Tagged With "Syrian Children"
Calendar Event
Building a Trauma-Informed Environment Workshop
Calendar Event
Community Resiliency Model (Echo in Los Angeles)
Calendar Event
Resilience Documentary Screening and Workshop
Calendar Event
Resilience Film Screening
Calendar Event
TBRI(r) Bootcamp
Blog Post
12 Myths of the Science of ACEs
The two biggest myths about ACEs science are: MYTH #1 — That it’s just about the 10 ACEs in the ACE Study — the CDC-Kaiser Permanente Adverse Childhood Experiences Study . It’s about sooooo much more than that. MYTH #2 — And that it’s just about ACEs…adverse childhood experiences. These two myths are intertwined. The ACE Study issued the first of its 70+ publications in 1998, and for many people it was the lightning bolt, the grand “aha” moment, the unexpected doorway into a blazing new...
Blog Post
3rd "Healing Orange County from Childhood Trauma" Meeting
Our 3 rd “Healing Orange County from Childhood Trauma” meeting was held on Wednesday July 20 th , at Laguna Woods Village Community Center - Elm Room. Thank you Betsy S., for reserving our cool and comfortable meeting space. We had a total of 10 attendees; see attached Agenda and Meeting Notes . We were all warmly welcomed by Dana Brown, and we all had the opportunity to give a brief introduction of ourselves and share what we are grateful for. We were most certainly all grateful to listen...
Blog Post
A look at the prevalence of mental illness in California and the U.S. (ocregister.com)
Mental illness cases have risen in California, while treatment and funding have not kept up. Every Southern California county has experienced an upward trend in the rate at which children under 18 years are hospitalized for a mental health issue. “The mental health system has been plagued by gaps in services, access and funding,” says Dr.Clayton with St. Joseph Hoag Health. “People with severe mental health and substance abuse conditions struggle to receive needed care in their communities...
Blog Post
ACEs gets a day at the (Sacramento) Capitol!
No matter where you are, be sure to follow the events of the day on twitter: Follow @acestoohigh and #4CAKidsDay17 to get live updates all day.
Blog Post
Advance Practice at the ACEs 2016 Project Showcase
From the organizers of the 2016 ACEs Conference , San Francisco, CA, October 19th -21st, 2016. Please consider submitting your project today! We know building connections and learning across fields is the best way to advance practices that support children. That’s why we’re very excited to invite you to submit your work to the 2016 Conference on Adverse Childhood Experiences Project Showcase . We’re looking to highlight research, programs, tools or other initiatives that: Highlight the role...
Blog Post
Adversity Is Not Destiny
Childhood adversity can activate the human stress response system, which is primarily made up of the hormones/chemicals cortisol and adrenaline. In the developing brain of a child, prolonged activation of the stress response system can cause these chemicals to actually become toxic. Think of that – a child’s brain being bathed in toxic chemicals due to abuse, neglect, or chaotic household dysfunction. It’s called toxic stress. It’s real, not imagined, and it’s physiological, potentially...
Blog Post
After 2014 tragedy, why the MIX in Santa Ana is thriving as a free source of classes, meals and love (ocregister.com)
The MIX is meant to create a safe place for families that live in overcrowded and risky neighborhoods, where it’s unsafe to go out at night. It gives them a place to relax, let the children run around in the open air, connect with one another and improve their lives. It’s all free, with classes taught by volunteers who include church congregants and members of the wider community. They range from white-collar professionals to someone like Hilda Colin, a mom who heard about The MIX from...
Blog Post
Bringing Baby Home Educator Training
Bringing Baby Home Facilitator Training comes to Santa Ana, November 14-15, 2019. Research continues to show that our children are most fragile in the first years of their life. Even the strongest relationships are strained during the transition to parenthood. Lack of sleep, never-ending housework and new fiscal concerns can lead to profound stress and a decline in marital satisfaction – all of which affect baby’s care. Not surprisingly, 67% of new parents experience conflict, disappointment...
