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George Zimmerman admitted at his 2012 bail hearing that he misjudged Trayvon Martin’s age when he killed him. “I thought he was a little bit younger than I am,” he said, meaning just under 28. But Trayvon was only 17. What may be most tragic about Mr. Zimmerman’s miscalculation is that it’s widespread. To many people, black boys seem older than they are: In one study, people overestimated their ages by 4.5 years. This contributes to a false perception that black boys are less childlike than...

Hello to my friends in the ACEs Connection community. I am happy to announce the publication of my new curriculum Mind Matters: Overcoming Adversity and Building Resilience . This program comes from a lifetime of experience both personally and professionally, as well as using the most current research and consultation with leaders in the field. Jane Stevens asked me to share with you why I wrote it, how I tested it and how long it took from idea to publication. Why I wrote it: Just like all...

Childhood experiences, both positive and negative, have a tremendous impact on both a person's lifelong health & well being and future opportunities. Traumatic and negative events in ones childhood, known as Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), have previously been described as, "the single greatest unaddressed public health threat facing our nation today" (Dr. Robert Block). ACEs include abuse (emotional, physical, sexual); neglect (emotional and physical) and household challenges,...

School-based mental health programs can reach large numbers of children, with increasing evidence of effectiveness in improving mental health and related outcomes, according to a research review in the September/October issue of the Harvard Review of Psychiatry . The journal is published by Wolters Kluwer . “ This review provides evidence that large-scale, school-based programs can be implemented in a variety of diverse cultures and educational models as well as preliminary evidence that...

This powerful ballad speaks to a young man's journey away from an abusive home environment and into an adult role with a group of cowboys. This in the tradition of late 19th century "pathetic" ballads such as "After the Ball".

The Hopi Elders Prayer from Oraibi, Arizona inspires us to look within ourselves to find new ways to live harmoniously with our brothers and sisters. We're asked to find those of like mind and heart spirit, and then jump in the river and celebrate! Join Elaine M. Whitefeather, CEO of A Community For Peace and pastor at Faith In Action Community Church, as she shows how we've been positioned and placed for such a time as this. Elaine stresses that we should stop waiting for others to join us.

ACEs, Adversity's Impact Social isolation, loneliness could be greater threat to public health than obesity Gamblers more likely to have suffered childhood traumas Courts, Juvenile Justice, Corrections, and Probation Solitary confinement of youth used frequently, unfairly, new report says Tear down the juvenile jails; they make bad situations worse People with mental illness reoffend less if on specialty probation Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Molecular link between post-traumatic stress...

A tip of the hat to Mary Crnobori, who posted this video in the Nashville community page on ACEs Connection.

For the past several years, three residents of St. Andrew’s Court, a halfway house on Chicago’s west side, have waited patiently for a spot in Chicago’s public housing system. Bobby Flowers, Jimmy Edwards*, and John Stamps are among the nearly 282,000 Chicagoans who registered for affordable housing assistance when the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) waitlist last opened in November 2014. In past waitlist cycles, these men would not have had a shot at CHA housing because all three are...

When voters elected Donald Trump, they knew that he lacked governing experience. But many felt an outsider was needed to shake up a failed status quo. The calculation was especially understandable for folks hit hardest by the opioid epidemic. Under the status quo, they saw addiction and death ravaging their communities. Why wouldn’t they favor radical change ? But President Trump hasn’t brought an outsider’s perspective to the opiate crisis. He hasn’t challenged the entrenched assumptions of...

A project in the San Diego County area is demonstrating once again that urban farming at the neighborhood level offers a host of benefits, from individuals to communities. The nonprofit San Diego Housing Corp. and a group of university nursing students have set up a community garden near the Torrey Apartments in El Cajon. Herbs, vegetables, and citrus trees have sprung up in garden boxes in a formerly neglected spot. The produce will add to the diets of the more than 200 residents of the...

When Kendra Nelson was in labor with her second child, small gestures from a doula helped her get through the strongest and most painful contractions. The woman held Nelson’s hand and spoke words of encouragement. She guided Nelson through breathing exercises and pulled her hair back in a scrunchie to keep her comfortable. [For more of this story, written by Andrea K. McDaniels, go to http://www.baltimoresun.com/health/bs-hs-doula-infant-mortality-20170725-story.html]