Blog

The ACEs Connection Cooperative of Communities launches today. We want to continue to contribute to the ACEs movement for as long as it takes to create a worldwide healing-centered culture based on ACEs science. We want that to take hold in this world in the same way electricity has — we only notice it if it isn’t there. First, a clarification: Nothing on ACEsConnection.com changes! Membership remains free! Everything our current 300+ communities use stays free, and remains free for new ones.

As protests erupt across the country and around the world demanding justice for George Floyd, a black man who was killed while in Minneapolis police custody, higher education must play a leadership role in addressing the issues at their center—racism and white supremacy. The devastating video that shows Mr. Floyd pleading for his life follows high-profile news reports of the killing of Breonna Taylor, a young black woman who was shot in bed by Memphis police engaged in a botched search for a...

Please join us for the ongoing community discussion of A Better Normal, our ongoing series in which we envision the future as trauma-informed. College graduates across the world have been celebrating their big day virtually this month, missing out on the right of passage that marks their stepping into new realms of adult and professional life. Many students and recent graduates are feeling the negative impact of the current pandemic: being housing displaced, adjusting to virtual classrooms,...

The Nourish&Flourish Project is here to offer inspiration that may help guide you on your self-care journey, whatever that may look like. Self Care and Covid-19: Getting Ready for the Marathon - Intentional planning goes a long way to staying mentally healthy in a crisis. You’ve likely heard this phrase before as you’ve begun any number of ambitious tasks: “This is a marathon, not a sprint.” Rarely has this sentiment been more fitting than it is in light of the worldwide effort to stop...

The COVID-19 global pandemic has forced many organizations to adapt their content and services for virtual spaces. Unfortunately, much work still needs to be done to mend the digital divide that leaves many people without internet access. However, we can all ensure that diversity, equity, and inclusion are centered in our digital engagements—our webinars, podcasts, and other digital meetings and convenings. As you develop digital content for your programs, consider the following reminders...

By The California Homeless Youth Project, February 2020 The California Homeless Youth Project compiled lists of basic needs resources that California’s public colleges and universities offer to undergraduates in order to make these resources more accessible. Basic needs resources include emergency housing, programs targeting students experiencing housing insecurity, programs targeting foster youth, free groceries, free prepared meals, on-campus CalFresh application assistance, emergency...

Here is my just released article with 10 concrete suggestions that can be deployed immediately. They can be adapted for PreK- 12 schools and workplaces; they are designed for colleges/universities but easily transported. These are all trauma-responsive and critically important in my view. I noted with a smile that the ACE Connection folks are already using some of these in their own organization. Feel free to circulate the 10 suggestions as a separate document (with attribution as to where...

Here is the promised link to the piece I wrote on the psychological impact of the coronavirus on campuses. The impact is vastly more than physical but we are just paying attention to the physical aspects of the situation. While that matters greatly, the psychic consequences -- the trauma -- is real and needs to be addressed. Hope the piece helps educators at all ages and stages. https://nebhe.org/journal/im-worried-higher-education-isnt-focused-at-all-on-covid-19s-psychological-toll/

By Andrea Schneider, PsychCentral, February 7, 2020 Did you know that the second leading cause of death in people ages 15-22 is suicide (ACHA, 2020)? Those are some sobering statistics. After a recent move from S CA to N Ca, I am currently serving in a new role in which I am the Lead Counselor on a college campus for this age range. Unfortunately, those statistics don’t lie. I am deeply involved in creating new programs, strategies, and direct clinical support for the students my campus...

Title : How to Create Trauma Responsive Institutions and Why it Matters Date : Friday, January 31, 2020, 1-2:30pmET Description : We live in a world of increasing trauma, whether created by nature (fires, floods, earthquakes) or by individuals (shootings, suicides, family dysfunction, addictions). We carry our trauma with us and many students in college, arguably one in two, has experienced trauma in their lives and will display trauma symptomology moving forward. Trauma symptomology affects...

By Kayla Jimenez, Voice of San Diego, November 14, 2019 The San Diego County District Attorney’s office announced Thursday that it’s launching an online reporting tool for students, parents or school employees to report abuse in schools, as well as a task force to handle complaints. The move addresses some of the systemic shortcomings that have been revealed as part of a two-year Voice of San Diego investigation into harassment and abuse in San Diego County’s public schools. The new set of...

TRAINING THE WORKFORCE BY INCREASING KNOWLEDGE AND BUILDING SKILLS Project FORECAST uses simulation-based learning experiences to develop trauma-informed critical thinking skills. Take advantage of this free opportunity to become a FORECAST facilitator and join us in developing a trauma-informed workforce. If you train students or child-serving professionals in the fields of: � Child protection � Law enforcement � Juvenile justice � Mental or behavioral health � Healthcare Join Project...