Linsey McMurrin, an SEL and Prevention Specialist with Peacemaker Resources, is an enrolled member of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe. She is program manager of Girls Lead on the Go!, a leadership program for young women, and is an organizer of the Bemidji Area Truth and Reconciliation Initiative, a grassroots effort to promote truth-seeking, healing and change through increasing understanding and building relationships among area indigenous and non-indigenous communities. Linsey is certified...

May 11, noon-1:30 pm: World View Dave Ellis Every day we engage with people who are very different and similar from us: race, gender, ethnicity and more. Epigenetics tells us that we are more alike than different. So why can’t we just get along? Our worldviews -values, beliefs, assumptions, attitudes and ideas- impact everything from how we understand the nature of reality to how we respond to the environment around us. It informs our goals and desires, shaping conscious and unconscious...

I would like to share some learning opportunities with you. Share these with all who will listen. REACH Stewartville learned last week that we will be receiving a Star of Innovation Award at the 2017 Minnesota Association of Secondary School Principals Summer Conference at Breezy Point Resort this June. We will also be doing 2 presentations at the conference on June 14th. Encourage school administrators in your area to attend this conference to learn more about ACEs and how REACH...

Recent federal legislation put forward by senators Sens. Dick Durbin (D-IL), Al Franken (D-MN) and Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) proposes to address the issue of childhood trauma through the creation of a federal trauma task force. The Trauma-Informed Care for Children and Families Act would gather federal officials and members of tribal agencies to create a set of best practices and training to help create a better way to identify and support children and families that have experienced trauma. In...

Tuesday, May 9th Time: Welcome at 8:30am Training from 9:00am- 4:00pm Where: Lifetrack Building 709 University Avenue W Saint Paul, MN 55104 To Register and for more Information please contact: Lisa Deputie, ldeputie@pcamn.org or 651.325.9391 The Circle of Parents Facilitator Training is designed to train individuals as facilitators of Circle of Parents groups. These groups provide caregivers across Minnesota with mutual self-help support environments for talking about their parenting...

T here is a scene in James Redford’s new film, Resilience , in which a paediatrician cites a parental misdeed so outmoded as to seem bizarre. “Parents used to smoke in the car with kids in the back and the windows rolled up,” she says, incredulous. How long ago those days now seem; how wise today’s parents are to the dangers of those toxins. Yet every week in her clinic in the Bayview-Hunters Point area of San Francisco, children present with symptoms of a new pollutant – one that is just as...

Nearly 40,000 Minnesota children were suspected of being abused or neglected in 2016, 25 percent more than 2015, state officials said Tuesday in a worrisome report that also noted a huge jump in maltreatment investigations. The data posted by the Minnesota Department of Human Services didn't explain the increases in detail but said the spike likely came from "increased awareness about child protection issues, changes in how reports are reviewed and a growing opioid crisis." Children in...

April 12, noon-1:30: Trauma-Informed Approaches in Minnesota Schools Dr. Mark Sander, Hennepin County; Stacy Bender-Fayette and Sharleen Zeman-Sperle, Peacemaker Resources Many Minnesota schools are trying innovative approaches to promote social emotional learning and to make the classroom a safe learning environment for children who have experienced trauma. This webinar is a chance to hear from three such innovators: Dr. Mark Sander, a psychologist working in the Minneapolis Public Schools...

Barb Sorum, Director of Prevention Initiatives- Southern MN Locations across Minnesota's southern region are diligent and focused on strengthening their communities. Olmsted County is determined to make significant changes to further support area families and children, improve and strengthen resilience, and create a community of healing. On Monday, February 6, the Olmsted County BRIDGE Collaborative hosted an Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) community summit, Understanding ACEs: Building...

ACE Interface Presenter Ruth Charles, MSW, PhD, LCSW Professor, Social Work Dept Winona State University What led you to want to become a certified ACE Interface presenter? I teach at Winona State in the social work department and coordinate the IV-E Child Welfare Scholar program which integrates social work students into the public foster care system. I am always looking for new information to bring to my classes. When I learned about the ACE research, it made perfect sense! The evidence...

Get Ready to Recognize Parent Leaders February is National Parent Leadership Month. Minnesota Communities Caring for Children (MCCC) / Prevent Child Abuse Minnesota (PCAMN) will join forces with the Minnesota Department of Human Services and other national and local organizations to recognize, honor, and celebrate parents for leadership roles in their homes and communities throughout the month. MCCC will honor and highlight the achievements of parents from across the state at a celebration...

Save the date, spread the word and invite your friends and family to the screening of the documentary movie Resilience! Frozen River Film Festival Harriet Johnson Auditorium 255 Main St Winona, MN 55987 Sunday, February 19, 2017 – 1 p.m. The impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences can increase negative outcomes for lifelong health and well-being. This film focuses on strategies developed by professionals working in pediatrics, education, and human services to mitigate these impacts by...