now have access to specialized care at 2 Orange County hospitals (ocregister.com)
Transgender youth no longer need to travel long distances to have their health needs met with the opening of two Orange County hospital programs offering medical and psychological services. Last month, Children’s Hospital of Orange County launched the Gender, Puberty and Sex Development Program. In the fall, UC Irvine Medical Center opened the Pediatric Gender Diversity Program. “Our job is to understand who these children and adolescents really believe they are and help them become the...
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Two New Grant Opportunities for Youth Development and Diversion Services
In 2019, more than $40 million will become available to fund community-based, culturally rooted, trauma-informed services for youth in California as alternatives to arrest and incarceration. Thousands of California youth are arrested every year for low-level offenses. Youth who are arrested or incarcerated for low-level offenses are less likely to graduate high school, more likely to suffer negative health-outcomes, and more likely to have later contact with the justice system.
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Ladera Ranch family pushes for change in youth football after loss of son (ocregister.com)
Greg Ransom did not see the hit that led to his son’s death, but since that night two Septembers ago, he has imagined over and over the circumstances that led to the moment when everything fell apart. The next November, James committed suicide. He was 13. There were no answers to be found, no explanations to be had, nothing to hold onto but the cruelty of it all. It took just one hit for their son to suffer a traumatic brain injury playing football. And now, a little over a year later, he...
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Making Connections Symposium ~ Impact of Gang Culture on Community Well-being
Making Connections Symposium: Exploring the Impact of Gang Culture and Gang Violence on the Mental Health and Community Well-being in Los Angeles County. MAY 11, 2016 8:30 A.M. TO 3:30 P.M. at The California Endowment KEYNOTE SPEAKERS GEORGE WEAVER , BROTHERHOOD CRUSADE LOUISE GODBOLD , ECHO PARENTING AND EDUCATION DR. D’ARTAGNAN SCORZA , SOCIAL JUSTICE LEARNING INSTITUTE & INGLEWOOD SCHOOL BOARD MUSIC PERFORMANCE: THE RHYTHM ARTS ALLIANCE DRUMMERS FOOD: CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST AND LUNCH...
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Mind Matters: Overcoming Adversity and Building Resilience Two-Day Intensive Training
with Author, Carolyn Rich Curtis, Ph.D. 8:30 AM–5:00 PM $399 for 2-day Intensive Training CEUs are available for an additional charge. Each trainee must have a copy of Mind Matters ($299 plus tax (CA and SD only) plus S/H) As a result of this training , you will learn to teach: Self-soothing skills to manage emotions Ways to analyze stressful thoughts How to deal with intrusive memories Ways to develop a protective lifestyle And you, as an instructor, will learn . . . How to provide a safe...
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Re: Artist paints positive message behind bars at O.C. men's jail (ocregister.com)
Hi Marlene, Gosh, wouldn't it be healing for all of our youth and adults in the justice systems to be surrounded by messages of hope and love. They've all been traumatized in myriad ways and to have these messages permeating through the climate of their institutions would be such powerful messaging of our humanity's intention of helping each other heal.
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Virtual Trauma-Informed Schools: Mission Academy
Heartache is a universal experience, yet we often feel alone. Things happen; choices are made, and before we know it, we wake up longing for change. No one grows up dreaming that they will not “fit in” to the “traditional” path, but when they find themselves on the detour route, it feels like a moving treadmill, going nowhere fast down an isolated road. “Traditional” opportunities may not have worked out, but there are alternative routes to success, now more than ever! Mission Academy is a...
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Virtual Trauma-Informed School: San Diego Mission Academy
Heartache is a universal experience, yet we often feel alone. Things happen; choices are made, and before we know it, we wake up longing for change. No one grows up dreaming that they will not “fit in” to the “traditional” path, but when they find themselves on the detour route, it feels like a moving treadmill, going nowhere fast down an isolated road. “Traditional” opportunities may not have worked out, but there are alternative routes to success, now more than ever! San Diego Mission...
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ACEs Connection launches Cooperative of Communities
The ACEs Connection Cooperative of Communities launches today. We want to continue to contribute to the ACEs movement for as long as it takes to create a worldwide healing-centered culture based on ACEs science. We want that to take hold in this world in the same way electricity has — we only notice it if it isn’t there.
First, a clarification: Nothing on ACEsConnection.com changes! Membership remains free! Everything our current 300+ communities use stays free, and remains free for new ones.
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A Better Normal Friday, June 19th at Noon PDT: LGBTQ+ Identity and Race in the US: An Intersectional Discussion On Historical and Generational Trauma
Please join us for the ongoing community discussion of A Better Normal, our ongoing series in which we envision the future as trauma-informed. LGBTQ+ Identity and Race in the US: An Intersectional Discussion On Historical and Generational Trauma With Panelists Rev. Dr. D. Mark Wilson and Alexander Cho, Ph.D., Moderated by ACEs Connection staff members Jenna Quinn and Alison Cebulla Friday, June 19th, 2020 Noon to 1pm, PT (3pm to 4pm ET) >>Click here to register<< Please join us...
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Trauma-informed policing: Learn how three highly experienced community leaders strengthen ties between police and community
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,...
