Blog

By Wendy Ruan, 8/31/23, https://positiveexperience.org/blog/ Child labor laws promote resilience and access to positive childhood experiences (PCEs) by maintaining safe access to valuable work experiences for youth. Safe work environments support the opportunity for youth to build relationships with adults outside of the home and peers in the workplace. These laws also protect children from joining the workforce too early in life, from working in hazardous environments, and from interfering...

By Allison Stephens, 8/24/23, https://positiveexperience.org/blog/ Healthy People is a set of public health goals for the country to reach every 10 years. The current version, Healthy People 2030 , recognizes the importance of the HOPE Building Block of engagement by setting a goal to increase the number of people who vote . Voting directly affects community resilience and creates a sense of belonging and mattering. This is also why the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and...

By Laura Gallant, 8/17/2023, https://positiveexperience.org/blog/ When youth engage in advocacy efforts, they learn that their voice matters, and that they can make a difference. This is one way for children and youth to experience the engagement Building Block of HOPE. A great example of this was demonstrated with a group of 16 children and youths, ranging from 5 to 22, who sued the Montana state government for violating their constitutional right to a clean and healthy environment. This...

By Wendy Ruan, 8/10/2023, https://positiveexperience.org/blog/ This summer, nearly 500,000 school children and their families have access to free meals because the federal government approved an extension of the Pandemic-Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT) benefits in Massachusetts. The extension can help parents provide food security for their families, reduce financial stress, and promote overall well-being. Balanced nutrition is key to child development, and P-EBT promotes positive...

By Dr. Bob Sege, 8/3/23, https://positiveexperience.org/blog/ Growing evidence supports the key role of positive childhood experiences (PCEs) in adult health, including lessening the effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). The current issue of the Pediatrics, the Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, features an article called Positive Childhood Experiences and Adult Health Outcomes [1] . The authors analyze data from the 2017 Panel Study of Income Dynamics,...

By Laura Gallant, 7/27/23, https://positiveexperience.org/blog/ For many educators, the end of July is a time to start brainstorming about the set up of your classroom. When thinking about how to decorate your classroom and how to get to know your students, consider doing this in a HOPEful way. Below are 10 tips to add HOPE and the Four Building Blocks to your classroom before students even arrive. The environment building block is a large focus for these tips, but educators can practice...

By Laura Gallant, 7/20/23, https://positiveexperience.org/blog/ Over the last year, the HOPE National Resource Center has added several online courses to our HOPE Virtual Learning Hub . These courses include the basics of HOPE and practicing HOPE. The modules are self-paced with a certificate of completion at the end. Several courses offer continuing education credits and continuing medical education credits. Learners will engage with interactive modules featuring videos, quizzes, and...

By The HOPE Team, 7/13/23, https://positiveexperience.org/blog/ Over the past year, the HOPE National Resource Center (NRC) has been working on a set of standards to help organizations align their practices with the HOPE framework. These standards have been identified as crucial pieces of practicing the HOPE framework. As you work through each standard you will develop a strong foundation for your organization, with each standard building on the next. HOPE Director of Training and Technical...

By Laura Gallant, 7/6/23, https://positiveexperience.org/blog/ The 2023 Annual HOPE Summit – Practicing HOPE took place on March 29-30. We are now opening the recordings of all the plenary sessions and workshop to the public, access all recordings through this link . Throughout the conference, there were 17 workshops, a Keynote address, and an interactive panel. This year’s summit focused on the many ways to practice the HOPE framework and to implement HOPE-informed changes. Access to these...

By Laura Gallant, 6/29/23, https://positiveexperience.org/blog/ This Friday, June 30 th , the 2023 HOPE Innovation Network (HIN) cohort will complete the program and become the first-ever HOPE-certified organizations. Over the last six months, these organizations learned about our six standards of HOPEful practice and conducted in-depth organizational assessments. Now, organizations will work on the goals they created as the result of this experience, working closely with the HOPE team. This...

Older adults provide warm and safe relationships that help children grow into healthy adults, and these relationships with children and families benefit them as well. Intergenerational relationships keep tradition alive, help children connect to their background, and provide a safe space for children to be themselves. Many grandparents help with childcare or school pick up; community centers offer intergenerational opportunities; and neighborhoods hold residents of many ages. These are...

By Laura Gallant, 6/15/23, https://positiveexperience.org/category/blog/ Juneteenth celebrates a hope-filled moment in U.S. history, and recognizing Juneteenth as a federal holiday increases opportunities for all children and families to access positive childhood experiences (PCEs) and the Four Building Blocks of HOPE . Juneteenth is also a reminder of the importance of imbedding anti-racism into our work and social lives. Racism blocks access to PCEs and is a source of trauma. When we...