Tagged With "System Thinking"
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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...
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ACLU Files Amicus Brief Supporting Civil Rights of Man Ticketed For Allegedly Living in His Truck (San Diego Free Press)
The ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties and Think Dignity filed an amicus brief in the case of a man cited for allegedly living in his truck. The man’s defense attorney, Think Dignity and the ACLU say the law he is accused of violating is vague, discriminatory and unconstitutional. Anne M. Rios, executive director with Think Dignity, an organization that advocates for basic dignity and equitable treatment of people experiencing homelessness, said: “The practice of criminalizing poor and...
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Agenda for Fri, July 7, 2017 San Diego Trauma-Informed Guide Team Meeting
San Diego Trauma-Informed Guide Team Meeting July 7, 2017 12:30pm - 2:00pm (Please arrive 5 min early to check in) San Diego Center for Children 3002 Armstrong Street, San Diego, CA 92111 Tomorrow's SD-TIGT meeting will be an important one!!! There will be Trauma-Informed Journey presentations by Youth Empowerment and Youth Voice. Our 2 Co-Chair nominees Dana Brown and Rosa Ana Lozada will each prepare a 2 min BRIEF presentation about their interest and qualifications in serving as Co-Chair.
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Alive and Well: Moving Missouri Toward Grass-Roots and System-Wide Change
On the eastern edge of Missouri, leaders of the Alive and Well network had generated a robust media campaign to help people understand the impact of trauma and toxic stress on health and well-being. There was a monthly column in an African-American newspaper, spots about toxic stress and resilience on urban radio stations and weekly public service features on the NBC affiliate, with physicians, clergy and teachers advocating ways to “be alive and well.” Two hundred and fifty miles to the...
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Artists in the ACE and Resilience Movement: Creative Avenues to Change
They began with a song and ended with a poem. In-between, there were photographs and giant graphic renderings, movement exercises and a “human pulse” formed when 90 people stood in a circle and squeezed each other’s hands. At a June summit in Whatcom County, Washington, titled “Our Resilient Community: A Community Conversation on Resilience and Equity,” the arts played a starring role. Kristi Slette, executive director of the Whatcom Family and Community Network, one of two Washington sites...
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AVA Regional Academies: Building Trauma-Informed, Resilient, and Healthy Communities
Last week, I was fortunate to be a part of a small group of professionals in San Diego to attend the Academy on Violence and Abuse preconference session for the 30 th Annual San Diego International Conference on Child and Family Maltreatment. The conference draws over 1,800 professionals in the maltreatment field from around the world each year. The session, titled: Building Trauma Informed, Resilience, and Healthy Communities: Regional, National, and Global Perspectives , had an ambitious...
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Putting the Power of Self-Knowledge to Work [NY Times]
Thirty years ago, the Nobel Prize-winning novelist Doris Lessing gave a series of lectures, later published in a book, “ Prisons We Choose to Live Inside ,” in which she reflected on the brutality in the world and asked how individuals and societies could evolve into something better. It’s a sobering book, but Lessing is hopeful — and her main source of hope stems from the capacity of human beings to study themselves and learn from their own behavior. “I think when people look back at our...
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Sacramento Report: Maienschein on Housing Vote: ‘I Know I Did the Right Thing’ (voiceofsandiego.org)
San Diego Republican Assemblyman Brian Maienschein stopped by the VOSD Podcast this week to talk about his pivotal vote on Sen. Toni Atkins' SB 2, a bill that brings in new revenue to fund affordable housing via a fee on certain real estate documents. On being the lone Republican Assembly vote on SB 2: " It was a big vote. You know, any time you step out you're the only one on something, that's a tough vote. Candidly, I know I did the right thing. I feel very comfortable with it... I mean...
