Tagged With "getting started"
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San Francisco Dept of Public Health Trauma-Informed Systems Initiative
I thought you might be interested in taking a look at the 2014 year in review from the SF Dept of Public Health's Trauma-Informed Systems Initiative. It's attached, below. The Department made the commitment to train all of its 9,000 staff...
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Santa Rosa school embraces mindfulness to improve focus, boost grades (Pressdemocrat.com)
Lisa Moore rattled a rainstick before urging her Cook Middle School students to shut their eyes or look down. “Let what’s stressing your mind go,” she said between deep breaths. “As you breathe out, let all that stuff go.” Students exchanged glances. Some giggled, distracted by classroom visitors. Ultimately, the eighth-graders sank into their seats, closed their eyes or looked at their feet as their teacher’s soothing voice led them through their afternoon “mindfulness” session. Twice a...
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Simple Resilience Tips
(This is a written version of a presentation I gave at our January Meeting.) For the past year, Sonoma County ACEs Connection worked to make more people aware of Adverse Childhood Experiences. But especially after the big fires, it feels important to also talk about resilience. I want to start a discussion about simple resilience techniques that anyone could apply in their work, social and/or personal life. This is not new information, because the best resilience methods have been used by...
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Solano County launches its ACEs and resilience initiative inviting all to take action
Elizabeth Huntley recalls the day when her family’s life was turned upside down. “One day my mom woke up and she packed up all of our clothes, all five of us…and she took me and my younger sister who had the same father… down to my paternal grandmother’s house…and she left us there. She took my middle sister to a town near Birmingham, Ala., and left her there. She took my only brother and an older sister back to Huntsville and left them at a sister’s house. Then she went back to that housing...
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Solano County's (CA) ACEs initiative, a robust community effort, makes room for input from all
In a house called “Johanna’s House” on a tree-lined side street in Vallejo, Calif., four women are filling out the adverse childhood experiences (ACE) survey given to them by Maria Guevara, the founder of Vallejo Together, an organization that serves homeless residents in Vallejo. The house was named for Johanna Dilag, a homeless woman who was found dead along with her dog.
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Sonoma County ACES Connection MARC Proposal
Members have asked to see the proposal as submitted. Here it is for your reference.
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2017 Kids Count Data Book [aecf.org]
Wednesday June 14th the Annie E. Casey Foundation released the 2017 Kids Count Data Book - State Trends in Child Well-Being. This comprehensive report is " a premier source of data on children and families." You can download the report from this post, as well as on the Kids Count website , where you can also access an interactive data map in their Data Center . This is an invaluable amount of data available to the public, relevant to anyone working with children and families - with the...
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4Cs Childcare Sites reopening schedule
From 4Cs of Sonoma County UPDATED 10/16/17 4Cs Office will Reopen for Regular Hours Monday October 16th. In addition, 4Cs Preschools will begin to reopen this week. We are following all evacuation guidelines for our sites and will continue to reopen when allowed. Opening Monday October 16th 4Cs Petaluma ... 4Cs Old Elm 4Cs Willow Creek Opening Tuesday October 17th 4Cs Gold Ridge Opening Wednesday October 18th to children: 4Cs Wright Start Preschool (aligned with school district) 4Cs...
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9/27/17 Meeting Minutes
(For a colorful and well formatted version, please see the attached .pdf.) Thank you to all that participated in today’s ACES meeting. Lisa Manthe lead us through a meditation that she does with her students. Lisa shared with us that she begins and ends every school day with meditation to help foster routine and a sense of grounding for the mind body connection. Lisa Manthe from New Directions School joined us to share her experience using art therapy as a way of healing. New Directions...
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A National Agenda to Address Adverse Childhood Experiences
What are ACEs and Why Do They Matter? In 2016 1 , nearly half of U.S. children – 34 million kids – had at least one Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) and more than 20 percent experienced two or more. The new brain sciences and science of human development explain how ACEs can have devastating, long-lasting effects on children’s health and wellbeing. These events resonate well beyond the individual child to have far-reaching consequences for families, neighborhoods, and communities. ACEs...
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A Post by Amma Thanasanti on her struggles she faces as a result of the Santa Rosa CA fires
Personal Reflections on the Impacts of the Santa Rosa CA Wildfires Found Here: http://awakeningtruth.org/ blog/grace-amidst-heart-break Grace Amidst Heart Break Thursday, 04 January 2018 Inner landscape These last two months have seen a cascade of change. I write from a pause – a time of calm from my warm room looking out at the treetops. The clouds are low. It is raining today. From this vantage point, I share some of what has been going on. October Fires The first week of October, Northern...
