Tagged With "Trauma Shape the Lives of Young People"
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ACEs_Toolkit.pdf
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In the Return to "Normalcy" in 2021
Okay, so we all are hearing of the end of life as we have come to know it for the past 14 months. The social isolation, physical distancing, mask-wearing, business shutdowns, country lockdowns, and travel bans are what we in the region have endured since March 2020. The disruption of life from Covid-19 is expected to come to a close as more than one vaccine has been approved and is being used in the Caribbean. As we adults relish in the return to school of our children, our return to gainful...
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When Acknowledgeing Our Family's Failures Is Not Betrayal.
As a child to Caribbean parents, growing up in the 1970s and 1980s, it was rare to see families which did not raise their children with physical and verbal abuse on a regular basis. The conversations we children engaged in with our "best friends" often revealed the dark secrets lurking behind the facades of our picture-perfect family lives. Even in the seeming "best" families, the children faced private, if not public shaming. Some lived in fear of parental outbursts to their childish...
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Education Related Resources
With the Covid-19 fallout having its toll on school attendance around the world, many persons of all ages and stages of life have been adversely affected. But it has not only been children who have been impacted. Trauma has arisen through separation from playmates and colleagues, loss of access to food from school feeding programmes, loss of safety from abuse within the household, loss of familiarity with the school environment, loss of employment for non-academic staff, loss of income for...
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Childhood Trauma Clips on PBS
Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) has been known as a source of wholesome, relevant information for decades. (Remember Sesame Street? ) Well, PBS also has videos on childhood trauma that you can access at no cost, even from the Caribbean. Some of the content is designed as a series so you can arrange to view the segments when you have the time. So get the popcorn ready and check out PBS for your free Childhood Trauma-related content. [Clips related to Childhood Trauma on PBS] If you would...
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Question of the Month - Is Child Adversity Linked to Ethnicity?
Hi Community! Here in Trinidad and Tobago, we are probably more diverse in terms of ethnicity than many of our Caribbean neighbours - a callaloo of sorts (Remember the national anthem proclaims: "...Here every creed and race find an equal place..." ) Well, research overseas shows that there is a difference in how children experience adversity based on their ethnicity. In the USA in particular, there are neighbourhoods that are predominantly white and others where the majority of persons are...
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Recording Available: Trauma-Responsive Practices During Distance Learning
Hi Community! Did any of you register for the interactive workshop on Advocating for Trauma-Informed Care for Teachers and Caregivers being hosted by Rise to Resilience on March 17? If so then we have a treat for you. Please watch a recording of their previous online workshop titled, Trauma-Responsive Practices During Distance Learning . Learn relationship-building strategies to be trauma-responsive during distance learning as an educator, parent, or other caregiver.
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Young Black Men's Mental Health During Covid-19
Research from the UK suggests that men from racialised backgrounds are reporting higher levels of mental distress during the pandemic compared to white men (Proto et al., 2021). Contributing factors include bereavement, loneliness and worries about coronavirus and misinformation.
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How will Covid-19 and Trauma Shape the Lives of Young People?
The New York Times published an article today which features Dr. Nadine Burke-Harris, the Surgeon General for California, USA and podcaster Ezra Klein of The Ezra Klein Show where they discuss Covid-19 and the growing evidence that childhood adversities including things like Covid-19 impact us into adulthood. It is an interesting transcript but, if you prefer to use your ears rather than your eyes, the link below has an option to listen to the original podcast.😀 Here are some excerpts...
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Free Webinar on Trauma and Justice
"Understanding the Role of Trauma in Truth, Reconciliation & Peacebuilding" is the name of a Free webinar from the Mary Hoch Center for Reconciliation, affiliated with George Mason University in the USA. The webinar will focus on how trauma hinders efforts to heal social divides. It will be held on March 17, 2021 from 4:00pm to 5:30pm via the Zoom platform. Registration is available online at the following Eventbrite link: ...
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Building a Multi-System Trauma-Informed Collaborative.
Since the effects of childhood trauma do not play out in isolation, an effective response to child trauma should benefit not only children but the communities in which they live. This feeds into what we know from studies about factors that impact a child's growth - they occur within the family, community and also are climate-related. Multiple studies reveal the extremely high percentage of youth in contact with the law and under the care of social services who have been exposed to violence...
