By The New York Times - Sunday, August 18, 2019 - The 1619 Project is a major initiative from The New York Times observing the 400th anniversary of the beginning of American slavery. It aims to reframe the country’s history, understanding 1619 as our true founding, and placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of black Americans at the very center of the story we tell ourselves about who we are. [Please click here to read more]
USS Coucal ASR8 1963 Pearl Harbor, Hawaii click here . Most folks know that writing has been a critical source of healing for me. I started writing this blog in April 2011 on the encouragement of my dear friend and best buddy Byron Lewis. Byron passed away in October 2018 after a long battle with cancer. I miss Byron everyday, but he still taps me on the shoulder to help me get back on the right track. Byron encouraged me to keep writing before he passed. I honor my ol’ surf dude pal, Byron,...
The National Child Traumatic Stress Network Resources on Culture and Trauma were developed by the NCTSN. [ Please click here to go to the site .]
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By The Spokesman-Review, August 15, 2019 When classes start at Logan Elementary later this month, teachers and staff will have just completed new training designed to teach them how to support students affected by adverse childhood experiences thanks to a $35,000 grant from the Hagan Foundation. “They fully funded the entire program,” said Logan Principal Brent Perdue. The new training is the next step in years of studying the problem of childhood trauma and how it affects learning, Perdue...
By Dino Flammia, New Jersey 101.5, August 14, 2019 New Jersey isn't as knowledgeable as it could be on the lasting health and well-being effects of stressful or traumatic childhood events experienced by children in the state, according to a new report. But statistics suggest hundreds of thousands of New Jersey children have dealt with one of these events, or more than one, at some point in their lives. "What is missing in New Jersey is a comprehensive look at this, at how we can maximize...
By Veronica Borgonovi, FSG, August 2019 As corporate leaders pledge their commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, they need a way to fulfill their promises. Designed for CEOs and corporate executives, this primer offers practical tools and examples to help companies transform pledges into action. Business leaders face a growing pressure to address societal issues as part of core business practices. To maximize success, we recommend that they pursue 3 actions: Understand history and...
Link to event details for Resilience screening happening in Toronto, Canada August 24th!
It’s that time of the year when students, parents and school staff prepare to return to the classroom. Students look for new outfits to wear on the first day of school while parents check off a supply list. Recently at Cleveland County Schools, teacher assistants had an opportunity to prepare for students by learning more about the impact of trauma on the brain. Jasmine Cain, Benchmarks’ PFE Project Manager, explained the different types of trauma and how behaviors exhibited by students are...
By Erica Pandey, Axios, August 18, 2019 "White privilege" has become a common phrase in Americans' conversations about race — and that's unsettling many white Americans because they think it undervalues their struggles or questions the legitimacy of their successes. Why it matters: The term is a new weapon — and fault line — in American culture and politics. It’s one of a growing list of phrases different sides view very differently. The big picture: The dynamics of "white privilege" were...
By Amina Khan, Los Angeles Times, August 16, 2019 About 1 in 1,000 black men and boys in America can expect to die at the hands of police, according to a new analysis of deaths involving law enforcement officers. That makes them 2.5 times more likely than white men and boys to die during an encounter with cops. The analysis also showed that Latino men and boys, black women and girls and Native American men, women and children are also killed by police at higher rates than their white peers.
By Garance Burke, Juliet Linderman, and Martha Mendoza, Associated Press News, August 16, 2019 This story is part of an ongoing joint investigation between The Associated Press and the PBS series FRONTLINE on the treatment of migrant children, which includes an upcoming film. After local Guatemalan officials burned down an environmental activist’s home, he decided to leave his village behind and flee to the United States, hoping he’d be granted asylum and his little boy, whose heart was...
Okay, so I know Mister Rogers may strike many of us as quaint, yesterday, trite, or maybe even scary (eek! those sweaters!), but I recently read his book and found many little nuggets that I thought many of you might find inspiring or fun as well and a lot of them are key to healing from adverse childhood experiences. Here ya go: 1. A life of spiritual wholeness is represented by looking inward with our hearts (inner disciplines affect how we see others), looking outward with our eyes (how...
"How are you feeling today?" "What's your goal for today?" "Who can you ask for help if you need it?" This may sound like an unusual start to your next staff meeting, but these questions, and the purpose for asking them, is deeply rooted in trauma theory and what we know about the importance of connections when healing from trauma. I've been a distant fan of the Sanctuary Model for several years now, learning about it through my work with ACEs Connection as well as my work with systems eager...
By Arielle Dreher, The Spokesman-Review, July 19, 2019 Spokane County Sheriff’s Deputy Dan Moman and Frontier Behavioral Health mental health clinician Holly Keller were riding around on their shift this summer when they got an urgent call. The family of a man who had run into traffic before had called 911 to report he was running away from home, and deputies who had already responded to the situation said he was not following commands. Moman and Keller rushed to the scene. When they...