Millions of lives have been affected in unprecedented ways by the Coronavirus (COVID-19). We are all grappling with uncertainty—our daily routines interrupted, not knowing what is to come. For those of us who have Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), these times can be particularly distressing. At the Center for Youth Wellness (CYW), we know that childhood trauma can have a significant impact on an individual’s health and well-being – both physiologically and psychologically. Since the...

The first time I ever heard the words trauma-informed care and the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) study was in the summer of 2014. At the time, I was working for the local Police Department as the Director of a grant-funded Crime Reduction Project aimed at reducing drug-related and violent crime. Of the many program goals, one was to develop a rehabilitative corrections program for felony offenders with addictions in order to reduce recidivism. Though I’ve lived in this region for...

“In order to cope,” writes Mary Trump, “Donald began to develop powerful but primitive defenses, marked by an increasing hostility to others and a seeming indifference to his mother’s absence and father’s neglect….In place of [his emotional needs] grew a kind of grievance and behaviors—including bullying, disrespect, and aggressiveness—that served their purpose in the moment but became more problematic over time. With appropriate care and attention, they might have been overcome.”

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,...

Southeastern ACEs Connection and national CTIPP leaders on the quarterly leader call welcomed guest speaker Rebecca Lewis-Pankratz (top left) for their quarterly call. Also among those present were (top row l-r) Carey Sipp, Jesse Kohler, Jesse Hardin, (second row, l-r) Patti Tiberi, Mebane Boyd, Jen Drake-Croft, Dan Press, (third row, l-r) Mimi Graham, Christopher Freeze, Margaret Stagmeier, (fourth row, l-r) Emily Marsh, Liz Peterson, Alyssa Koziarski and Janet Pozmantier. Also present was...

I am Selena Rowell, director of the Columbus County Partnership for Children in North Carolina. The reason why I support ACEs Connection is because of the great potential to promote healing and hope to individuals and even to the entire community. We value the work of ACEs Connection and its entire support team. ACEs Connection provides free guidance for any agency seeking to promote a more inclusive community. The guidance is also available for individuals who may be struggling or trying to...

The Rural Opportunity Institute of Edgecombe County is offering the Reconnect for Resilience Training -- normally offered at $295 per person -- with the cost waived for the April 6-2, 2021 training. s scholarships front grant funding. Sign-up here: https://bit.ly/3m6FJIZ Date: April 6-9, 2021 (on Zoom) Time: 9 am to 12:30 pm EST At this Reconnect for Resilience training you will learn seven skills and eight rapid resets to help balance your nervous system, manage stress, build resilience,...

Chloe Yang, 3/29/21, positiveexperience.org/blog Our first annual summit is less than a month away! Please register at this link , which you can also find on the Summit landing page (registration closes at 5:00 pm ET on Monday, April 5th). Our virtual summit seeks to inspire a group of leaders who will, together, champion a movement to shift how we support children and families, creating systems of care based on understanding, equity, and trust. Morning plenary sessions will feature Dr. Bob...

We have so many wonderfu https://www.acesconnection.com/fileSendAction/fcType/0/fcOid/508261416693856202/filePointer/508261416693856263/fodoid/507698389112989542/Coping%20With%20Stress%20During%20the%20COVID-19%20Pandemic%20One-Pager_Accesible_English.pdf l resources shared by members. However, a few of you have asked me for help in retrieving them. Here's several of the most commonly shared ACEs handouts, info graphics and one pagers, with links to download. PLEASE share yours! I'm working...

Members of the four Cape Fear Area resiliency initiatives celebrate their joining the PACES Connection Cooperative of Communities and thank United Way - Cape Fear Area leadership for "leaning in" on the work being done to prevent and heal childhood trauma, and build on positive childhood experiences to create individual, family and community resilience. The United Way-Cape Fear Area (UW-CFA) board of directors has voted to fund four North Carolina resiliency initiatives to join the PACEs...

How can brain science help a Pop Warner football team of 10-year-olds win the big game, and avoid depression when they're adults? Join us for the August edition of the Up2Us Sports Lunch and Learn Series and find out. The monthly lunch and learn session, usually exclusively for UP2US member coaches, is now open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis. Register today using the link at the end of this post! The session is Wednesday, August 11 at noon CST, and features the Rev. Dr.

