Blog

I have been advocating for changes in suicide prevention in Indian Country (areas in the U.S. with high populations of American Indians have very high rates). As a member of the American Indian/Alaska Native Task Force on Suicide Prevention and a presenter at conferences and task force meetings, I present a rather targeted approach to identification of potential suicide victims using the ACE criteria. If you look at the number of Kaiser Permanente subjects in the ACE Study, about 6% of the...

Three young men in recovery reflect on their youth and how their addictions were mishandled by their mentors, teachers and coaches. They spoke at the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation's Youth Substance Use Prevention and Early Intervention Strategic Initiative Annual Convening in Washington, D.C. in late 2015. [Watch the video at http://jjie.org/if-they-had-asked-young-people-in-recovery-reflect-on-what-could-have-been/184016/]

New Jersey just became the 17th state to allow minors to seek mental health treatment without their parents consent. Called the Boys & Girls Clubs Keystone Law, it was proposed in 2014 by legislators Carmelo Garcia and Raj Mukherji in response to the demand posed by 15 members of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Hudson County (BGCHC). The coalition was led by then-17-year-old Jordan Thomas, whose request to see a counselor about domestic abuse was rejected because he didnt...

When Cassandra Arthur reached a crisis point as a teenager because of episodes of severe depression, she ended up at a hospital emergency department because neither she nor those trying to help her knew where else to seek help. The first time, at age 17, Arthur's depression had driven her to the point of suicide, but her high school psychologist got wind of her plan to take her own life and contacted her parents. She was taken to the emergency department of a Toronto hospital and admitted to...

A targeted effort by the Obama administration as the new year opened to remove undocumented families with children has prompted renewed protests from educators and fears in immigrant communities, particularly in Southern California. Nearly 300 educators nationwide, some lawmakers and the country’s largest teachers unions are condemning the stepped-up enforcement actions that occurred in several states during the first weekend in January. Among the 121 individuals taken into custody...

The Central Iowa ACEs Coalition has just released a four-page executive summary sharing some initial findings from analyzing three years of ACEs data (2012-2014). The report is centered around hope and resiliency with a focus on opportunities to respond to the ACEs findings. The report also features a story of how little nudges along the way helped a mother find a new path for her future. View the executive summary here . View other resources on our Iowa ACEs 360 website . The four-page...

Rooftop “parasite homes” might just be an answer to Paris’s affordable housing drought—at least that’s the hope of developers behind the 3BOX project about to begin construction. The three upcoming apartments, just off the canal near the city’s Quai de Valmy , have found an ingenious way of freeing up more space in a densely built city: they’re perched on top of existing buildings. As a result, the developers hope the homes will ultimately sell at 40...

How adults in the U.S. fare economically depends, to a large extent, on the quality of the neighborhoods they grew up in. But boys and girls who live right down the street from each other don’t always end up, economically speaking, in the same place. And that’s most likely because their childhood environments affect them differently, a new working paper by economist Raj Chetty and his colleagues finds, with boys having an especially tough time. The researchers analyzed tax...

What are the school colors? Is the whole school free? What happens if you miss a class? Is there detention? How many books are there in the library? These were just some of the questions eager Long Beach Unified School District 9- and 10-year-olds tossed during their Long Beach City College tour last spring. Their student tour guide, Ashley Martinez-Munoz, a graduate of Long Beach schools herself, took each question from the Madison Elementary School students seriously. [For more of this...

Jaime Lutts loved her career in the U.S. Navy. She deployed with USS Carl Vinson to the Persian Gulf and spent years working in air traffic control. But after six years, Lutts said she was ready for a change. But after her transition to civilian life, Lutts found herself on the brink of homelessness. Lutts was a part of a growing group of people experiencing homelessness: female veterans. Interfaith Community Services Executive Director Greg Anglea said a growing group of people they welcome...

Probation was a concept dreamed up in the mid-1800s by a Boston boot maker who saw the folly of throwing children into jail for petty crimes. If he could give them a better chance outside of jail and show them the way toward a successful adulthood, he figured, then everyone — the kids, their families, their neighborhoods, the taxpayers, the overcrowded jails — would be better off. And if it worked for children, wouldn't it work for adults too? But John Augustus' notion that...

The other day I visited a young black man from Philadelphia doing time for an armed robbery. First, let me say that there is no way I could have imagined spending time with a thug like Steve before I was led into prison ministry — and it's safe to assume most people would feel likewise. That's why I'd like to share what happened. If nothing else, maybe this story will make everyone hug their families extra close tonight and thank God for our blessings. Steve is about 5 foot 4, with...