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San Diego County program for nonviolent felons may be helping to keep people from returning to jail (latimes.com)
(Image credit: adc.arkansas.gov) People serving sentences for nonviolent felonies in San Diego County custody recommit crimes less frequently than those who serve in state prison for similar crimes, according to new data from the San Diego County Probation Department. “In many ways, San Diego as a community is ahead of the game if you compare to other communities across the country,” said Ricky Valdez, vice president of programs at Second Chance, an organization that helps people transition...
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San Diego for Every Child
We are thrilled to announce the launch of San Diego for Every Child: The Coalition to End Child Poverty . San Diego for Every Child is a developing coalition of organizations, community leaders, champions and advocates, families and caregivers, all committed to elevating awareness about the prevalence of child poverty across our region, and finding ways to solve it. We are on a mission to change the way we address child poverty as a community, because we envision a San Diego where every...
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San Diego Nonprofits, Churches Host Turkey Giveaways (KPBS)
"We've seen a lot of smiles today, lot of children who are very happy, seen some families who are coming crying, saying we didn't think we were going to have a Thanksgiving this year," Smith said. He said the church screens families to make sure they're in need. The goal, he said, is to feed everyone who needs it in the area within a few years. "We've been so overlooked and neglected over the years, so now we're trying to take matters into our own hands," he said. To read more of Claire...
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San Diego Regional Center Trainings
Last Thursday I was able to participate in San Diego Regional Center’s Training entitled, “ From Biography to Treatment: Supporting Individuals with IDD Who Struggle with the Effects of Trauma.” I was very excited to learn how teams coordinating care for individuals with IDD could use biographical timelines. The timelines allow clinicians to get a better understanding of a person’s journey and the trauma they’ve experienced at different points in their life which increases empathy. Teams are...
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San Diego's stop-and-go progress to becoming a trauma-informed community
It’s a warm spring afternoon and Arturo Soriano is in his old stomping grounds—at Teralta Park, a small urban park atop a sunken freeway in San Diego’s City Heights neighborhood. As a teenage gang member in the 1980s, Soriano roamed the park and the surrounding streets before spending the better part of two decades in prison. Now 40, he has returned with a different mission.
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San Diego State University Trainings
Harmonium has had the pleasure of collaborating with San Diego State University graduate student, Christine Ma, to offer trauma-informed trainings to fellow students and community members in San Diego. When Christine learned about trauma-informed trainings, she applied for a mini grant offered by the University to students. This grant enables students to bring programs to campus that would enhance their education. Rosa Ana Lozada, CEO of Harmonium, and Heidi Echeverria, MARC Project Manager,...
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San Diego Trauma-Informed Guide Team Learning Exchange January 3, 2020
Thanks to those of you who were able to attend our 2nd Learning Exchange at the end of a holiday week! Cambria Rose Walsh provided an informative and thought-provoking presentation on addressing trauma in the workplace, which prompted some fruitful discussions! See attached for meeting minutes, PowerPoint presentation and helpful handouts.
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San Diego Trauma Informed Guide Team May 5, 2017 Meeting Minutes
It was great to see all the new, and returning, faces at our Guide Team meeting on May 5th! We had 38 attendees! See the meeting minutes below (and attached), as well as the PowerPoint and handouts from the Addressing Islamophobia presentation. Introductions – Included welcome of new members and the addition of sharing what brings you to the meeting Trauma Informed Journey - Addressing Islamophobia and its Impact on Children, using a Trauma-Informed Lens presented by Lallia Allali, Linda K.
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San Diego Trauma-Informed Guide Team Meeting November 1, 2019
Wonderful to see so many new and familiar faces at our November meeting! See attached for meeting minutes, flyers and handouts.
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San Diego Trauma-Informed Guide Team November 2, 2018 Meeting Minutes
Hello all, Please see attached and below for the minutes from our November meeting. San Diego Unified School District's presentation AND notes from our activity are also attached. See you in January! Welcome - Introductions (Name and Organization) Members Invitation on Topic-Specific Membership Meetings - Launch in January, 2019 a. Have attendees share their areas of interest on post-it notes --Leadership team provided examples for members (e.g. Zoom for region-focused meetings, Spotlight...