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UK 'Punishing Abuse' Report Finds Many Justice-Involved Youth have Trauma Histories.
A published study from West Midlands in the United Kingdom, titled "Punishing Abuse", has confirmed what many have long suspected - many youth are being punished in the criminal justice system for acting out in the aftermath of childhood trauma. It looked at 80 youth, 67 of whom were male, and many of whom were of Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic (BAME) heritage. They included White and Black Caribbean youth, some of whome were born in and others whose parents came from the Caribbean island...
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How Trauma Affects the Body.
In a post on the website, Aces Aware, California paediatrician, Dr. Eric Bell shares how he and his family experienced Trauma after the death of a pet, which was a close member of their family. As a doctor, he was aware of his physical, emotional and other symptoms and is able to clearly articulate these as well as the benefits he and his family derived from implementing protective factors, stress-busting strategies and using other resilience building tools. We love how he is able to use his...
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Reminder - Caribbean Women's Mental Health
Hi everyone, a gentle reminder that Friday at 12pm you can tune in to view this discussion live on the YouTube channel of A Healing Paradigm. (See link below) https://youtube.com/channel/UCNW5524VD38t55KAKoNITbg
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How Trauma-Informed Care Can Prevent Youth Incarceration
Last week we looked at 'Punishing Abuse', a report which showed that the majority of youth offenders in a research done in West Midlands, UK had a history of childhood abuse and trauma. Today's post examines this from a US state perspective, through the audio accounts of former juveniles in conflict with the law. Please take a listen to them as they discuss their childhood adversities and later criminal involvement. Also interviewed is a clinician who shares how Trauma-Informed Care can...
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Kids Need More Time with Grandparents
In the article linked to below, there is an evidence-based solution being out forward to raise emotionally healthy children. In a 2011 Brigham Young University study, children in both two-parent and single-parent homes who felt close to at least one grandparent exhibited "higher pro-social behavior." (Pro-social behaviors tend to benefit others: helping, sharing, donating, volunteering, cooperating, etc.) "The bottom line," the researchers say, "is that grandparents have a positive influence...
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Grief and Crime.
Odd title. What's the deal with that? How is crime connected to grief? I've spent a few decades serving (in one form or other) people who were incarcerated or had a history of incarceration. A few years ago, I was privileged to do a program on the topic of "Grief and Hope" at a local penal facility with a group of amazing men. During the course of our time together, both I and they were surprised to find out that most of them had experienced grief in childhood prior to them becoming involved...
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Why Call It Good?
That question was posed by a male relative as he sat teary-eyed and sad. To what was he referring? "Good Friday" which we celebrate today in Trinidad and Tobago and in many other Caribbean countries. His sincere concern: "How could a day which marks the brutal torture and death of Jesus Christ - who gave His life for the world out of His Love - ever be called "good"?" At the time, the explanation which he received was enough to satisfy him and change his demeanor. The death (and...
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What's On Your Short List?
There is an interesting course on Coursera on "Resilience in Children Exposed to Trauma, Disaster and War". It is quite broad in scope and has a lot of helpful information for us in this field. One of the many things I found to be of value is to learn that across the decades of research, there is a consistent group of factors proved to help children from various cultures. Below is a link to a video from the course which outlines a short list of what makes a difference in helping children who...
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Free Trauma-Informed Law Webinar
Hello everyone! One of the core areas in which we need to see a transformation is in the Justice system - from the point of arrest all the way through to reentry. As we've shared previously, there is ample research from the original 1998 ACEs study through to recent times which indicates the majority of persons in conflict with the law have multiple ACEs. So if you're interested in learning how Trauma Informed principles can be used to transform Justice, please register for the free webinar...
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Re: Happening Now! Hello again. The webinar we...
It was quite interesting. A good background on the ACEs study and how law enforcement can do better to respond to calls with trauma in mind. It was hopeful and that makes my heart smile. In many places, police are unprepared to deal with mental health and related challenges in persons with whom they interact. If it reduces death of citizens, improves capacity in the police and other first responders, I'm on board.
