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The Maine Resilience Building Network (MRBN) is a statewide organization dedicated to educating Maine citizens about ACEs and promoting resilience among those in our state who are suffering the negative effects of ACEs. MRBN meetings are held in Waterville whenever a fifth Thursday occurs in a month. Their meetings not only provide superb programs but also give the members a chance to network with other agencies in the state who work with people affected by ACEs. VBRP is a member agency of...

From the Bangor Daily News, Bangor ME (3/17) A WORKING MOM'S DILEMMA by Matthew Stone NOTE: This article was written in March, 2017 during Gov. LePage's administration. The Maine Department of Health and Human Services under Gov. Mills is working to remedy the lack of affordable child care and to link child care, job training, and job creation. It's a work in progress, and the problems haven't been solved yet. Some of the statistics cited in this article are now out of date. Matthew Stone W...

POOR KIDS 2012 and 2017 FRONTLINE, a documentary program on National Public Television, has produced two documentary films that show us, through the eyes of children, what it is like to live in poverty. The first documentary was filmed in 2012, and the second updates their family stories by five years -- 2017. These are outstanding films, and help to dispel some of the negative and unfair myths about poverty in our nation and in our own community. VBRP highly recommends these films to all...

Julio Cortez | AP In a photo taken Tuesday, July 2, 2019, Scott Hopewell, right, a student holistic specialist, gives a high-five to a child during a group session in a "peace room" at New Song Community Learning Center in West Baltimore. In Baltimore, a city enduring an out-of-control surge of gun violence that shows no sign of abating, there's been a growing realization that levels of youthful trauma, whether exposure is mostly from neighborhood or domestic dysfunctions, are alarmingly...

While surfing (researching?) the literature on ACEs and school success I found a couple of sources for short film clips that deal with these topics. They are easily understandable and could be used for clarification and discussion starters during presentations to groups or to a larger community. SELECTED FILM CLIPS ABOUT ACES / TRAUMA / STRESS AND THEIR IMPACT ON BRAIN DEVELOPMENT AND SCHOOL SUCCESS PRIMARY SITES: TURNAROUND FOR CHILDREN https://www.turnaroundusa.org/ DIGITAL PROMISE...

Here is a video from the United Kingdom that deals with childhood ACEs, the long-term effects of ACEs, and intergenerational ACEs. It is an excellent short presentation suitable for all audiences. I find it useful to introduce ACEs educational presentations -- it prepares the audience for more detailed information and serves as a great discussion starter. You can find related information at https://www.sueirwin-education.co.uk/ . - Dave

The Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University has some great information about parenting and the stressors that many parents have to endure. The attached film clip that explains the stresses that many parents go through and talks about the effects that parental stress can have on the family. It explains that there are resources in many communities that can help parents and children to effectively deal with that stress. In our community there are not a lot of resources, but the Van...

In my research I happened upon a CDC film animation that discusses ways in which community members can work together to address the problem of ACEs negative consequences by actively working to prevent ACEs. On a scale of 10, I would give this clip a 9++ It would be useful as an introduction to a discussion and initial planning session to engage and empower community members to lay a solid groundwork for action against ACEs. You can access this clip (along with a whole training series on...

Preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs): Leveraging the Best Available Evidence A NEW MANUAL FROM THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION The CenterS for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control just published a manual outlining the means of preventing ACEs that have been proven to work. In the manual there are several strategies that can prevent ACEs from happening in the first place as well as strategies to mitigate the harmful...

For Young People With Psychosis, Early Intervention Is Crucial B y Brian Rinker November 6, 2019, Kaiser Health News Andrew Echeguren, 26, had his first psychotic episode when he was 15. He was working as an assistant coach at a summer soccer camp for kids when the lyrics coming out of his iPod suddenly morphed into racist and homophobic slurs, telling him to harm others — and himself. Echeguren fled the soccer camp and ran home, terrified the police were on his heels. He tried to explain to...

On November 5th, nine VBRP members met with representatives of CARL, a county-wide non-profit, to discuss means of collaborating in the task of promoting community, family, and individual resilience in Van Buren. As a result of the meeting CARL will assist us in planning and funding programs to address needs in two areas: substance dependence in our families, and ACEs screening for children in health settings. As a long-term endeavor we committed to undertaking a comprehensive needs and...

Addressing ACEs in Adults is Key (https://twitter.com/ACEs_Canada) In response to the post about the effects of ACES in adults cited above, Treva Massey from Tennessee wrote the response below that tells of the suffering caused by ACEs in later life—and the resilience that gives hope and purpose to life. I wrote to ask her permission to repost her response on our site, and she graciously permitted me to do so. I think that her post will be of great interest to those who follow the VBRP site...