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A Post by Amma Thanasanti on her struggles she faces as a result of the Santa Rosa CA fires
Bob Doppelt shares Amma Thanasanti 's Personal Reflections on the Impacts of the Santa Rosa CA Wildfires originally found Here: http://awakeningtruth.org/ blog/grace-amidst-heart-break Grace Amidst Heart Break Thursday, 04 January 2018 by Amma Thanasanti Inner landscape These last two months have seen a cascade of change. I write from a pause – a time of calm from my warm room looking out at the treetops. The clouds are low. It is raining today. From this vantage point, I share some of what...
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ACEs & Resiliency Master Trainer Program - Apply Today
ACEs & Resiliency Fellowship Master Trainer Program Sonoma County ACEs Connection received a grant from the Health Federation of Philadelphia to establish the Master Trainer program. Program This Master Trainer Program is designed to build a group of local experts on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) and resilience science. Learn to promote understanding and how to apply the science to improve health and well being across the lifespan. Application Click here for your application (PDF)...
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ACEs, biomarkers and the cost of adversity
How useful and necessary are biomarkers in telling the story of how toxic stress from adverse childhood experiences and resilience can impact a child’s long-term health? In the introduction to an article in the journal BioEssays , Dr. Kathryn Ridout, a Kaiser Permanente San Jose psychiatrist, and her co-authors examine what is known about two biomarkers and quote data on child maltreatment and its economic burden over time that says it all. “When totaling the costs of health care, child...
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ACEs Connection “Map the Movement” now includes an up-to-date section on laws and resolutions
Photo credit: Texasarchitects.org An updated map of laws and resolutions addressing ACEs science and trauma-informed policies is now available in the “Laws and Resolutions” section of Map the Movement (you can also find "Map the Movement" on the navigation bar on the ACEs Connection home page). The earliest law on the map was passed in the state of Washington in 2011, creating an ACEs science public-private partnership. The data base of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) is...
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ACEs Connection, our Cooperative of Communities, and....Pando!
Last month, we officially launched the ACEs Connection Cooperative of Communities. We are SO excited about this! And the communities that are part of the handful of ACEs initiatives that are piloting the Cooperative are, too! Before describing the Cooperative, I want to reassure our 40,000+ members and 277 ACEs initiatives (plus another 100 in development) that have communities on ACEs Connection that nothing on ACEsConnection.com changes! Membership is and remains free ! And it will remain...
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ACEs Connection's Inclusion Tool makes sure nobody's left out
We developed ACEs Connection's Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Tool — called the Inclusion Tool, for short — to ensure that ACEs initiatives across the world focus on being inclusive when forming a steering committee, recruiting leaders, providing education about ACEs science, recruiting members, or providing resources and services within their communities. The more inclusive your ACEs initiative is, the more diverse it will be, giving your initiative a real shot at achieving equity and...
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ACES Science 101 (FAQs)
What are ACEs? ACEs are adverse childhood experiences that harm children's developing brains so profoundly that the effects show up decades later; they cause much of chronic disease, most mental illness, and are at the root of most violence. ...
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ACEs Steering Committee Agenda - February 9, 2018
Attached you will find the ACEs Steering Committee Agenda. The meeting is February 9, 2018 from 830-10am at CPI.
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Agenda for 1.23.19 meeting
ACEs Enthusiasts Community Meeting PUBLIC ENCOURAGED TO ATTEND! Date: January 23, 2019 Time: 3:30 to 5:00 Location: Child Parent Institute : 3650 Standish Ave., Santa Rosa, CA 95407 About this community: We bring the community together to prevent, heal, and treat ACEs while promoting resiliency. New Year - New Focus! With start of new year, Sonoma County ACEs Connection will re-start fresh with a community focus, while seeking opportunities to leverage and coordinate with others. Welcome...
