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Orlando* had been locked up 18 times. He first came into Cook County Juvenile Detention Center at the age of 12. At age 17 he no longer looked like the little kid who first came into the juvenile center. He spent most of his time in segregation for rule violations or other infractions of the institution. Many would label him, even at his young age, a habitual criminal. And while Orlando's future might be uncertain -- perhaps even bleak -- he has much to teach us. Orlando had been a ward of...

John King, Jr. doesn’t have much time to carry out his goals as the country’s education secretary. Having been tasked earlier this year with rounding off Arne Duncan’s term, King’s core duties, one could argue, should involve little more than ensuring existing programs run smoothly, keeping prevailing policies in place, and preventing some sort of catastrophe. With less than four months left on the job, that’s all one can really do. Yet King is endeavoring to help President Obama accomplish...

On any given workday, up to 85 children are running around Patagonia's Ventura, Calif., headquarters. The outdoor retailer offers on-site day care and after-school programs for kids up to 8 years old for its 550 employees. "You cannot miss the children on-site," said Dean Carter, a vice president of human resources at Patagonia. "I hear a kid laughing and playing, and there's something that almost alleviates stress. It just melts off," he said. Patagonia estimates the program's cost at $1...

The biggest tragedy of America’s immigration apparatus has nothing to do with national security. While a rise in refugees worldwide to an all-time high of 21.3 million as a result of the conflicts in Syria and Afghanistan (nearly half of whom are children, according to a new report by the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund) has for some spurred terror-laden anxieties , America’s real immigration crisis centers on the treatment of those who enter the country. According to...

In December 2012, a Senate subcommittee was convened to examine the school-to-prison pipeline, a national trend in which overly punitive school discipline policies push students out of school and into the criminal-justice system. Among the witnesses at the first-ever congressional hearing on this issue was Edward Ward, at the time an honor-roll student in his sophomore year at DePaul University and a recent graduate of Orr Academy on the West Side of Chicago. He offered an eye-opening...

A program long used in Hawaii to strengthen families and, by extension, communities, has been making a quiet but powerful impact since its arrival in Yolo County two years ago. Family Hui (pronounced HOO-ee) brings together groups of families with young children who live in close proximity to each other. The groups meet with a trained peer leader for 12 weeks with a focus on positive parenting, child development and shared experiences. Many Huis then continue to meet — sometimes for many...

Criticism can trigger psychiatric symptoms for some individuals who interpret feedback in unhealthy ways. How you handle criticism may affect your relationships with others, your self-esteem, and your opportunities for personal growth. Through Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), you have the opportunity to discover a new perspective and develop new skills to respond to criticism with a more healthy, productive approach. People generally have one of three potential reactions to criticism. Two...

We like to imagine our friendships are invincible. That they’ll somehow always be warm and entertaining, without ever being touched by conflict. But unlike the sitcom characters who use clever banter to fully resolve issues with their friends by the end of the 30-minute episode, our relationships don’t always clear life’s hurdles with as much ease. Reality is this: We have different opinions, observations, and internal thought processes than even our closest friends. This means, if we are...

What makes a hero? Brainpickings explored this in a recent issue that quoted Walter Lippman, journalist and essayist, who said heroes were people “ who pit themselves not against their fellow beings but against the immensity and the violence of the natural world, who are brave without cruelty to others and impassioned with an idea that dignifies all who contemplate it.” Today, I introduce you to one of the 10,753 heroes who are part of ACEsConnection — Leisa Irwin. She’s our new community...

I am posting a publisher’s opinion from the Arctic Sounder, a rural Alaska Weekly newspaper. Editor Carey Restino discusses an effort by Recover Alaska to collect success stories about recovery from alcohol addiction. In her article, Ms. Restino addresses the very high rates of addiction in rural Alaska, and our need to address it. She is absolutely right, and I commend her for writing about it. When I returned to Alaska in 1978, my first public service volunteer activity was serving on the...

Sixty-five people were shot in Chicago over the Labor Day holiday weekend. Thirteen died, including a retired pastor. It was one of the deadliest holiday weekends in the city, with the top cop pointing to a sense of hopelessness among Chicago’s poorest residents. That’s a feeling Krishaun Branch understands, and one education ultimately helped him overcome. “I know I have to get out of here,” says Branch, one of the young African American teens featured in the new documentary All the...

A bipartisan group of House lawmakers introduced long-awaited legislation today that would strengthen the key federal law protecting youth in the juvenile justice system. The Supporting Youth Opportunity and Preventing Delinquency Act (HR 5963) aims to help local and state officials better address the needs of youth by preventing their involvement with the juvenile system, protecting them in custody and helping them transition back into the community. The provisions are part of an overall...