Blog

To all of you, who, like me, love this website and want to see it and its communities flourish as we work to prevent and heal trauma; build resiliency: please know there is a move afoot by a small group of strategic partners to find a suitable host for PACEs Connection. More will be announced in the coming days. In the meantime, friends, we are figuring out email addresses and other communications logistics and opportunities. PEACE! Carey Sipp, former director of strategic partnerships ...

Community Resilience. Mental Health. Restorative Practices. Greetings from the Peace and Justice Institute! You are invited to join us on April 11-12 for the 6th Annual Creating a Resilient Community Conference. This year the conference will feature nationally recognized guest speakers and expert panelists on day one and a selection of workshops on day two. Renowned speaker Thomas Insel, MD will (Former Director, National Institute for Mental Health) share with the Central Florida community...

The second cohort of ECF Diamond Awards winners announced Spanning five East Central Florida counties, the winning projects exemplify how local communities are fostering innovation to propel our dynamic region forward. Orlando, Florida (December 6, 2023) – The East Central Florida Regional Planning Council (ECFRPC) is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2024 Diamond Awards. This year’s distinguished cohort of seven winners represents the best in community-forward initiatives within the...

Central Florida Leaders Taking Brightline to Miami to Attend Program on Improving the Court and Community Response: Decriminalizing Mental Illness Who: Judges, nonprofit executives, city and county government, public safety, and criminal justice officials. When: December 13-15, 2023 Where: Camillus House 1603 NW 7th Ave, Miami, FL 33136, and The Miami Center for Mental Health and Recovery 2200 NW 7th Ave., Miami, FL 33127 Convened by the Peace and Justice Institute’s (PJI) Resilience...

For many of us, the holiday season can present times of stress and pressure, but no matter what you celebrate, believe, or practice, this season can offer big and small opportunities to create positive memories. These memories of loving relationships, warm environments, engagement with family and tradition, and emotional growth can help build lifelong resilience. Social connection; connect with family and friends wherever they live. Setting up a quick call can help us stay connected to those...

Last month PJI Executive Director, Rachel Allen, and PJI Resilience Community Manager, Sofiya Asedrem, went live on the Peace and Justice Institute's Facebook page to announce the Common Read book for 2024. Click here to watch the Common Read Reveal. This book club was started in 2019 to encourage the common read of books related to Positive and Adverse Childhood Experiences (PACEs), toxic stress, trauma, healing, and resilience. To date, the group has read the following books: 2019: The...

It’s time to take action and make our voices heard to build healthy, resilient communities! The Campaign for Trauma-Informed Policy and Practice (CTIPP) is organizing trauma-informed advocates, activists, and stakeholders to urge their U.S. Senators and Representatives to support two bipartisan, bicameral bills that would significantly help prevent, address, and mitigate the negative impacts of trauma through community-based/led initiatives.

On Wednesday, August 2nd, the Peace and Justice Institute's Resilience Network hosted a Why PACEs Matter training for the Office of the Public Defender, 9th Circuit, as part of an ongoing initiative to improve criminal justice and public safety responses in the Central Florida Community. The audience was made up 120 participants, including attorneys and social workers, who completed the training and received CLEs as part of their summer professional development. Learning outcomes included:...

On June 27th, 2023, over 50 members of the Resilience Network came together in Central Florida to outline goals for the next term. Strategic planning takes place following the annual conference (in April/May) and allows members to set priorities for the year's worth of work in advance of the next conference. The Network currently has four main shared goals: In addition to these shared goals, the Network has nine sectors, each with identified sector-specific goals. During the meeting, sectors...

In a one-night-only event, ABC will air the broadcast debut of two episodes of "The 1619 Project;" "Democracy" and "Justice," May 31 at 8 p.m. ET | PT. All episodes of " The 1619 Project ," from executive producer Nikole Hannah-Jones, are now streaming on Hulu. ABC News 7 Saturday, May 27, 2023 -- ABC Owned Television Stations presents " Our America: Hidden Stories ," featuring Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones and ABC Race and Culture reporters across the country.

(Originally posted May 11, 2023) The Peace and Justice Institute hosts 5th Annual Resilience Conference WINTER PARK, Fla. — The Peace and Justice Institute is hosting the 5 th annual Resilience Conference in Winter Park this week. The conference focuses on trauma and covers different ways of preventing and dealing with violence. In a crowded room on Thursday, Rachel Allen directed people’s attention to the trauma that folks are feeling in their neighborhoods, schools, homes and work. Allen...

PACEs Connection is excited to kick off our 2023 Creating Resilient Communities (CRC) Annual Accelerator Program.