Tagged With "Hope Rising"

As I was considering the children sheltering-in-place this morning and reflecting on lessons from my own childhood, I wondered: Can we heal-in-place too? I was born after the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, another collective trauma affecting everyone. Yet, it was nevertheless passed on to me by the adults in my life in the form of constant reminders that the U.S. could be blown into bits any second. When I started school, there were constant “hide under the chair” earthquake drills I took to be...

As children grow and develop, engaging with the larger community around them provides a sense of “mattering” — a sense that their participation in the community really does matter. The emergency conditions now in effect provide numerous opportunities to children and teens to pitch in. Here are a few ideas . . .

This has been quite a week, and we are now facing major disruptions in our own family lives. There is no doubt that the events of this winter and spring will be memorable for children. In that spirit, here are a few ideas to help make those memories (at least somewhat) happy.

This blog is re-posted from positiveexperience.org/blog/ Link there for associated resources, and for the other blogs in the series. Having safe, stable, and equitable environments to live, learn and play forms the second of the 4 Building Blocks of HOPE. Children need homes where they feel safe and secure and have their basic needs met. Children thrive in an environment that encourages curiosity and provides opportunities for learning to play and interact with other children. Today’s blog...

Melissa Merrick PhD and Robert Sege MD, PhD wrote this timely and interesting article for CNN online. We encourage you to check it out! Also, please visit and join our Balancing ACES with HOPE community . Just as prior generations were deeply affected by the Great Depression, the assassinations of Martin Luther King and the Kennedys and the horrors of 9/11, the COVID -19 pandemic may well be the defining moment in the lives of today's children. That's why we owe it to our children to focus...

Tufts University medical professor Dr. Robert Sege directs the Center for Community-Engaged Medicine and is nationally known for his research on effective health systems approaches that address social determinants of health. He is also the principal investigator for the HOPE framework (Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences).The HOPE framework is based on research that shows how positive childhood experiences can mitigate the effects of adverse childhood experiences. Sege and colleagues...

How can we reduce ACEs and toxic stress during the COVID-19 pandemic? Many of us are concerned that increased stress might increase the risk for ACEs. For example, most child abuse happens when adults reach their breaking point. However, we are not powerless in the face of these challenges. Using HOPE ( Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences ) as a guide, here are 10 suggestions to reduce ACEs now: Think about social connection and physical distance , not social distance. Continuing to...

HOPE is a natural fit for ACES Connection. To further embrace the members of ACES Connection we have created a Balancing ACES with HOPE community and encourage all to visit and join. Please read our blogs and post your comments. Let us know how you think HOPE could impact your work and personal life. Being in nurturing, supportive relationships are critical for children to develop into healthy, resilient adults. This concept forms the first of the 4 Building Blocks of HOPE . What types of...

We have been so encouraged to hear how HOPE (Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences) is a natural fit for ACES Connection. Children who grow up in safe, stable and equitable environments are less likely to experience poor mental and physical health as adults. It is crucial to ask caregivers about the types of environments their children are experiencing. Celebrate the positive and work with families to help ensure their child has the opportunity to live, learn and play in safe and...

We have been so encouraged to hear how HOPE (Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences) is resonating with the ACES Connection community. Here we present the third mini-blog in our series on the Building Blocks of HOPE. Children need ample opportunities for productive social engagement. Developing a connection to and sense of belonging in a community, as well as a sense that you matter to your community, describes the essence of the third of the 4 Building Blocks of HOPE . What are some...

We have been so encouraged to hear how HOPE (Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences) is resonating with the ACES Connection community and are thrilled to see our community continue to grow. Here we present the fourth mini-blog in our series on the Building Blocks of HOPE. Children need ample opportunities for productive social and emotional development. Developing social and emotional competencies describes the fourth of the 4 Building Blocks of HOPE . What do we mean by social and...