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MARC Booklet 2016: Features San Diego
Hi All! Please find attached the 2016 booklet for the Mobilizing Action for Resilient Communities (MARC) project, including San Diego and the other 13 communities that have been selected to participate in this 2 year learning collaborative. This is a great summary of the work happening in all 14 communities across the country. Harmonium, Inc, the San Diego Trauma-Informed Guide Team, and ALL of us play a pivotal role in advancing the resilience building movement across our community.
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Minutes from SD-TIGT Meeting- 9/2/2016
Hello All! Attached are the minutes from the last SD-TIGT meeting.
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Movement-Making in Buncombe County (NC): Opportunity-Based Narrative and Creation Spaces
Mobilizing action can be intimidating. Creating a movement even more so. John Hagel provides the following definition of a movement: “an organized effort mobilizing a large number of independent participants in a grassroots effort to pursue a broad agenda for change.” He indicates that there are two key ingredients in movement making: 1) compelling narratives and 2) fostering creation spaces. In Buncombe County, we are experimenting with both of these notions. Opportunity-based Narrative A...
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New County Website, Connect Well San Diego, to Improve Customer Service (nbcsandiego.com)
The County of San Diego is currently developing a new website that will make it easier to access county services, by improving communication and customer service. A new county website, dubbed Connect Well San Diego will be up and running by 2017, according to County Health and Human Services. The website will take advantage of new technologies to create an electronic information sharing hub. The hub will allow County staff and contractors to communicate better with each other as well as...
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New report finds lack of diversity among San Diego decision makers (sandiegouniontribune.com)
San Diego’s decision-makers are mostly white, male and economically advantaged, according to a new report released Tuesday. The 51-page report comes from the Center on Policy Initiatives, a San Diego think tank that has ties to local labor unions. Researchers assessed five governing boards and commissions from September to January, saying they were seeking a broad picture of public leadership throughout the county. Over the five-month period, researchers reviewed and conducted interviews...
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On immigration, Gore walks line between Trump, Sacramento (sandiegouniontribune.com)
San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore said he feels stuck in the middle of the political brawl that is heating up between President Trump’s administration and the California legislature. ‘We live in a city that’s adjacent to the busiest border crossing in the world,” Gore said. “Somehow we manage to have some of the lowest crime rates in the U.S., so I think we’re doing something right. “They always talk about the crime running rampant on the southwest border,” Gore added. “They don’t work here...
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Persistent gender wage gap prompts San Diego to explore equal pay law (sandiegouniontribune.com)
San Diego may soon become the largest city in the nation to pass a law requiring city contractors and consultants to pay employees equally regardless of gender or ethnicity. The goal of the new legislation, which the City Council may consider before its August recess, is to help close persistent pay gaps for women and minorities performing the same work as white men. Federal and state laws already require equal pay, but San Diego Councilman Chris Ward said this week that it's important for...
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Berkeley Media Studies Group (BMSG) Blogging Tips and Talking about Trauma
Berkeley Media Studies Group facilitated a southern and northern California Strategic Communications Workshop in October 2015. Attached, please find their powerpoint, created by co-facilitators Julieta Kusnir and Pamela Mejia, titled "Talking about Trauma: Tips & Tools for Communicating Effectively" and "Blogging Tips for Media Advocates" articulating tips on content, headlines, length and tone of blogs.
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Black Men United to Screen for Adverse Childhood Experiences to Better Understand Illnesses in Adults (San Diego Voice & Viewpoint)
Amazing article on Black Men United using the Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) tool at their July meeting “to further their understanding of trauma-informed care and the need for prevention and remediation among African American youth. ...
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Boston’s architect of community well-being: Pediatrician Renée Boynton-Jarrett
She talks with parents about the relationship between childhood adversities they have experienced and how that may have an impact on parenting.
