Blog

As each of us navigates the impact of COVID-19 on our lives, we hope that you can find comfort in the strength of our community. We understand that most of you, like our Valencia family, have felt the impact of COVID-19. We all need hope, healing, and connection now, more than ever. In the spirit on resilience, the Creating a Resilient Community: From Trauma to Healing Conference will be hosted as a virtual conference on April 21st, 2020. In these challenging times, we can come together as...

The Mindful Gift of the Principles By Celine Kavalec-Miller This article references The Peace and Justice Institute's Principles for How We Treat Each Other , which are free available in multiple languages and free for download. Each morning I sit quietly and invite stillness into my life. This is a radical act. I meditate to open my heart to whatever arises and to free my mind from the biases that diminish me and my relationship with others. Mindfulness is an open invitation to examine our...

*If you are interested in watching the documentaries Resilience and Paper Tigers for free YOU MUST REGISTER BY TODAY AT 5:00 PM. [ Please click here to register .] TRAUMA-INFORMED IN THE AGE OF CORONAVIRUS A virtual discussion featuring Alice Forrester, PhD, CEO of Clifford Beers from RESILIENCE, Jim Sporleder, Trauma Informed Consultant and former Principal of Lincoln High School shown in PAPER TIGERS, and James Redford, Director of both RESILIENCE & PAPER TIGERS. During this time of...

More young people in the South seem to be dying from COVID-19. Why? By Vann R. Newkirk II The Atlantic, April 2, 2020 In a matter of weeks, the coronavirus has gone from a novel, distant threat to an enemy besieging cities and towns across the world. The burden of COVID-19 and the economic upheaval wrought by the measures to contain it feel epochal. Humanity now has a common foe, and we will grow increasingly familiar with its face. Yet plenty of this virus’s aspects remain unknown. The...

What an opportunity to talk about trauma and resiliency! We’ve been compiling resources and would love any of your recommendations to add. See: https://cpeip.fsu.edu/ trauma/covid19.cfm Also, there is a national Campaign for Trauma Informed Policy and Practice that is seeking to educate congress about trauma will hopes for legislation at some point. http://www.ctipp.org/ nationaltraumacampaign/ They have compiled awesome ACEs resources. Go to the website. Then News and Resources. Then...

Millions of lives have been affected in unprecedented ways by the Coronavirus (COVID-19). We are all grappling with uncertainty—our daily routines interrupted, not knowing what is to come. For those of us who have Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), these times can be particularly distressing. At the Center for Youth Wellness (CYW), we know that childhood trauma can have a significant impact on an individual’s health and well-being – both physiologically and psychologically. Since the...

The coronavirus is spreading a dangerous strain of inequality. Better-off Americans are still getting paid and are free to work from home, while the poor are either forced to risk going out to work or lose their jobs. Driving the news: This sobering reality emerges from Week 3 of our Axios-Ipsos Coronavirus Index . The survey finds Americans with less education and lower incomes far more likely either to have to keep showing up at their workplaces — putting themselves at greater daily risk...

Dear Trauma F riends and C olleagues: The COVID 19 pandemic offers a critical opportunity to share your unique skills in coping with stress and trauma. Many of us and the families we serve may be shifting through the stages of change and grief----denial, anger, bargaining, acceptance---about this pandemic. You may be adjusting to telehealth and virtual visits but know that our families need your reassurance and help in regulating and coping. Hope you’re all practicing self-care while you...

Cissy's note: Donna Jackson Nakazawa has graciously allowed me to cross-post some of her current and future Facebook page posts here in the Practicing Resilience for Self-Care and Healing community on ACEs Connection . Hello Friends. As a SciComm journalist with 30 years of reporting and 6 books under my belt, which focus on how our stress response governs our immune health, I’ve been thinking about what I have learned, and how I might help you quiet your body and mind during this # pandemic...

Each week we will be posting one of the 13 Principles for How We Treat Each Other from the Peace and Justice institute at Valencia College. This week we turn our focus to the second Principle, listen deeply. This principle invites us to strive towards achieving balance and deep understanding. Balance, as we must learn to listen, and reflect before we speak or act. We invite you to practice this Principle all week as we provide articles, personal stories, and more related to listening deeply.

Check out this supportive and FREE offering for the community by Peer Support Space! Digital Communal Gathers Offered by Peer Support Space MON - FRI Digital Communal Calls: Daytime Call 12 PM EST Link to Zoom (Video) Number: 1 929 205 6099 Meeting ID: 284-580-732 Evening Call: 6 PM EST Link to Zoom (Video) Number: 1 929 205 6099 Meeting ID: 659-519-104 More details: Peer Support Space's Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/199009833971380/ Peer Support Space Website:...

I have a confession to make. I am totally insecure about being my children’s “teacher” during this new COVID-19, stay at home, reality. That is hard for me to admit since I am a teacher and a peace practitioner by profession. Technically I have been training for this my whole life! Why do I feel so unprepared? When I told my 6 year old daughter she and her brother would be doing school from home with mommy and daddy she lit up with excitement and I could see the expectation in her eyes of...