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ANNOUNCING: $700,000 GRANT TO SONOMA LAND TRUST TO PROTECT CRITICAL OPEN SPACE LAND AT SONOMA DEVELOPMENTAL CENTER [CFSC]
By Caitlin Childs, June 26, 2019, Community Foundation Sonoma County We are so pleased to announce this wonderful news: Thanks to the vision of a family that cared deeply about the future of Sonoma County, the Sonoma Land Trust has received a $700,000 grant from Community Foundation Sonoma County and our regional affiliate the Sonoma Valley Fund to protect more than 700 acres of open space, trails and natural resources at the site of the former Sonoma Developmental Center (SDC). This grant...
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Assisting Refugees: Lessons on Trauma and Resilience
Making do with what you’ve got There are a lot of stories about refugees in the news. Some years ago, I helped resettle refugees from the Vietnam War. Trauma and resilience define what it means to be a refugee. All of them had lived through years of warfare. They had seen friends and family members killed. They had to flee the familiar towns and villages they had lived in all their lives. They arrived in a new country with hardly any resources, in a land where nobody spoke their language or...
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Back by popular demand: Group managers' workshop May 10! (Save the date!!)
We’re planning a series of one-day regional workshops for ACEs Connection group managers. We’re planning three events: one in Southern California on May 4, one in Northern California (maybe in Vallejo...somewhere as central as possible) on May 10, and another in the San Francisco Bay Area sometime later in May. We have room for about 40 people at each workshop -- that means between four and six people from each existing or developing groups in Northern California (Sonoma,...
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Beyond Paper Tigers Presenter Showcase! Lincoln High School’s Trauma-Informed Strategies: Jim Sporleder Reflects on Lessons Learned
“We had no clue whatsoever what it would turn out to be” Jim Sporleder, former Principal, remarks as he looks back on Lincoln Alternative High School, the growing movement of CRI’s trauma-informed community initiative, and the production of the documentary Paper Tigers. Jim’s story is an iconic one. In fact, many have inevitably heard of Jim’s work if they have seen the documentary Paper Tigers; it chronicles the profound impact on Lincoln Alternative High School as Jim, the staff, and the...
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Bills that address childhood adversity 2019
Below is a table of bills that address childhood adversity in the Legislature for 2019. The list is not an exhaustive list so please email Gail Yen with Children Now if you think a bill is missing and/or if you have any questions. Email: gyen@childrennow.org Bill Number Topic Summary Status in Legislature AB 8 (Chu) Pupil health: mental health professionals AB 8 would require schools to have one mental health professional for every 600 pupils accessible on campus during school hours. For...
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Bringing ACEs Passion to the Commission on the Status of Women
Harnessing the wisdom that comes from challenging life experiences is a gift - and, it takes strength. Finding a pathway to healing , through expressive art, writing, and kayaking are just some of the ways that Michelle Denham role models the value of self-care. Michelle brings this wisdom to her role on the Sonoma County Commission on the Status of Women . CSW Commissioner Michelle Denham As a passionate Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) champion , Michelle brings a trauma informed lens...
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Building trust is now a critical part of health care
In a video clip , a hospital patient turns away in protest as a physician enters the room. “Why do you all keep coming in my room!” she asks in frustration. The physician moves a chair out of the way and sits down at eye level with the patient. “You’ve had to see so many people,” he acknowledges. “And I’m tired of it!” she yells. “I already know I have to get both of my legs cut off. That’s what they keep saying. I don’t have a choice!” “You don’t feel like you have a choice,” he repeats...
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CA announces robust perinatal depression prevention for Medi-Cal recipients
Melinda Coates experienced a tumultuous pregnancy. “I was really mentally upset literally from day one (of the pregnancy),” she says. (Melinda Coates is a pseudonym. To protect her and her children’s privacy and safety, we are not using her real name.) Coates had hoped to get counseling last October, when she was seven months pregnant. That’s when she enrolled in the state’s Medi-Cal program, shortly after she and her abusive husband moved to California, “but nobody was able to get me in...
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California Child Trauma Advocates Eye Policy Impact
Jeremy Loudenback from the Chronicle of Social Change posted a story about last week's California Policy Convening on Childhood Adversity that the Center for Youth Wellness (CYW) hosted in San Diego. Here's the beginning: Last...
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Close to Home: Why we need to expand access to early childhood education [PressDemocrat.com]
Many people don’t know that 90 percent of a child’s brain develops before the age of five. The early childhood years are critical for laying the foundation for the rest of a child’s life. Early interaction with parents, child-care providers and siblings all shape the nature and development of a child’s brain. But knowing something and doing something about it are two very different things. We need to ensure that every child in Sonoma County has access to quality preschool to give them a...
