Last Wednesday, March 13th, I had the opportunity to present a Legislative Lunch and Learn to legislators, legislative staff, administrative staff, and the public in the Alaska State Capitol Building. To a room of ~ 30 - 40 people munching on lunch provided by the Alaska Children's Trust, and broadcast live via Gavel to Gavel (now archived here), I had the honor to premiere the policymaker version of our History and Hope curriculum.
This curriculum, and the policy-maker version, was created collectively by the Alaska Resilience Initiative. It aims to meet policymakers where they are at in terms of our shared values and concerns for Alaska, and speak to the issues they have before them, and in particular the budget. The presentation provides the science and data on ACEs, toxic stress, and healthy development and walks through evidence-based best practice approaches for supporting healthy development and reducing ACEs and their effects. It concludes with thoughts on how to use a trauma-informed lens for policy making.
In addition to the Lunch and Learn, my colleagues and I have been providing one-on-one education, data, and assistance to legislators and legislative staff, and are seeking opportunities to provide testimony before committees. Further, the following two documents were produced for government (legislative and administrative) audiences, and have been helpful tools in this work:
Vibrant Economy, Strong Workforce, Thriving Families: a Guide to Trauma-Informed Policy-Making
Toward a Trauma-Informed, Resilient, and Culturally-Responsive Alaska
Feel free to use, share, and talk with me about adapting any of this for your state.
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