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Coping with Stress During the COVID-19 Pandemic: One-Pager
Coping with Stress During the COVID-19 Pandemic: One-Pager
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A Lifetime of Health and Wellness Starts Early
As we sit amidst a pandemic, I marvel at the difference in how each person is navigating this shared traumatic space. What makes some of us carry on with little impact on our mental health and wellness, while others struggle to get through life’s daily tasks? I believe it is Resilience. Resilience isn’t something you are born with. It is complex and developed over time, through personal experiences and environments, through parenting and opportunities, through responses from those who are...
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Presenting... The RESET Toolbox (Western Youth Services)
Presenting... The RESET Toolbox, a collection of trainings and resources that build resilience to help the kids and families of OC cope with living with COVID-19. The RESET Toolbox is a collaborative initiative, Western Youth Services (WYS) worked together with the Orange County Depar tm ent of Education (OCDE), the Children's Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) and some other partners. We've gathered tons of workshops, resources and more, they are all part of The RESET Toolbox. The...
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RESET Toolbox - Round Table Event 2.25.2021
Join us for a RESET Toolbox Round Table event on 2.25.2021. Learn more about the RESET Toolbox and meet the RESET Partners.
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Understanding Adverse Childhood Experiences: What You Need to Know and How You Can Help
Toxic stress can have lifelong impacts. Here’s what you need to know about adverse childhood experiences and how you can help to mitigate the effects.
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Peer-to-Peer-Resilient Parenting: Tools and Strategies that Work
Peer-to-Peer - Resilient Parenting: Tools and Strategies that Work. A two-hour discussion of tools and strategies that providers can use with parents to buffer toxic stress and build resiliency in their children. Learn how to talk to parents about ACEs, support the process of parental coregulation, and promote buffering through healthy coping. Join us on Wednesday 3.03.21.
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Resilience Film Screening and Training
Western Youth Services CEO Dr. Lorry Leigh Belhumeur in collaboration with the Orange County Community Foundation’s Impact Philanthropy Group are hosting a screening of the highly acclaimed documentary "Resilience - The Biology of Stress and the Science of Hope" and a discussion after the screening all on Zoom.
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Every Day is About Mental Health Awareness at WYS
Although mental health and wellness is our primary focus EVERY DAY at Western Youth Services (WYS). May is Mental Health Awareness month
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Upcoming Peer-to-Peer and Network of Care Events
Western Youth Services is hosting various Peer-to-Peer and Network of Care Events for May and June 2021.
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Resource: Coping with Stress During the COVID-19 Pandemic One-Pager (English & Spanish!)
English: The California Department of Public Health, Injury and Prevention Branch (CDPH/IVPB) and the California Department of Social Service, Office of Child Abuse Prevention’s (CDSS/OCAP) , Essentials for Childhood (EfC) Initiative , ACEs Connection , and the Yolo County Children’s Alliance co-created “Coping with Stress During the COVID-19 Pandemic” in both English and Spanish. This material is intended for Californian families experiencing the severe economic consequences resulting from...
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Understanding Adverse Childhood Experiences: What You Need to Know and How You Can Help
Toxic stress can have lifelong impacts. Here’s what you need to know about adverse childhood experiences and how you can help to mitigate the effects.
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How an ACE Score Impacts a Life, a Family, a Community
As a mental health agency for children, we have witnessed the impact of an ACE Score in the lives of children, families, and our community of Orange County since 1972.
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Mitigating the Impact of ACEs and the Toxic Stress Response During and After COVID-19
Ways to mitigate the toxic stress reponse resulting from COVID-19 and often associated with Adverse Childhood Experiences or ACEs.
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Combining ACEs and PEARLS Assessments to Provide Healing Solutions
The ACE Study provides insight into the traumatic experiences that occurred in childhood. PEARLS was developed to learn more about related life experiences
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Me & My Emotions: A New, Free Resource for Teens
The pandemic has had a lasting effect on youth mental health. Moved by a desire to reduce youth’s toxic stress and increase their resilience, The Dibble Institute, in partnership with a team of students and alumni from ArtCenter College of Design and author Carolyn Curtis, PhD, is releasing Me & My Emotions —a new, free adaptation of our beloved Mind Matters Curriculum. The mobile-friendly Me & My Emotions website features engaging graphics and bite-sized lessons teens can access and...
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September Is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. Here Are Risk Factors & Warning Signs to Know
Cases of youth suicide are on the rise. What are the risk factors and warning signs tied to suicide? What steps do we take to provide help? Here’s what OCDE regional mental health coordinators and its Crisis Response Network have shared: https://newsroom.ocde.us/ september-is-suicide- prevention-awareness-month- here-are-risk-factors-and- warning-signs-to-know/
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Free to COOPs and your members: RYSE Center Presents: Radical Inquiry session on supporting BIPOC Youth Liberation!
COST: $150 - General Registration F REE - Cooperative of Communities Network Members using code P CCOOP22 Register here and use code PCCOOP22 J oin the RYSE Center and PACEs Connection on July 12. 2022 from 10 am-1 pm PT / 12 pm-3 pm CT / 1 pm-4 pm ET to examine how conventional social science research often produces and replicates unjust and harmful narratives about Black, Indigenous, Youth of Color (BIPOC) capacities, priorities, dreams, and needs. At the same time, research upholds and...