“I frame things a bit more broadly than ACEs,” she said, “because I think it’s very important to reflect on a broader number of exposures than were covered in the original study, such as poverty or structural violence and racism.”
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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...
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Building Trust Partnership - Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice
Working on improving police-community relations requires specific knowledge and skills which may or may not have been part of one’s religious training. The approaches in the Building Trust Partnership Handbook and website require religious leaders to know certain information, to think differently, and to carry out a variety of actions. Convening a community dialogue requires facilitation skills. Asking the police to deliver a presentation on the criminal justice system requires knowledge...
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Changing Minds and Creating Trauma-Informed Communities Convenings - South and North
Last week, on two separate days in Los Angeles and in San Francisco, about 150 people (total) convened to listen and brainstorm about creating trauma-informed communities. Futures Without Violence, which is rolling out its Changing Minds campaign later this year, hosted both events. Some very interesting and important themes emerged from the two days: Residents with lived experiences should participate in the decision-making bodies of service providers and vested...
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Cherokee Point Youth Leaders Educate Community on Child Abuse Prevention
It’s not every day I get to bring an entire pizza party to 30 kids, but a few weeks ago, that’s exactly what I got to do. I went to visit the youth leaders at Cherokee Point Elementary School , San Diego’s first trauma-informed elementary school. We were celebrating a major accomplishment. A few months ago, I wrote about my visit to Cherokee Point to visit youth leaders and talk about Child Abuse Prevention (CAP) Month, which occurs every April. During my initial visit in March, youth...
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Cherokee Point Youth Leaders learn about Child Abuse Prevention month
Some days at work are better than others. Yesterday was one of the best days I've had in awhile! I had the chance to speak to a small group of youth leaders from Cherokee Point Elementary School on Wednesday. As a representative of the Chadwick Center for Children & Families, I came to talk with them about Child Abuse Prevention (CAP) month, which is coming up in April. We are collaborating with Cherokee Point in an effort to bring awareness to the community about CAP month, resilience,...
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City camp could be San Diego's homeless solution (sandiegouniontribune.com)
The time has come for us to seek out a realistic way to manage our worsening problem of people living on the streets of our city and to do so in a manner that best serves our city’s entire population of 1.35 million. With this in mind, we propose the establishment of “Camp Hope San Diego” on city-owned land adjacent to Brown Field. Camp Hope San Diego — the vision forward: • No homeless camping or loitering would be allowed anywhere in the city of San Diego, except within the jurisdiction of...
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CYW releases "Children Can Thrive: A Vision for California's Response to ACEs"
The Center for Youth Wellness released a new report “Children Can Thrive: A Vision for California’s Response to ACEs”. This report is a follow up to last November’s Children Can Thrive Summit. ...
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Each Mind Matters: Raising Awareness For Men's Mental Health (livewellsd.org)
Traditionally, men are raised to be self-sufficient, tough, and to protect their family and property. But what happens when the strong protector needs help? Fear of appearing weak or vulnerable, being unable to meet responsibilities or serve the role they expect of themselves can lead men to feel that they are a burden and that those around them might be better off if they ended their life. Men are less likely than women to reach out to mental health professionals or even to talk about their...
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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.
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Education Transformations - Providing Soc/Emot Training to Schools & More
Education Transformations is a company that works with districts, schools, teachers, and other organizations to improve Social/Emotional Intelligence (EQ), and what we call Relational Competency.
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Fighting homelessness with yoga (sandiegouniontribune.com)
A La Jolla man is launching a national effort to help homeless people by practicing yoga. “This is not a new idea,” said Andrew Beinbrink, CEO of SportsForce, a local college recruiting company. “This is already being done in different communities on a small scale, and the evidence of its successful so far is mind-blowing.” Yoga, Beinbrink said, has been proven to reduce traumatic stress, depression, insomnia and addictions. It also has been used to help veterans with post-traumatic stress...
