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By Abby Schultz, Barron's, July 31, 2021 For people who have served prison time, the penalties never end. The California-based national nonprofit Alliance for Safety and Justice (ASJ) coined a term to describe what many of these people face: post-conviction poverty. After completing a sentence, and being freed from prison, a formerly convicted individual encounters thousands of restrictions depending on where they live that make it challenging to reintegrate into society. They may not be...

🗣First come first serve Backpack & School Supplies Giveaway. Footlocker Giftcard & $100 value BounceBack Parent Development Workshop at no cost for the first 36 parents to sign up at this event. For opportunities to volunteer, donate or sponsor visit www.watchmegrowinc.com ❤️💚

The Powerful Connection Of Music With Michael Skinner - Cybertrap 60 Published on July 20, 2021 Here's the latest episode of "The Cybertraps Podcast," co-hosted by Frederick Lane and Jethro Jones. Michael Skinner is an award-winning advocate, educator, writer and critically acclaimed singer, songwriter, guitarist, addressing the issues of trauma, abuse and mental health concerns through public speaking, writing and his music. He has spoken at the National Press Club, was a keynote presenter...

From Immigrant Legal Resource Center, July 30, 2021 This resource, written by Human Impact Partners in collaboration with the ILRC and others as part of the Dignity Not Detention Coalition, outlines recommendations for what healthy, just, and supportive immigration policy can look like for unaccompanied youth immigrating to the US, without relying on detention or detention-like facilities. Rooted in the stories, experiences, and recommendations of young people who arrived in the US as...

"Prioritizing healing and trauma-informed policy is a commitment to restoring and healing the soul of our nation and our communities. Only when our policies and budgets are driven by compassion and center the experiences of those closest to the pain, will we finally live up to the promise of a government for the people, and by the people." - " From This Year Of Hurt And Beyond, There Is Hope " by U.S. Representative Ayanna Presley Young Black Athletes Are Launching a Mental Health Revolution...

California’s cities and counties are starting to outline plans and allocate the $16 billion in relief funding they are getting through the American Rescue Plan Act. Community members and community-based organizations should have a seat at the table and advocate for funding to support their greatest needs. In our next webinar , Tuesday, August 3rd at 2 PM, we will share: Ways the California COVID Justice Coalition recommends spending the money to improve community health and racial equity...

Depending on where you live, it’s possible that your local police force is overwhelmed with mental health assistance calls in addition to the normal calls for service. Oh, not to mention the constant barrage by some calling for the defunding of the department.

Our hats are off to the Okahoman for its expanded offering of thought-provoking articles including Grading Oklahoma. The full-page article in the Sunday July 18 th issue gave rise to hope that our state is once again ready to look at our shortcomings and change our priorities and policies to realize the potential of our people. Of specific focus for the Potts Family Foundation, is the health and well-being of our youngest citizens. To achieve positive change - moving from the bottom ten...

August 3, 2021 Being emotionally well does not mean you cannot have bad days. Of course, you may. However, a good portion of the time, emotionally well, people keep it together. This article will focus on tying up loose ends in our discussion and examining how you can improve your emotional wellness. Feeling Emotionally Well The definition of emotional wellness says it all when it states it is the ability to handle life’s stresses and adapt to them successfully. Your emotional wellness can...

By Richard E. Besser and Jamie Bussel, The Hill, July 28, 2021 All schools participating in our nation’s school meals programs may serve free meals to all students for the upcoming school year, not just to those qualifying via family income. Known as universal school meals , this one-year expansion is a product and recognition of the economic and social upheaval caused by COVID-19. But the value of good nutrition to children, families and schools is long-term and profound. Universal school...

By Jonathan Haidt and Jean M. Twenge, The New York Times, July 31, 2021 As students return to school in the coming weeks, there will be close attention to their mental health. Many problems will be attributed to the Covid pandemic, but in fact we need to look back further, to 2012. That’s when rates of teenage depression, loneliness, self-harm and suicide began to rise sharply. By 2019, just before the pandemic, rates of depression among adolescents had nearly doubled . When we first started...

By Derrick Z. Jackson, Inside Climate News, July 25, 2021 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan officially announced earlier this month that the Biden administration will reinterpret the Trump administration’s definition of what constitutes “waters of the United States”—waterways that are deserving of federal protection. The Trump definition was actually a reinterpretation (or rejection) of what the Obama administration delineated as waters worthy of federal...