You are extraordinary. Writing this post feels like I have come full circle. In April of 2019, Alfred White reached out to me on ACEs Connection. Shortly after, we spoke at length about the plans he had to create a place of healing and hope in Federal Way and King County, Washington, specifically for individuals with a history of trauma and who were now impacted with symptoms such as addiction and homelessness. I recall sharing with Alfred that there was such a need for this in that...

Working with families of preschool children, it has been especially difficult to connect with them via electronic means; many are also busy with older siblings' school assignments. I am encouraging families when I reach out to them that "academics" do not need to be their priority unless they choose it - I let them know if all they are doing is talking, playing, singing, reading, and loving their children, that it is more important they foster that sense of safety and connection with their ...

Thank you so much for your comment Melissa. That is great advice. By doing those things they are helping to create positive experiences for their children, which is more important than ever right now.

Very interested in this. Do you think it's possible to engage kids and families in post traumatic growth without addressing or bypassing discussion or even mention of past trauma? The emphasis must necessarily be on healthy outcomes from positive experiences -- always must lead with strengths -- but interested in the stage where you work with people to acknowledge their past and what happened to them and also to help them understand that history is not destiny, and to engage/motivate them,...

Click here to watch the recording of Supporting Early Learning Students Remotely: Implementing Relationship-Based Strategies During COVID-19. This presentation was offered from Rise to Resilience. Rise to Resilience was created to support individuals and organizations primarily within the education field, as well as others who serve children and families in varying capacities. For more information, visit www.risetoresilience.org and follow on Facebook at www.facebook.com/resiliencetogether.

Dr. Chan Hellman, leading researcher in the power of hope to improve lives of impoverished children and families who have experienced abuse and neglect, Justice Dawn Beam, and Christopher Freeze, co-chair of Mississippi ACEs Connection , on day three of presentations by Hellman to judges and staff members of Mississippi's Youth Courts. “Hope is a better predictor of college success than the ACT or the SAT score” was one of the startling comments made by Chan Hellman, Ph.D., in the first of...

Originally published on Rise to Resilience on June 6th. Last week in one of the preschool-related Facebook groups I was in (and subsequently was kicked out of for challenging homophobia and transphobia), there was a post asking if people celebrate Pride Month in their classrooms, and if so, what they do. Cue a flood of teachers expressing their significant opposition for such inclusion, including ones who claimed to be allies. Motivated by this, I decided I would start...

By the HOPE Team, 7/28/21, positiveexperience.org/blog Like so many people, we spent part of the weekend transfixed by the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Despite COVID, no crowds, and troubles with the Tokyo organizing committee, the athletes dazzled us with their speed, endurance and grace. In particular, Simone Biles seems superhuman – a woman who seems to defy gravity and performs gymnastic feats that had been thought to be impossible. She wears her past on her body and outfit: her collarbone bears...

By The HOPE Team, 10/5/21, positiveexperience.org/blog A year ago, we posted a blog with ten ways to help children have positive experiences during the pandemic. Now, we know that most families have struggled – successfully – to create positive experiences for their young children during this terribly disruptive time. Although we had hoped that the pandemic would be behind us, we are still living with COVID-19. Progress has been stalled by the rise of the more infectious delta variant and...

By Allison Stephens, 12/22/21, positiveexperience.org/category/blog/ In their new article, “Child Physical Abuse did not Increase During the Pandemic” in JAMA Pediatrics, Dr. Robert Sege and Dr. Allison Stephens of the HOPE National Resource Center discuss how child abuse is actually not on the rise as many others have suspected. This article evaluates the data and discusses the reasons why many professionals and advocates have been concerned about child abuse during the pandemic. It also...

Laura Gallant, 3/16/2023, https://positiveexperience.org/category/blog/ When the COVID-19 pandemic began, there were emergency increases of concrete supports to children and families to provide food security. This increase in financial resources kept 4.2 million families above the poverty line* and helped families put food on their tables. These resources contributed to the nutritional well-being and reduced financial stress of children and families. With less financial stress in the home,...