Blog Post
Broadening Your Network and Identifying Partners for More Resilient, Healthier Communities
Who should you partner with to create lasting change through resilience in your community? The Building Community Resilience (BCR) initiative aims to address, prevent, and reduce the effects of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and adverse community environments (ACEs) on children’s health and wellbeing ( The “Pair of ACEs” ). An essential element of the successes of BCR’s five test sites around the country has been strategic collaborations. In your work to build resilience, identifying...
Blog Post
Building Resilience in Children - 20 Practical, Powerful Strategies (backed by science)
This is an accessible, practical article. After a brief definition and explanation of resilience, it gives 20 easy, realistic strategies for building resilience in children. Share this with everyone you know! http://www.heysigmund.com/building-resilience-children/
Blog Post
California 2018 State Profile
Hi, Everyone: Here’s the state profile for California. To review the entire profile, open the PDF that is attached to this post. If you have corrections or additions, please leave them in the comments section of this post. We’ll be reviewing the comments regularly and doing fact-checks. The information you give us will also help us determine how to organize and expand the information in the state profiles. We will be turning this post into a living profile that, with your help and input,...
Blog Post
California can curb violence against incarcerated children. Here’s how. (ocregister.com)
When I was 16, I was incarcerated in juvenile hall. Whenever I was moved within the facility, I was shackled. They would chain my ankles and handcuff my wrists to a belly-chain. I was bound like this anytime I went to see the nurse, the psychiatrist and whenever I went outside. Twenty years later, I still have scars where the cuffs carved into my ankles. Policies in California’s youth prisons, including the use of shackles, cause serious harm to our children. The vast majority of...
Blog Post
California: Drop-In Center Services for Commercially Sexually Exploited Children (chronicleofsocialchange.org)
“The County of Orange (County) Social Services Agency (SSA), Children and Family Services Division will be seeking program statements from for-profit organizations, private nonprofit organizations, public educational institutions, or municipalities with experience in providing a Drop-In Center facility that would include offering services and support to victims of sexual exploitation, potential victims and their family members. The Drop-In Center will provide services and programs for...
Blog Post
California gets its first ever surgeon general (ktvu.com)
California's first-ever Surgeon General has launched a listening tour that will take her around the state to hear about people's hopes for the new position and the state's new commitment to improving Californians' health. Dr. Nadine Burke Harris is a pediatrician with degrees from U.C. Berkeley, U.C. Davis Medical School, and Harvard University. She says, as the daughter of a biochemist and a nurse, she knew what her dream job was at an early age. "My immediate priorities as Surgeon General...
Blog Post
California is failing our kids [SactoBee.com]
California’s economy is the seventh-largest in the world, and home to global industries that have revolutionized our way of life. Yet when it comes to caring for our children, we are failing to provide the essential services they need to thrive and succeed. The facts are disturbing and unacceptable. California ranks 49th among the states for standard of living for kids; roughly half of children are in families in or near poverty; nearly three-fourths of our youngest kids don’t receive health...
Blog Post
California issues update on state residents' ACE scores from 2011 & 2013 surveys
The latest adverse childhood experiences survey from the California Department of Public Health shows that 42% of the population has an ACE score of 3 or higher; 16% have an ACE score of 4 or higher. Those with an ACE score of 4 or higher are: 3x more likely to be current smokers 4x more likely to have a depressive disorder 2x more likely to have asthma 2x more likely to be obese 4x more likely to have COPD 3x more likely to have a stroke Here are a few other highlights from the six-page...
Blog Post
County’s sex trafficking awareness campaign focuses on child victims (ocregister.com)
In 2012, as various Orange County agencies teamed up to address the sexual exploitation of children, they discovered 17 victims in the county. A year later, the number had more than doubled, to 35, and last year, it multiplied again, to 75. Victims of forced labor are more likely to take public transportation, OCTA CEO Darrell Johnson said Wednesday, so the transportation authority trained more than 1,100 staff and contract bus operators to spot signs of sex trafficking. Oree Freeman, 22, a...
Blog Post
Discipline reform gets boost in California budget (edsource.org)
Tucked inside last week’s state budget deal was some good news for California’s school discipline reform advocates — an additional $15 million for tackling issues such as bullying and trauma students have experienced, and training teachers and administrators in alternatives to traditional approaches to discipline. The $15 million will go to both the Orange County Department of Education and the Butte County Department of Education, which will contract with a college or university to develop...
