Blog

Donna Jackson Nakazawa is an award-winning journalist and internationally recognized speaker whose work explores the intersection of neuroscience, immunology and human emotion.

By Jessica Glenza, The Guardian, September 27, 2021 Dr Claudia Fegan’s patient was a congenial, articulate and unvaccinated 27-year-old deli worker who contracted Covid-19 and became so ill he required at-home oxygen treatments. Now recuperating, he told his doctor his 64-year-old boss had been vaccinated, and she too was sickened with a “breakthrough” case. However, she only had mild symptoms. “He said, ‘Wow, I really should have done that,’” said Fegan, about getting vaccinated. Instead,...

By Emma Trucker, Peter Nickeas, and Christina Carrega, CNN US, September 25, 2021 In the past month, attorneys general in three states have sought a court-ordered overhaul of local police departments, increasingly filling the role the federal government has played for decades of holding accountable police departments that are deemed to be behaving badly. State officials have been initiating investigations into local police departments, recognizing that the federal government can't take on...

By Deborah Farmer Kris, KQED, September 23, 2021 As children file back into America’s classrooms, they bring with them “backpacks full of emotion,” says Katie Hurley, a child psychotherapist and author of " The Happy Kid Handbook ." And they are counting on adults to “work together to help them sort it out.” During children’s early years, teachers and caregivers have a prime opportunity to focus on emotional skills that support students’ academic achievement , wellness and sense of...

By Corey Mitchell, Joe Yerardi, and Susan Ferriss, PBS Wisconsin, September 27, 2021 The 2017-18 school year was difficult at Lakeland Union High School. Disciplinary problems came in waves for the Oneida County school — in February 2018, two students were arrested for making terror threats — just days after the mass shooting at Florida’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. "That was a rough year," said Chad Gauerke, the school principal. Lakeland referred over 6% of its students to...

Trauma-Informed Support through Student Voice & Educator Wellness Thursday, October 28, 2021 Two Session Options: 10:30-Noon (EST) or 1:30-3:00 pm (EST) Gathering Student Voice Trauma-Informed Practices Meeting the Social-Emotional/Wellness Needs of Students Educator Self-Care & Wellness Now more than ever, schools need to address the social-emotional needs of children and staff to ensure they create spaces for learning and wellness. Join us to hear from practitioners and nationally...

Dr. Angela Davis Activist, Educator, and Social Justice Legend A Virtual Event Wednesday, October 20 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. The legendary Dr. Angela Davis will join CalEndow Live October 20 to discuss why building stronger communities is essential to the struggle for racial, economic and gender justice. An outspoken voice for dismantling the prison industrial complex, Dr. Davis draws on her own experiences as one of the FBI’s “Ten Most Wanted” in advocating for criminal justice reform. In this...

In 2020, MARC (Mobilizing Action for Resilient Communities) surveyed hundreds of ACEs, trauma, and resilience (ATR) networks across the country to learn more about their characteristics, goals, and technical assistance needs. Our findings spotlight the power and potential of ATR networks and opportunities to better support the broader movement for creating healthy, equitable, and resilient communities. The project conducted a national study of ATR networks in the United States to learn more...

Forward-Facing Face2Face: Overcome Toxic Stress by Hacking Your Nervous System This free short intensive webinar will give you the insight and tools to begin to rewire your anxious thoughts and emotions to live a life of self-regulation & intentionality. Most of these tools do not require a lot of time and just minimal effort, but should be done consistently to see lasting change. You will learn: Identify the true causes of stress in personal and professional life. Learn skills for...

Mary Ann Hanson grew up in Fortuna, a former lumber town situated on the Eel River in Humboldt County and a gateway to centuries-old redwoods into the Humboldt Redwoods State Park. Humboldt is also one of the two California counties with the highest percentage of residents whose ACE score is 4 or more. Hanson herself has an ACE score of 8. Given her roots in Humboldt, a mostly rural county with a population under 150,000, and the difficulties she faced growing up in a family with substance...

SEPTEMBER 28, 2021 CUMAC’s two-story facility in Northern New Jersey has the look and feel of a standard food bank, with a warehouse, a handful of trucks, a client-choice pantry, and even a small garden. In practice, the operation has a mission that goes much further than giving out food or even addressing the root causes of hunger. In the view of Executive Director Mark Dinglasan, problems related to food insecurity go back — way back — to childhood traumas and the harmful impacts they...

Fresno’s Milestones Tracker provides a map of organizations that have or are becoming trauma-informed. Each dot represents an organization. The dots are color-coded to a particular sector. The larger the dot, the more milestones they’ve done. The dots also provide the name of the organization If there’s one word that captures the engine behind Fresno’s flourishing PACEs Connection initiative, that word is “grassroots.” Just ask Jason Williams, the community manager for Fresno’s initiative...