A group of practitioners, healers, policy advocates and all other people committed to making California a place that is healthy and safe for everyone.

The Illinois ACEs Response Collaborative is a broad range of multi-sectoral stakeholders committed to expanding the understanding of trauma and ACEs and their impact on the health and well-being of Illinois children, families, communities, and systems. Through advocacy and mobilization efforts, we work to put the issues of ACEs, trauma, and resilience on the forefront of health equity in Illinois.

We advocate for the bio/psycho/social well being of foster children. We recognize, acknowledge and validate the trauma endured by children placed in foster care. We embrace the capacity of healing and ultimate recovery for foster children with family, community and professional support.

A community of stakeholders in medical school education organized around integrating the science of ACEs, neurobiology, resiliency, and trauma-informed care into core medical school curricula -- because EVERY future physician should know about ACEs and its long-term effects on health and well-being.

Discussion and sharing of resources in working with clients involved in the criminal justice system and how screening for and treating ACEs will lead to successful re-entry of prisoners into the community and reduced recidivism for former offenders.

Discussion of Transition and Reentry issues of out of home (treatment, detention, sheltered, etc.) youth back to their families and communities. Frequently these youth have fallen behind in their schooling, have reduced motivation, and lack skills to navigate requirements to successfully re-enter school programs or even to move ahead with their dreams.

This group seeks to: 1) Understand what we do, what we do well, and call upon each other to collaborate. 2) Create a healing space for folks to work together across sectors. 3) Create a structured way to lift up each other’s work, align resources, and prevent fragmentation. 4) Use technology to communicate differently and stop traumatizing already traumatized systems.

The State PACEs Action is the go-to location for ACEs activities in U.S. states.

Films have been instrumental in helping us understand individual, generational, and historical trauma - and healing. Documentaries can inspire and inform public policy and system-level change as well and that is why ACEs Connection, CTIPP, and the Relentless School Nurse have come together to stream documentaries from this community site , quarterly, starting in September of 2020.

This group is for young professionals — 35 years of age or younger — who are studying and working in the field of adverse childhood experiences. On Twitter? Follow @acestoohigh2