Blog Post
Early childhood educators learn new ways to spot trauma triggers, build resilience in preschoolers
A hug may be comforting to many children, but for a child who has experienced trauma it may not feel safe.
That’s an example used by Julie Kurtz, co-director of trauma informed practices in early childhood education at the WestEd Center for Child & Family Studies (CCFS), as she begins a trauma training session. Her audience, preschool teachers and staff of the San Francisco-based Wu Yee Children’s Services at San Francisco’s Women’s Building, listen attentively.
Blog Post
Enroll today for the December 5, 2019 SoCal Learning Community!
Welcome to the 2019 - 2020 SoCal Learning Community series! This 4-part series is designed to build leadership capacity to improve outcomes for children and families in the SoCal region. Re-visioning Prevention: Exploring Systems Innovation and Best Practices in the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect Join us for the second convening in December and participate in this innovative peer learning experience, hear from topic experts and connect with colleagues in the SoCal region. Date:...
Blog Post
Healthy Sundays in Orange County (calhealthreport.org)
On the second Sunday of each month, the Orange County Great Park in Irvine looks like a county fair. Balloons and banners; families with kids in strollers; mobile trucks holding eye catching displays with greeters inviting families in. But instead of deep fried cookies and moon bounce rides, families can dip into healthy snacks, discuss parenting concerns with doctors and nurses, get a flu shot, sign up for health insurance and other benefits, have their teeth checked and take home free...
Blog Post
Hidden camera surprise filmed at Watson's in Old Towne Orange to promote Red Nose Day (ocregister.com)
Watson's Soda Fountain & Café in Old Towne Orange was the backdrop Wednesday, April 5, for filming that will support an international charity campaign. Hidden cameras filmed surprised – and delighted - diners all day to promote Red Nose Day, a fundraising campaign that assists children in poverty around the world. Red Nose Day was launched in the United Kingdom by writer-director Richard Curtis through the charity Comic Relief in 1988 and launched in the United States in 2015 .
Blog Post
How One Connection at CYW’s ACEs Conference Sparked Awareness into Action
Origins offers a number of training and consulting services. We developed The Basics as a half-day session to provide the foundation to support trauma-informed and resilience practices across sectors and industries. The session includes an overview of the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study, the neurobiology of toxic stress, the impact of social and historical trauma, and the science of resilience. We have tested The Basics with two cross-sector audiences, in Los Angeles and Phoenix.
Blog Post
Hundreds gathered in City Heights last month for the San Diego premier of Resilience -The Biology of Stress and Science of Hope.
The crowd arrived to the aroma of freshly popped popcorn that wafted through the Cherokee Point Elementary School auditorium. With bags of popcorn and plates filled with fresh-cut fruits and vegetables from trays on tables lining the wall, the service providers, policy makers, community advocates, graduate students, teachers and parents settled in for a movie and a panel discussion that brought many to tears. Dr. Dawn Griffin, a professor in Alliant International University departments of...
Blog Post
Huntington Beach shelter gives homeless teens somewhere to turn (ocregister.com)
Orange County, with its beaches and nice weather, is much more than a spot for tourists - it has become a national magnet for homeless teens. Beaches are an attractive place for teens to “crash” – the coastline provides a place to hang out and sleep, working bathrooms, good weather and the beauty of the ocean. The problem of homeless teens has become so big that, according to the Orange County Department of Education, approximately 30,000 local children were homeless or living in substandard...
Blog Post
Join us on May 17, 2019 for the SoCal Learning Community! Achieving Impact through Evaluation and Data for Family Strengthening Programs
Achieving Impact through Evaluation and Data for Family Strengthening Programs Know Your Audience: Program Participants, Potential Clients and Community Members Enroll Here! Date: Friday May 17, 2019 Time: Check in at 9:30am, begin at 10am, conclude at 12:30pm Enroll to join in person or remotely through one of the options below: Otis Booth Campus, Los Angeles Remote sites in Atascadero, Ventura, Lancaster, San Bernardino, Moreno Valley and San Diego LIVE online from your computer...