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The Power of a Hug
The past year has taken a heavy toll on millions of us around the Caribbean. In order to stem the spread of covid-19 we were asked by our regional governments to essentially change who we are. We forsook the beach and river limes, bar scene and house parties in an effort to play our part to keep everyone safe. Even with our relatives and in our Faith practices, we had to abide by strict protocols and refrain from hugging, kissing and showing affection in the way we as Caribbean people...
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A Nation in Trauma [A newsday.co.tt article]
Mr. Benjamin asked, "Does the cycle of death, trauma, outrage, and dismissal deal with the root causes of the violence which affects each person in T&T?"
"...the nation is full of people whose traumatic childhood experiences have set them on a path that would lead them down violent roads with a fatal end. He said unless T&T puts preventative measures in place to handle childhood trauma, the cycle will continue and T&T will remain a nation in trauma."
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Regrets at the End of Life.
Hi everyone. We trust you're all exercising wisdom and, being responsible Caribbean people, not flouting the national public health regulations. Over the decades, I have looked on as many persons I loved left this life. A few of them spoke with me shortly before their departure and I was able to glean the degree to which they were satisfied with their lives. Based on those experiences, the article linked to below resonates with me on several levels. ...Imagine someone who is nearing the end...
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Younger Children are at the Risk of Suicide.
Even before the global health crisis spurred by the Coronavirus 2019, the rate of suicidal thoughts being experienced by young children had begun to rise. While suicidal thoughts and self-harm among teens has been the subject of extensive research, there were fewer studies done on pre-teens. According to research from the USA, "[t]he number of children ages 6-12 who visited children’s hospitals for suicidal thoughts or self-harm has more than doubled since 2016... Visits for teenagers with...
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Are ACEs Overplayed?
Hello everyone! It's Friday again. To send you into the weekend, we want to ask you to put your thinking caps on. In reading the literature, it is clear that there is no unanimity with respect to the role that the Adverse Childhood Experiences study should have in guiding public health. One nation in which there has been much thought given to the issue is Scotland. In 2019 two advocates squared off to share their respective points of view as to the value of the ACEs research and how best it...
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La Soufriere now more dangerous, pyroclastic flows have begun. [Newsday article]
The danger posed by the La Soufriere volcano has increased significantly in the past day with the discovery that there have been sightings of pyroclastic flows on the leeward side of the peak. The lead scientist on the scene, vulcanologist/geologist Professor Richard Robertson explained that pyroclastic flows "are not like the ash that damage things by the weight. These flows really are moving masses of destruction, they just destroy everything in their path. If you have the strongest house...
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Did You Remember?
Happy Monday, everyone! We hope the weekend was relaxing and refreshing. So about the image we chose for this blog post. Legend has it that elephants have fantastic memories. They represent the animal with the ability for the longest recall. What were you supposed to remember? Well, the upcoming free webinar from Justice Clearinghouse on "The Empathetic Workplace: Five Steps to a Compassionate, Calm, and Confident Response to Trauma on the Job". It is scheduled for April 21 which is only 2...
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Can We Talk About George Floyd? [Al Jazeera article]
Hi everyone. As everyone knows, the year 2020 was defined by a series of events, many of which linger to this day. Covid-19, as devastating as it and government efforts to curb it have been, may have been eclipsed for a time by the reporting and riots which ensued after the horrific death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers in the USA. Last week, the tension of a 3-week trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd ended with a guilty...
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'A lot of grief and anxiety' for kids, youth after living with COVID for 1 year, says psychotherapist. [CBC article]
Around the world, the 1 year anniversary of Covid-19 interrupting our lives was observed in different ways. For many, the concern is for the children and young people who are experiencing Covid-19 as an adverse childhood experience. The clinical observations of a Canadian psychotherapist may well be true for the Caribbean region as it relates to how children are coping one year on. Alyssa Strachan, based at the Delton Glebe Counselling Centre in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada has been helping...
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Technology to the Rescue in Saint Vincent
Good morning, beautiful Caribbean people.😀 With various parts of the main island of Saint Vincent still under the periodic onslaught of the La Soufriere volcano, thousands of people have been relocated to shelters or are seeking refuge on other islands. There is undeniable fear, stress and anxiety affecting many of them from having to flee for their lives from this active volcano. Natural disasters such as these can wreak havoc on people's mental health due to the ongoing Trauma. Therefore,...