Nine New Communities Join ACEs Connection / February, 2021

Please welcome these nine new communities to the ACEsConnection.com network!

Details about each of them are below as is information about starting and growing your community initiatives and joining the Cooperative of Communities.

ACEs Connection Sweden: We are creating a network of trauma-informed practices in Sweden and educating people about ACEs. Our intent is that everyone in Sweden integrate trauma-informed and resilience-building practices into their work, family, community and individuals lives. Community Manager: @Lasse Mattila

ACEs in Ireland: The mission of ACEs Ireland is to prevent and mitigate the lifelong impact of childhood adversity to improve the safety, health, and prosperity of our community. Our intent is that everyone in Ireland integrate trauma-informed and resilience-building practices into their family, community, work, and individual lives. Community Manager: @Angela McEvitt

Alberta Champions For Children: Past, Present, and Future (CAN): The Alberta Champions for Children is a community committed to creating an ACEs Aware and Resilience Informed Alberta. We work together to grow understanding of how childhood trauma can affect a person’s social, mental, and physical health across the lifespan and are committed to inspiring a Province that is able to meet individual’s with the compassion needed to break the cycle of intergenerational trauma. Community Managers: @Allan Friesen & @Agnes Chen

Central Texas Resilience Network (TX) : Central Texas Resilience Network is a community space for members striving to promote education, intervention, and healing in order to create more trauma-aware and trauma-sensitive families and communities and to collaborate on strategies to prevent and reduce the number of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in Central Texas. Community Manager: @Kristin Arterbury .

Chester County ACEs Coalition (PA) : Increasing our county’s awareness and knowledge of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) while building resiliency and fostering hope in order to offset the cycle of trauma. Community Manager: @Chelsea Melrath

Jones County Resilience Collaborative (NC) : We are a trauma-informed collaborative striving to create safe and stable environments through nurturing relationships to cultivate resilience by raising awareness of ACEs, stress, and trauma, and working across sectors to provide the tools, skills, resources, and support for community members to build positive childhood experiences and create a community where all can thrive. Community Manager: @Tamra Church .

Kings County ACEs Connection (CA) : The collaborative works to train providers and their staff through our supplemental training and encourage discussions surrounding trauma in our peer to peer, and Network of care community events. Our goal is to initiate conversations to help prevent and mitigate the adverse health outcomes associated with ACEs through trauma-informed care. Community Managers: @George Jagatic & @Linda Baggio .

San Joaquin County ACEs Aware Network (CA) : We are committed to building a resilient community. Our goal is to encourage cross-sector collaboration through a trusted network of providers ensuring a continuity of care that serves children, youth, and families in our community with a history of ACEs. Community Manager: @Jose Heredia-Rodriguez .

Vallejo City Strength (CA) : Vallejo City Strength is where we are educating the community about the impact of ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences). It is our duty to educate, empower and encourage the community to become trauma-informed so they can contribute to create healthy environments that strengthen the child, family and communities. Community Manager: @Jameelah Hanif

Interested in Starting a Community on ACEs Connection?

For questions about starting or growing an initiative, using our site and tools, please reach out to one of our regional community facilitators. Communities in:

Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southwestern states, contact @Alison Cebulla (ACEs Connection Staff)
Northwest states, contact @Karen Clemmer (ACEs Connection Staff)
Southern states, contact @Carey S. Sipp (ACEs Connection Staff)
Midwest states, contact @Ingrid Cockhren (ACEs Connection Staff)
Communities in California:
- Southern California, contact @Lara Kain (ACEs Connection Staff)
- Northern California, contact Karen Clemmer
- San Francisco Bay Area, contact @Donielle Prince (ACEs Connection Staff)
- Capitol region contact @Gail Kennedy (ACEs Connection Staff)
- Central Valley contact @Rafael Maravilla (ACEs Connection Staff)
International communities: contact @Alison Cebulla (ACEs Connection Staff)

For more information on mapping the movement, please go here where you'll find more about all of our ACEs Connection geographic communities, U.S. states that have done ACE surveys, ACEs and trauma-informed legislation, and more. Be sure to click on each tab to explore each community. The map is interactive and each dot includes a hyperlink and information about each initiative.

ACEs Connection founder, and ACEs Too High publisher, @Jane Stevens (ACEs Connection staff) announced the Cooperative of Communities which offers "an additional layer of tools and guidelines, for ACEs initiatives that are more mature and ready to join the Cooperative as affiliates." More details can be found here and here in the video below.