Blog Post
Orange County Data Dashboard: Child Adversity and Well-Being
A product of the Essentials for Childhood Initiative (EfC), the Child Adversity and Well-Being Dashboards contain indicators of child adversity, health and well-being utilizing data available on kidsdata.org . For more information about the dashboards, please refer to the California Data Dashboards page. The Orange County Data Dashboard contains select indicators of child adversity and well-being. The dashboard is a product of the Shared Data and Outcomes Workgroup of the California...
Blog Post
Orange County Supervisors approve restaurant meal food assistance program (oc-breeze.com)
Orange County will join eight other counties in a restaurant meal food assistance program that allows CalFresh food assistance participants to purchase prepared food from local restaurants. The Orange County Board of Supervisors has authorized a program to allow those who are elderly, disabled and homeless who participate in the state’s food-assistance program to purchase prepared meals at participating restaurants. Upon implementation, Orange County will join Alameda, Los Angeles,...
Blog Post
Orange County Trauma and Resilience Network One Pager
Attached find a 2018 version of Orange County community profile detailing information about your community ACEs initiative. This will be shared with CA legislators at the Trauma-Informed Policymaker Awareness Day on May 22nd in Sacramento. I attach it here as a PDF ready to print and share! I also have uploaded into 'Resources for Downloading' the same PDF, and an editable Word document so that you can update or otherwise improve it. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out to...
Blog Post
Policymaker Education Day Registration STILL OPEN!
Registration is still OPEN for another week to the second annual Policymaker Education Day hosted by the California Campaign to Counter Childhood Adversity (4CA) in Sacramento on May 22nd! Don't miss this opportunity to be able to share your thoughts and expertise with your Assemblymember or Senator on how to address childhood adversity in your communities. Guest speakers include Assemblymember Dr. Arambula of Fresno County, Ted Lempert of Children Now and Sarah Pauter of Phenomenal...
Blog Post
Report Rates Child Well-Being in California Counties [ChronicleOfSocialChange.org]
A new report from Children Now details wide disparities in children’s well-being across California’s 58 counties. The 2016–2017 California County Scorecard of Children’s Well-Being looks at a series of indicators organized around the three domains of child welfare and economic well-being; health; and education. The report provides a comparison over time for each of 28 indicators, as well as a breakdown by ethnicity on each data point for every county in the state. Children Now, an advocacy...
Blog Post
Revolutionizing mental health care (ocregister.com)
In September, the Children’s Hospital of Orange County broke ground on its Pediatric Mental Health Facility, which will house Orange County’s first inpatient program that can accommodate children under the age of 12. It will also allow CHOC to open intensive outpatient programs and expand mental health services for children with chronic illnesses. I was proud to be a part of the ground-breaking ceremony and see so many members of our community come together for this common goal. When CHOC...
Blog Post
Self Care Webinar on 11/16/16 Hosted by Futures Without Violence
Compassion Fatigue & Self-Care for Individuals and Organizations Brought to you by Futures Without Violence’s Supporting Organizational Sustainability Institute (SOS Institute) in partnership with the Office on Violence Against Women. Date: Wednesday, November 16, 2016 Time : 9:30 a.m. PT, 10:30 a.m. MT, 11:30 p.m. CT, 12:30 p.m. ET (1 Hr. 30 Min.) ***Closed caption will be provided. Registration Link:...
Blog Post
Self-Healing Communities [RWJF.org]
A comprehensive model of building community capacity in Washington helped make dramatic reductions in rates of health issues and social problems. The Issue In the early 1990’s, Washington state set up a program to tackle issues like domestic violence, school dropouts, youth substance abuse, and others that impact families and children. These are issues that typically had been addressed separately, but the team in Washington focused on addressing them collectively. Key Findings Over 10 to 15...
Blog Post
Sesame Street's Traumatic Experiences Website / First 5 CA Care, Cope Connect Resource
Thanks to Alejandra Labrado from First 5 Sacramento for providing the links to these resources! Sesame Street's Traumatic Experiences: https://sesamestreetincommunities.org/topics/traumatic-experiences/ When a child endures a traumatic experience, the whole family feels the impact. But adults hold the power to help lessen its effects. Several factors can change the course of kids’ lives: feeling seen and heard by a caring adult, being patiently taught coping strategies and...