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Find more Trauma-Informed Journeys under "Resources"
Go to Resources Section for agency's Trauma-Informed Journeys https://www.acesconnection.com/g/san-diego-county-aces-connection-group/clips
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Today 5pm Facebook Live: Improving Child Welfare Practice With the Power of Adolescent Brain Development
Today: Our Experts are Taking to Facebook Live to Highlight the Latest Report on the Adolescent Brain Tune in at 8 p.m. EST (5 p.m. Pacific) today to watch a conversation with the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative on the release of The Road to Adulthood: Aligning Child Welfare Practice with Adolescent Brain Development . Register at - https://www.facebook.com/JimCaseyYouthOpportunitiesInitiative/ Adolescence is a major development period similar to the growth spurt of early childhood.
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Wristbands Connect East County Homeless To Services (kpbs.org)
For the past week, the East County Chamber of Commerce has been giving out wristbands to local homeless shelters and first responders. Their goal is to better connect homeless people to services and resources. People can text "ConnectEC" to 77453, which then gives them options for help covering basic needs such as health and shelter. The idea is to refer them to local resources, like the Crisis House in El Cajon. The East County Chamber of Commerce said they worked with people who are...
Ask the Community
Data source
Hi, all, I'm wondering if you know what I'm talking about re: a comparison between the general population with ACES and the health care professional population some years later (presumably the same cohort). In the slide below, I think the blue bar is the general population (under 18) in maybe 1990; the red bar is health care population maybe 20 years later. I want to use this slide or something clearer with educators in an intro to Trauma Informed Care to say that we have to invest in our...
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San Diego Trauma-Informed Guide Team - September 7, 2018 Meeting Minutes
Thanks to all who attended September's meeting! Its great to see both new and familiar faces:-) Special thanks to Craig Beswick from Learn4Life for his Trauma-Informed Journey presentation! Meeting minutes are below and attached. Handouts and Craig's PowerPoint presentation are attached. Welcome - Introductions (Name and Organization) 3 people Zoomed in😊; Jeff Weiner & Sara Coupass Clinton Health Matters Initiative, and Betsy Knight & Adrianne Yancy BHS. Our apologies for the sound...
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San Diego Youth Services embraces a trauma-informed approach; kids do better, staff stay longer, programs more effective
December 14, 2014 By Alicia St. Andrews Original post: http://acestoohigh.com/2014/12...effective/#more-3709 Staff of the San Diego Youth Services TAY Academy welcome all Transition Age Youth (TAY) to drop-in. Left to right: Vanessa Arteaga, Indie...
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San Diego Youth Services embraces a trauma-informed approach; kids do better, staff stay longer, programs more effective
Staff of the San Diego Youth Services TAY Academy welcome all Transition Age Youth (TAY) to drop-in. Left to right: Vanessa Arteaga, Indie Landrum, Stephen Carroll, and Gillian Leal. In 2010, 16-year-old Indie Landrum ran away from an unstable home...
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San Francisco Dept of Public Health Trauma-Informed Systems Initiative
From Jane Stevens.... I thought you might be interested in taking a look at the 2014 year in review from the SF Dept of Public Health's Trauma-Informed Systems Initiative. It's attached, below. The Department made the commitment to...
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SD County Trauma-Informed Guide Team sets county on solid path to resilience
T his is a story of how, in six short years, a relatively small group of people inspired, motivated, and induced a community to turn the approach to helping children and adults who experience domestic violence, mental illness, substance abuse,...
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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...
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Teen to U.S. Attorney: 'We can learn from each other' (sandiegouniontribune.com)
At a time when San Diego County is wrestling with the ramifications of a fatal police-involved shooting, a group of teenagers met with federal authorities Wednesday to talk about building relationships between law enforcement and community. “I don’t really know what you guys do in your job and what you guys do on a daily basis,” said 18-year-old Elijah Johnson, one of about a dozen young people who took part in the discussion in southeastern San Diego. “We can learn from each other,” Johnson...