Day 4 (APRIL 2) - Faithful Families Thriving Communities

Welcome to DAY 4 of #FFSummit2020!

On this page, you can find today’s conversations, recordings, and resources.

ACES & Resilience

Today, we will be focusing on Adverse Childhood Experiences (or ACES) and how faith communities might be able to help address some of the challenges that communities experience. What are the impacts of ACES on our children and the broader community? What are steps we can take to prevent ACES and build resilient communities?

The live discussion, personal challenges, and materials shared today offer ways that you and your community might foster and make connections that #BuildResilience.

Webinar Event

TODAY, April 2
11am-12pm EDT

Join us for a live discussion on the impact of ACES and how communities of faith can help #BuildResilience and #BeAConnection. Presented by Sharon Hirsche (President & CEO of Prevent Child Abuse NC), Jessica Stokes (Regional Coordinator for Eastern North Carolina at Partners in Health & Wholeness), and Dr. Kim Allen (Extension Specialist and Associate Professor at NC State University).

In case you missed the webinar, you can watch the recording here.

A transcript for the webinar is available here.

Personal Challenge

Do something today to grow your connection with others in your local community. Perhaps you might think about contacting your local food bank or diaper bank to ask how you can help given that more families may experience food insecurity and financial uncertainty in the coming days, weeks and months. There are many things that we could all do to foster caring connections with those in our community.

For more ideas, look through the list of Ways to Be A Connection, developed by Prevent Child Abuse North Carolina.

Watch the trailer for RESILIENCE, a powerful documentary that shows how ACES affect children’s health and wellbeing throughout their life.

Consider sharing this short video with your organization or faith community. Perhaps they would be interested in learning more about ACES or signing up for a screening of the film.

Connect

Engage with #FFSummit2020 by sharing on social media!

Facebook
@FaithfulFamiliesThriving Communities

Twitter
@FFThriving

Use today’s hashtags to join the conversation. If you know of additional resources, tools, or upcoming events that would be of interest, email us or tag us on social media!

#FFSummit2020
#BuildResilience
#BeAConnection

Resources

Check out these resources to grow connections and #BuildResilience in your communities:

Articles

The CDC-Kaiser Permanente Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study is one of the largest investigations of childhood abuse and neglect and household challenges and later-life health and well-being. Available here >>
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides factsheets to learn more about the problem and solutions; publications on the impact of ACES on various health outcomes (including mental health and chronic disease), and case studies from states that have used ACES data to inform their child abuse and neglect prevention efforts.
Fact sheets here >>
Publications here >>
Case studies here >>

Tools

Harvard University’s Center on the Developing Child has a mission to drive science-based innovation that achieves breakthrough outcomes for children. Their Resource Library offers a wealth of trainings and guides, including InBrief: Resilience Series and Stress and Resilience: How Toxic Stress Affects Us, and What We Can Do About It. They also developed the Tipping the Scales: The Resilience Game, an interactive feature that teaches how the choices we make can help children and the community as a whole become more resilient in the face of serious challenges.
The Connections Matter initiative engages community members in building caring connections to #BuildResilience and buffer against negative effects of trauma. They offer support for becoming a Connections Matter congregation, which equips faith communities and leaders to understand and make progress in building resilience; workshops/training; and a Connections Matter toolkit to help you share the message with your community and network that building connections are important for preventing ACES.
ACEs Connection connects those who are implementing trauma-informed and resilience-building practices based on ACEs science. Their Resource Center is regularly updated with guides and tools. Available here >>
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention developed a comprehensive training to help you understand, recognize, and prevent ACEs. Available here >>
CDC also developed a guide to help states and communities leverage the best available evidence to prevent ACEs from happening in the first place as well as lessen harms when ACEs do occur. Available here >>

Videos

Watch this interview about what faith communities are doing to become trauma-informed, produced by the Greater Chicago Broadcast Ministries. Available here >>
RESILIENCE: The Biology of Stress & the Science of Hope is a documentary that not only explains how exposure to trauma affects a child’s brain, but also demonstrates how this toxic stress increases children’s overall risk of developing diseases, engaging in risky behavior, facing jail time, and even early death. You can sign up to receive information about the upcoming opportunities to screen the film.

COVID-19 Resources

Watch Prevent Child Abuse America President & CEO Dr. Melissa Merrick issue a special statement on COVID-19 impact on nation’s children and families. They have also compiled a page of resources for parents, children, the community, schools and businesses to stay connected, to stay safe, to stay active and engaged as a family, and to manage stress and anxiety.
Sesame Street in Communities offers resources to empower parents/caregivers and providers to mitigate the effects of traumatic experiences for children. You can find support for teaching coping strategies and resilience-building techniques. Available here >>
PBS offers resources, apps, and guides to help parents/caregivers manage stress during these difficult times, and to help keep learning going while children are out of school. You can sign up for a weekday newsletter with activities and tips to help kids play and learn at home. Available here >>
For tips on Combating Stress and Anxiety in Family Life during COVID-19, check out this blog post by Dr. Kim Allen. She has also compiled a list of resources for families. For additional thoughts, strategies and encouragement, view Dr. Allen’s presentation on strategies for managing family life stress and anxiety during this time.

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