PACEs Connection is excited to kick off our 2023 Creating Resilient Communities (CRC) Annual Accelerator Program.

July is a time to celebrate all summer has to offer by building bridges and innovating with community to get to the heart of trauma-informed awareness and resilience building. This month, we’ve added new July dates to the summer 2023 *CRC* curriculum—but that’s only half of the good news. Last year, the CRC began as a pilot program. Now that it's evolved, what better time to bring accelerator participants together in a PACEs Connection CRC community than the summer? We are proud to announce...

Our speaker for the August PACEs Connection Cooperative of Communities meeting will share ways of building community connections we may not have thought of before – starting with trust in the earliest and most important relationships – as well as some challenging news, exciting resources, and timely inspiration. Cooperative of Communities members and members of their communities are invited to join us tomorrow, August 8, 2023, at 10 a.m. PT, Noon CT, and 1 p.m. ET when we welcome Deborah...

Christina Bethell, Ph.D, MBA, MPH, founder of the Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative (CAHMI), principal author of the groundbreaking study on positive childhood experiences, and creator of the free Well Visit Planner, among other innovations. Two internationally-respected leaders and innovators in complementary aspects of early relational health and childhood and maternal health equity recently launched a partnership they believe will benefit everyone from newborn babies and...

The Bridges to Resilience conference is one of the most recognized conferences in California’s coastal tri-counties. Bridges to Resilience seeks to increase understanding of the widespread impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), and provide hopeful strategies to build resilience within our communities and across systems of care throughout the Central Coast.

To prepare for the year ahead, we have a few very special announcements we’re excited to share. First, we’d like to take a moment to acknowledge the 700+ community champions, facilitators, managers, and advocates in our COOP and Growing Resilient Communities program for your commitment.

As we head into our full CRC curriculum this January, we invite current and future CRC Accelerator participants to join us with collective care and self care in mind.

To read more of Natasha Reyes' article, please click here. The area of Southern California from the Pacific Coast to the slopes of the Santa Ynez Mountains, including the city of Santa Barbara , was once populated by the Barbareño tribe of the Chumash people. The city was originally known as Syukhtun, and this tribe of Chumash was one of the largest and most influential in the entire state. A small, but significant and fascinating piece of Chumash history can be found at a site known as...

The 2023 Bridges to Resilience conference inspired us all to think more deeply about HOPE and how we might increase access to positive experiences for children and youth who have been exposed to high doses of adversity. In this post-pandemic world we recognize that many of our youth are suffering and in need of support. The November Lunch & Learn hosted by the KIDS Network of Santa Barbara County explored the four building blocks of HOPE from a youth perspective and elevated youth voices...

A resilient community fosters a network of people and resources that can adapt, learn, and thrive in the face of challenges. Building such a community requires intention and effort. One example of such an effort is the Self-Healing Communities (SHC) project in Lompoc, a collaborative partnership between local government, nonprofits, and community members who share the responsibility and long-term commitment to its success.

We are grateful to be able to share this beautiful story of resilience, partnership, and the transformative strength of love. Please read on to learn about Angels Foster Care parents, Christine and Jacob, and the inspiring example they are setting for family preservation. Photo, from left to right: Angels Foster Care Parents, Christine and Jacob Tyler with their children; Angels child Sophia* with her father, Matthew* Credit: Kelsey Crews Photo Sophia’s* journey in life began with a...