Philadelphia Group Blogs

The Workforce Development Workgroup of the Philadelphia ACE Task Force met on Wednesday, May 18 th at the United Way. There were several members in the room who were either new or who have not been able to attend meeting recently so the group caught up on current work. The group began with an update from the subcommittee that is working to develop focus groups with teachers and administrators in from the School District of Philadelphia (SDP) to better understand how they are using...

The main aim of pediatrics is prevention. Prevention of diseases, of injury, of emotional problems, of developmental and intellectual delays. Our armamentarium include vaccines; screening instruments; and guidance on development, safety, and nutrition. It's time to add one more item to our tool kit: screening our young patients for health and emotional problems related to poverty. At St. Christopher's Hospital for Children in the heart of North Philadelphia, we see 15 to 20 newborns a day,...

The ACEs Messaging Group, an ad hoc group of ACE Task Force Members and Community Partners, convened on Tuesday, May 10 th at Friends Center. This meeting served as first re-convening of this group since work that had been done in 2015 around developing messages about ACEs, trauma, and resilience that “catch-on”. The group began by discussing some of this former work and reviewing some guiding principles as they move to narrow messages and test them with focus groups throughout Philadelphia.

The Practical Interventions workgroup of the Philadelphia ACE Task Force met on Thursday, May 5 th at Friends Center in Philadelphia. The group discussed the survey that was developed to capture data from the Philadelphia ACE Task Force membership related to regional agencies/organizations that provide services to youth and adults who have experienced trauma. There was a lively discussion about final edits to the survey, which will be made in the coming weeks. Group members then suggested...

Cristo Rey faculty get one full day a week to collaborate and strategize about how to meet the specific needs of individual students. (Bas Slabbers/for WHYY) By Kevin McCorry School counselor Pam Turner-Bunyon had been warned: This new, incoming student had a dark profile and was prone to very erratic behavior. "When he first came to us, he ran out of the building, the first day — the very first day — instead of coming in, he ran," she said. Turner-Bunyon learned what happened and...

Art can be used to heal. This was the overarching message of the event “Artists Plus Trauma-Informed Practice for Youth”. The event brought together teaching artists and professionals from the behavioral health field to discuss how trauma-informed practice can be used to build resilience and encourage healing through use of the arts. Teaching artists from all over the city – ranging from poets to photographers to painters – came to learn about the science of ACEs and trauma from founder of...

Hi, everyone! The Healing10 wants to make sure to invite everyone from Philadelphia, particularly those who could not get to the ACES Task Force Film Festival, to our event May 9th! Healing in Action Film Screening and Discussion May 9th, 2016, 3:30 PM, Rutgers Camden Register at www.healing10.org The Healing10, a “Community of Communities” planned as a cross sector approach to bring a trauma informed paradigm to Camden, NJ. is pleased to announce the Spring Healing in Action Film Festival!

Hello, everyone! I was hoping to get feedback about introducing brain basics, trauma and ACEs (possibly...not sure if I want to do this because how sensitive the questions are) in a parenting group based in a women's and family shelter. Has anyone had experience with discussing trauma and adverse childhood experiences, especially with trauma impacted adults? Recommended activities, including videos? Do you think the TEDtalk of Nadine Burke Harris would be too much? I do have a great video...

Check out this MomsRising blog carnival, which includes a post about the Mobilizing Action for Resilient Communities and others by Leslie Lieberman and Jane Stevens! http://www.momsrising.org/blog...l-emotional-learning

The sunlight and the tease of perfectly mild weather lured Nikki Jones and her son out of their low-slung West Philadelphia rowhouse on March 23rd. Jones planted herself on her porch. Nasir , 14, was right by her side. It was late in the afternoon, and the temperature had edged into the 70s. All of the kids in the neighborhood were running around outside, but Nasir didn’t budge. Jones is the kind of mother who worries about of all of the things that can go wrong once her son leaves her line...

When reflecting on the factors that derailed them academically, Quad’ir Ford and Nalik Lark-Hightower didn’t mention living in poverty or exposure to trauma as factors. But experts have said that these two distinct yet intertwined conditions in children’s lives can go far in explaining the root cause of the dropout crisis. “Trauma is not a singular event; neither is poverty,” said Chekemma Fulmore-Townsend, executive director of the Philadelphia Youth Network and co-chair of Project U-Turn.

Sanctuary is a place of refuge or safety. In urban neighborhoods all throughout America, sanctuary is a luxury almost beyond attainment. But Michael O'Bryan is working to bring that sense of sanctuary to the North Philadelphia community of Strawberry Mansion. The Sanctuary Model originated in Philadelphia in the early 1980s. It promotes safety and recovery from adversity through the active creation of a trauma-informed community. Crucial to this program is the understanding that trauma is a...