Eighteen months ago, nobody could have predicted how much the world would have changed, or how much we would have learned to appreciate the incredible power of connections.
In October 2019, a group of 30 state and community leaders gathered together to be the first class of trained Connections Matter NJ facilitators leading the effort to spread this important message across the state. The message is this:
Everyday connections are more important than we ever believed. Science tells us that relationships have the power to shape our brains. Relationships help us learn better, work better, parent better. When we experience tough times, they help us heal. With each connection, we develop a healthier, stronger community.
Connections Matter is a healing-centered curriculum that teaches adults how to use the power of connections to help develop healthy brains and supportive relationships, prevent and heal from Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), and strengthen communities. Prevent Child Abuse - New Jersey (PCA-NJ) is the state lead for the Connections Matter NJ initiative, funded by the NJ Department of Children and Families.
A few short months after the first class of presenters went out to deliver this message, we were stopped in our tracks by the events of 2020. However, we rallied together and converted the highly interactive in-person training to a highly-interactive and engaging web-based training and got back to work spreading this messaging at a time when connections have never mattered more.
To date, we have reached more than 1,500 people across all 21 counties of New Jersey. The response has been overwhelming. “I believe this presentation was much needed in this time of unrest in the country. It helps educators remember back to what is important,” said one participant. Another said, “I thought this training was incredibly relevant to the work we do as the child protection agency. This would be a great training to have new workers complete as part of their new worker training.”
We are now gearing up to train a second cohort of Connections Matter NJ trainers. Interested applicants may get more information here: https://pcanj.wufoo.com/forms/...he-trainer-app-2021/
If you are interested in bringing a Connections Matter NJ training to your workplace or community, please submit a request here: https://pcanj.wufoo.com/forms/...g-request-form-2021/
For more information about Connections Matter NJ, visit: https://www.preventchildabusen.../connections-matter/
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