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Come to our final meeting of 2015!
Dear Sonoma County ACES Connection members, I am excited to remind you that our next meeting is Wed 12/16 from 12:30 to 2:00 in the Public Health building located at 625 Fifth Stree t Santa Rosa, 95404. Several members indicated that they were feeling conflicted, they wanted to be at our meeting and also attend the training at Child Parent Institute, and as such we will push back our start time to 12:30 and end at 2:00 so everyone has the...
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Community Capacity: Building a Movement from Within
Human services organizations and coalitions often talk about “making room at the table” for non-professionals, local residents and people with lived experience of poverty, addiction, mental illness or trauma. But those organization leaders rarely spend time at the community’s tables—that is, the block parties and cook-outs, playgrounds and parks, neighborhood association meetings, parent-teacher organizations, Little League games and other grass-roots venues that are essential grounds for...
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Community Leaders Connect in ACEs and Resilience Community of Practice
https://nacchovoice.naccho.org/2018/09/25/community-leaders-connect-in-aces-and-resilience-community-of-practice/
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Coping with Disaster Begins with Tending to Our Own Bodies and Hearts
I just received a compelling email from the Hanna Boys Center reminding us to care for our bodies and hearts during this time of great stress. One incentive to care for yourself is the idea that "well staff serve well." As my friend Clare suggested earlier today, "It's the idea that we need to put on our own oxygen mask in order to live long enough to help others. Still, many of us don't know where to start with supporting our own wellness. This worksheet (attached) offers many simple...
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Stress-related hormone cortisol lowers significantly after just 45 minutes of art creation
I know that I'm preaching to the choir with this article ( Stress-related hormone cortisol lowers significantly after just 45 minutes of art creation ), but I'd like to share a personal story and along with it a some floating hopes I have in all of this trauma-informed work that we strive to do. My Brief Story I didn't always like to paint. In fact, I hated it because I was high-achieving and didn't think I was good enough to do it. One day my senior year of college, a friend of mine (let's...
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CYW releases "Children Can Thrive: A Vision for California's Response to ACEs"
The Center for Youth Wellness released a new report “Children Can Thrive: A Vision for California’s Response to ACEs”. This report is a follow up to last November’s Children Can Thrive Summit. ...
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Disaster Funds List
Attached you will find a list of participating organizations donating funds to victims from the Northern CA fires. If you or someone you know is seeking assistance, please check out this list.
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Do you live in Arizona, Hawaii, California, Nevada or the US Pacific Islands? Come to our no-cost mental and school mental health Winter Institute!
Do you live in Arizona, Hawaii, California, Nevada or the US Pacific Islands?If so...Check it out! 👇 NO COST. MENTAL HEALTH & SCHOOL MENTAL HEALTH WORKFORCE. AMAZING FACULTY. JANUARY 14, 15, & 16th! LONG BEACH, CA. JOIN US. 🤝 👏 Learn more here: http://bit.ly/mhttc-winterinstitute-flyer Register here: http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07egq2f9gaebafa6bd&llr=8wdk4ubab
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Doctor-patient role-playing featured in ACEs Connection webinar
On an ACEs Connection webinar on Monday, Dr. Andrew Seaman, an assistant professor at Oregon Health & Science University, showed how he navigates his students through the science of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). And, in an unusual twist for a webinar, Seaman and O’Nesha Cochran, a peer mentor with the Mental Health Association of Oregon, role-played doctor-patient interactions to show how to develop the skills to communicate with patients with high ACE scores. About 90 people...
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Doctor-patient role-playing featured in ACEs Connection webinar
On an ACEs Connection webinar on Monday, Dr. Andrew Seaman, an assistant professor at Oregon Health & Science University, showed how he navigates his students through the science of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). And, in an unusual twist for a webinar, Seaman and O’Nesha Cochran, a peer mentor with the Mental Health Association of Oregon, role-played doctor-patient interactions to show how to develop the skills to communicate with patients with high ACE scores. About 90 people...
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Dozens of stakeholders representing thousands of practitioners send public comments on Calif. ACEs-screening plan
Update: We posted this story on Tuesday evening and received a response from the Department of Health Care Services Wednesday that clarifies additional information. DHCS information Officer Katharine Weir said that subject to budget approval by the legislature and the governor: The reimbursement rate will be $29. Federally Qualified Health Centers will also be reimbursed for screening pediatric patients for trauma through Prop 56 funds and federal matching funds. In response to a question...