Dear NC partners, Over the past couple of years, by survey and multiple conversations and meetings, we have asked those of you on the ground doing the important work of bringing communities together to prevent and address ACEs what you need to enhance the good work you’re doing. By far, the desire to connect with peers doing similar work has risen to the top as the #1 priority/desire that you and your colleagues wanted us to address and provide. We are excited to announce the first gathering...

Special NC Child Legislative Update: COVID Delta Variant & Children Presenters: Dr. Zack Moore, State Epidemiologist & Dr. Kelly Kimple, Women’s & Children’s Health Section Chief Friday, 9/10, 11:00 am All Friday updates will be provided live in both English and Spanish. Sign up here to attend. 2021 NC Statewide Virtual Policy Institute The NC Collaborative for Children, Youth, and Families and Prevent Child Abuse NC announce that registration for the 2021 Policy Institutes is...

While natural disasters can strike at any time with very little warning, families and communities can take steps to prepare in the event that a disaster does occur. With the devastation caused by ongoing events (hurricanes, flooding, wildfires, COVID-19) across the nation, this reaffirms the need for disaster preparedness. Our thoughts are with the families, children, and communities who have been affected by these disasters. The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) has resources...

By Ben Schachtman, WHQR, September 24, 2021 On the latest edition of The Newsroom, an in-depth conversation with District Attorney Ben David and Chief District Court Judge Jay Corpening. We discuss changing philosophical approaches to juvenile justice and changes to North Carolina's laws — plus, what could be in store now that New Hanover County has agreed to tap $350 million in hospital sale funds. On Monday, August 30, gunshots rang out in a crowded hallway at New Hanover High School. One...

This is the third of three stunning illustrations showing how PACEs (positive and adverse childhood experiences) affected the family of Cendie Stanford, graphic artist and founder of the nonprofit ACEs Matter. This one looks at her positive childhood experiences. The day before her 16th birthday, Cendie Stanford’s older brother was shot and killed by a young man who, just two years earlier, had been her boyfriend. “I was heartbroken that two people I loved were out of my life forever,” says...

By Elaine Miller-Karas MSW, LCSW Building Resiliency to Trauma Psychology Today, September 30, 2022 Mental health can suffer after extreme climate events. KEY POINTS Mental health conditions exacerbated by natural disasters include post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety. After a disaster, the number of people needing assistance from the mental health systems strains or exceeds community capacity. There are simple strategies helpers can use to help survivors restore...

(l-r) Judge J. Corpening; Ben David, district attorney, New Hanover County; Chief Justice Paul Newby; Judge Andrew Heath, executive director, Administrative Office of the Courts of the Chief Justice's ACEs Informed Courts Task Force. David and Heath serve as Task Force co-chairs . “There is not any more important work going on in the State of North Carolina,” said Ben David, District Attorney for New Hanover County and co-chair of the Chief Justice’s ACEs-Informed Task Force . The Task force...

Bo Dean with New Hanover area Community Resiliency Model trainers Audry Hart, the late Chris Johnson, and J'vanete Skiba. Bo Dean answered the call for monthly donations to PACEs Connection more than a year ago for many reasons, one of the main ones being that PACEs Connection and the work it supports helps us “live into our humanity.” In addition to his supporting learning and development for some 2200 employees in New Hanover County, North Carolina, Dean also co-chairs the County’s...

RALEIGH- Resilient North Carolina , a website created by the NC Healthy & Resilient Communities Initiative (NCH&RCI), has launched. Resilient North Carolina is intended for all North Carolinians, with the goal of sharing best practices and connecting individuals and organizations building resilience and reducing trauma statewide. NCH&RCI works to build healthy and resilient communities for young children and families, creating resilience across each generation by bringing...

Ben David, co-chair of the North Carolina Chief Justice's Task Force on ACEs-Informed Courts, shares plans to sustain the work done during the two-year term of the Task Force, to "care for our own" speaking of North Carolina's children, youth, families, communities, victims of crimes, members of law enforcement, the judiciary and court officers and staffers. He also shared Chief Justice Paul Newby's hopes of "getting ACEs-informed courts" into the culture, and said a national conference for...

March marks the final month of the granting period for the CRC Accelerator. Here are the next steps for certification or a certificate of participation.

To all of you, who, like me, love this website and want to see it and its communities flourish as we work to prevent and heal trauma; build resiliency: please know there is a move afoot by a small group of strategic partners to find a suitable host for PACEs Connection. More will be announced in the coming days. In the meantime, friends, we are figuring out email addresses and other communications logistics and opportunities. PEACE! Carey Sipp, former director of strategic partnerships ...