Blog Post
States Produce a Bumper Crop of ACEs bills in 2017—nearly 40 bills in 18 states
A scan done in March by the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) through StateNet of bills introduced in 2017 that specifically include adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in the text produced a surprising volume of bills (close of 40) in a large number of states (18). A scan done a year ago produced less than a handful. NCSL is a bipartisan organization that serves both state legislators and their staffs. The shear volume of bills in so many states represents a promising...
Blog Post
Stigma of mental illness rooted in Korean culture (ocregister.com)
(Image: Mikyong Kim-Goh, professor at Department of Social Work at Calstate Fullerton) The stigma of mental illness in the Korean American community – a stigma that only now is starting to change – is deeply rooted in culture and history. Mikyong Kim-Goh, professor of social work at Cal State Fullerton, explained the dynamic, saying it remains difficult for many people of Korean descent to seek help for ailments that are not physical. Q: Why is mental illness so stigmatized in the Korean...
Blog Post
Strengthening Community Trust Sypmposium - Family & Youth Support Partner Initiative
The Diversity Development Center invites you to attend the first in a series of Strengthening Community Trust Symposiums to take place at Marina Village Conference Center Building A, 1936 Quivira Way, San Diego, CA 92109 on July 18th and 19th, 2018. FAMILY & YOUTH SUPPORT PARTNER MODEL A Family and Youth Support Partner is an individual, with lived experiences in the respective system(s), who is trained and hired to help other families as a paraprofessional. We believe trust is the...
Blog Post
Strengthening Community Trust Sypmposium - Family & Youth Support Partner Initiative
The Diversity Development Center invites you to attend the first in a series of Strengthening Community Trust Symposiums to take place at Marina Village Conference Center Building A, 1936 Quivira Way, San Diego, CA 92109 on July 18th and 19th, 2018. FAMILY & YOUTH SUPPORT PARTNER MODEL A Family and Youth Support Partner is an individual, with lived experiences in the respective system(s), who is trained and hired to help other families as a paraprofessional. We believe trust is the...
Blog Post
Syrian Children in a state of Toxic Stress
An article posted by BBC News captures what the children of Syria are experiencing and how many of these children don't know anything but war. This is a huge public health concern that could lead to irreversible damage to an entire generation of children. Save the Children shares, "Millions of Syrian Children could be living in a state of "Toxic Stress" due to prolonged exposure to the horrors of war." I have attached the Report, Invisible Wounds produced by Save the Children if you're...
Blog Post
Teen suicides have spiked, particularly in Orange County, but new habits can save lives (ocregister.com)
A full year after four Orange County teens took their lives over a three-week period, the Board of Supervisors has decided to give $600,000 to create a suicide prevention program. Mind you, several families who lost children to suicide courageously and selflessly agreed to go public for a three-part series I wrote last March about this national epidemic that takes 6,000 lives a year among people age 10 to 24. A series of organizations have battled suicide for years. Among the most storied is...
Blog Post
This teen inspired a major Anaheim hotel to make stays a little easier for those with autism (ocregister.com)
"It's so rare to receive a personalized letter, something that you can hold, as opposed to something you just read on a screen," said Ian Gee, general manager of the Sheraton Park Hotel. "There was a lot of detail and passion in the letter. He presented his family and the challenges his family faces and how they overcame them. But what I liked about it was it wasn't a complaint; he offered suggestions." A behavioral therapist was brought in to train the staff. The hotel's restaurant menu...
Blog Post
Transgender children now have access to specialized care at 2 Orange County hospitals (ocregister.com)
Transgender youth no longer need to travel long distances to have their health needs met with the opening of two Orange County hospital programs offering medical and psychological services. Last month, Children’s Hospital of Orange County launched the Gender, Puberty and Sex Development Program. In the fall, UC Irvine Medical Center opened the Pediatric Gender Diversity Program. “Our job is to understand who these children and adolescents really believe they are and help them become the...