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Dr. Bruce Perry - Advanced Concepts in Child Trauma & Trauma-Informed Treatment: The Power of Human Connections in Helping Children Heal
Advanced Concepts in Child Trauma & Trauma-Informed Treatment: The Power of Human Connections in Helping Children Heal An inter-disciplinary training for those who work with or are concerned about children $110 (Lunch included) DR. PERRY'S TALK WILL START AT 9A & END AT 3:45P (Lunch provided 12n-12:45p) Parking at the Napa District Auditorium is very limited. Please carpool if possible. (NOTE TO ALUMNI OF THE NAPA IPMH FELLOWSHIP: Please contact Dr. Kristie Brandt directly to...
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DRAFT notes from our October 2019 meeting
Draft notes from our October 23, 2019 meeting Welcome: For all who could join our meeting on October 23rd, thank you for your participation! Together we can broaden our understanding of how ACEs impact our communities and what folks are doing to address ACEs. In October we welcomed David Beck MD a local Psychiatrist, Lynn Burke from Drug Abuse Alternatives Center (DAAC) Perinatal Program and we welcomed the return of Carla Denner LCSW who is now with DHS - BH- Alcohol and Other Drug...
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During COVID-19, how does a trauma-informed school pivot to distance learning?
All photos courtesy of Antioch Middle School staff Antioch Middle School seventh-grader Alyssia Garcia was accustomed to scanning the cafeteria during lunch for kids who might need her assistance. “I’d look for kids who looked sad, kids who were sitting alone, kids who looked angry,” says Garcia, a peer advocate at her school. Alyssia Garcia When she’d spot students sitting alone or looking sad, she’d approach them and ease into conversation. “If it’s a sad person, I’ll try to cheer them up...
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The Developing Brain & Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
Thanks to an explosion in scientific research now possible with imaging technologies, such as fMRI and SPECT, experts can actually see how the brain develops. This helps explain why exposure to adverse childhood experiences can so deeply influence and change a child's brain and thus their physical and emotional health and quality of life across their lifetime. The above time-lapse study was conducted over 10 years. The darker colors represent brain maturity (brain development). I have added...
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The Future of Healing: Shifting From Trauma Informed Care to Healing Centered Engagement
A colleague from Northern California recently visited Sonoma County to learn more about our work to address behavioral health and track community well-being. We shared much of our work to mobilize action for resilient communities, and some of Upstream Investment's tools to track impact on community health. I hope hearing some of our journey made her out of state visit worthwhile! What I gained through the site visit was profound... After hearing about our work to build resiliency, address...
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The importance of maternal well-being in relation to child unintentional injury
With National Mental Health Awareness Month coming up in May, I thought I would share an article that Grace Harris shared with me. With the hopes to better serve the children and families across both human services and mental health services this article helps bring awareness to the importance of maternal well-being. Children of depressed mothers at risk for unintentional injuries | Reuters "Children under age 5 are more likely to accidentally get injured if their mothers are having a...
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Trained: Sonoma ACE & Resiliency Fellowship Offers Science, Compassion, Community
In Sonoma County, invitations to speak about adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and resilience kept pouring in. There simply weren’t enough qualified trainers to go around. When Sonoma County ACEs Connection leaders applied for the MARC grant, they proposed using some of the money to develop a speakers’ bureau. Then they decided to expand that vision: Why not a nine-month fellowship for a cohort of 25 “master trainers”—two days of intensive education with Robert Anda and Laura Porter,...
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Trauma education and mindfulness help youth living amid gun violence
Armon Hurst, 2nd from left, first row, Teens on Target, courtesy of YouthAlive! Eighteen-year-old Armon Hurst serves as vice president of the student body at Castlemont High School in Oakland, Calif. He has a 4.0 grade point average, is an avid baseball player, and is slated to go to college next year. But until a few years ago, Hurst would find himself waking from nightmares in the middle of the night. It was difficult to concentrate at school, and he wasn’t eating well. Armon Hurst “There...
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Understanding childhood trauma: James Redford screens documentary in Helena [Helenair.com]
Jamie Redford said that there was standing-room only at the screenings of Paper Tigers at the event in Helena, MT, last week. And standing ovations! If you want to see Paper Tigers soon, there are two screenings at the Mill Valley Film Festival...