Blog

By Robert Samuels, The Washington Post, August 31, 2019 Cheryl Gray had sat through so many presentations about programs to lift herself out of poverty that she could practically recite all the advice. But the one she heard last November seemed too generous to be true. A nonprofit organization was looking to give 20 African American single mothers living in public housing $1,000 each month for a year. They’d be able to use the money in any way they pleased. “I could do anything?” Gray, a...

It’s the beginning of the weekend for most people; they were rushing to door errands or to have fun. For Larry, it is just another morning where he was drinking to forget his work week. When he looked around, he was clearly not in prison anymore. In his head, he was just as jammed between walls as ever. The gang controlled where he lived, what he did, and who he did it with. The only thing he had the freedom to do, was pick his own brand of beer. Lonely, but surrounded by people who were...

By Cassandra Coburn, The Lancet, August 30, 2019 Finland's educational system is routinely praised as among the best in the world, achieving superb results through methods regarded by other scholastic systems as unorthodox. Among the differences that single it out for praise is the delayed start to education, with compulsory schooling beginning with a pre-primary education for children at 6 years old, and full-time schooling only starting at age 7. In contrast to the battery of tests faced...

By Dwyer Gunn, 5280, September 1, 2019 On a frigid morning this past March, Jo Carrigan, principal of Denver Public Schools’ Doull Elementary School in Harvey Park, stood on a blacktop playground as students streamed into the red brick building. As evidenced by the elaborate hairstyles, shimmery party dresses, and clip-on ties, it was school picture day. Carrigan complimented students on their outfits as she guided them around an icy spot on the pavement. Inside the building, up a flight of...

By Anya Kamenetz, National Public Radio, August 27, 2019 More teens and young adults — particularly girls and young women — are reporting being depressed and anxious, compared with comparable numbers from the mid-2000s. Suicides are up too in that time period, most noticeably among girls ages 10 to 14. These trends are the basis of a scientific controversy. One hypothesis that has gotten a lot of traction is that with nearly every teen using a smartphone these days, digital media must take...

Sian Ferguson is a freelance writer and journalist based in Grahamstown, South Africa. Her writing covers issues relating to social justice and health. You can reach out to her on Twitter . For a long time, I was a self-professed bookworm. Until suddenly, I wasn’t. Throughout school, I was a bookish child. You know, the kind who loved the library and devoured a book a day whenever they had the chance. Reading and writing were so important to my identity that I couldn’t imagine a day going by...

By Melvin McLeod, August 28, 2019, Lion's Roar The Democratic primary contender is the leading proponent of mindfulness in American politics. He talked to Lion’s Roar editor-in-chief Melvin McLeod about how to address the trauma in the heart of America. Tim Ryan, Democrat of Ohio, is currently running for president in the Democratic primaries. He is also the leading proponent of mindfulness as public policy. He talked with Lion’s Roar editor-in-chief Melvin McLeod about presenting...

Click here to listen here to the audio recording. This summer I joined Hometown Radio Show host Dave Congalton to discuss a series of public health issues. I'm Alison and I'm a Master of Public Health student at Boston University. I spent the summer interning for ACEs Connection. In this episode, which was broadcast live from San Luis Obispo, CA on July 30, 2019 at 5pm, and was #3 in the series of 4 episodes, we discussed the absence of federal level paid parental leave policy in the United...

This is just a short message to let you know that we are active and after our "sort of" summer break, we're looking forward to the coming months. I have attached a short description of our mission and vision as well as what we hope to do. I am also appending a link to an article on the AcesConnection website that describes the Maine Resilience Building Network: https://www.acesconnection. com/blog/maine-resilience- building-network-catalyzing-a- statewide-movement . We are affiliated with...

Who thinks Dr. Felitti deserves the Congressional Medal of Honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and a Nobel? ACES Connection should be involved in promoting his recognition.

By K. Hecht, P. Berman & A. Hosack I still want Larry but…I feel less ashamed of it. I understand more why it’s so hard to let go. Claire was back in her favorite spot in the woods behind the Carsons’ house. She had filled another five pages of her notebook. She had started a habit of spending twenty “mindful” moments after she did this. Trying to let her memories float through her head, recognizing the positive and negative ones but not judging herself for why she had these feelings.

Using a purist’s definition of ACEs means we only consider the original study's ten questions designed to identify incidents of abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction that might cause the kind of sustained toxic stress that defines adversity and has lifelong mental and physical health implications.However, being a trauma-informed and ACEs-aware member of society doesn’t just mean knowing what ACEs are. We need to become a kind of mental detective to understand what else ACEs might be.