Project Self-Sufficiency
will offer three workshops during November regarding adverse childhood
experiences with the goal of educating the public, supporting trauma survivors,
and offering tips for prevention and healing within the community. The workshop and discussion series,
“Connections Matter”, which facilitates the conversation about issues
surrounding childhood trauma, will be offered virtually over Zoom in English, Tuesday,
November 12th, 2:00 p.m., and in Spanish, Wednesday, November 13th,
2:00 p.m. A virtual “Understanding ACEs:
Building Self-Healing Communities” presentation on Wednesday, November 20th,
2:00 p.m., will address the neurological and biological effects of adversity on
development and its corresponding impact on the health of the overall
population. Tips for protection,
prevention, and promoting resilience within the community will also be
discussed. All workshops are free and
open to the public; interested participants are invited to call 973-940-3500 to
receive log-in details.
The Connections
Matter curriculum invites providers, parents, and community
members to build caring connections to improve resiliency. Discussion during the workshops will focus on
understanding adverse childhood experiences and demonstrating how caring
connections can serve as a primary buffer in the negative effects of
trauma. The training is appropriate for
parents and providers raising and teaching school aged children.
During the
Understanding ACEs workshop, parents, caregivers, and other community providers
will learn how childhood trauma impacts physical and neurological development
and discuss methods for improving health and well-being across the lifespan. All
three workshops are funded by the New Jersey
Department of Children and Families and led by Prevent Child Abuse New Jersey.
Speakers will
address the impact of adverse childhood experiences on social, emotional, and
cognitive development, and offer tips and strategies for building resilience. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are
widely recognized as falling into three distinct categories, abuse, neglect,
and household dysfunction. Examples of
negative behavior said to result from ACEs include smoking, alcoholism, drug
use, absenteeism, and lack of physical activity. These behaviors can cause a cascade of
physical and mental health problems, from diabetes to cancer to suicidal
thoughts. It is estimated that
approximately 67% of the population has experienced at least one adverse
childhood experience.
Project
Self-Sufficiency is bringing together professionals, providers, and parents who
are committed to increasing awareness of the impact of childhood trauma on
juvenile development, future violence victimization and perpetration, and
lifelong health and opportunity. “Our
goal is to help make our community a place in which every child can thrive by providing
education and training on adverse childhood experiences and assuring safe,
stable, nurturing relationships and environments,” explains Project Self-Sufficiency
Executive Director Deborah Berry-Toon. “Protection, prevention, and
resilience promotion can profoundly improve health according to recent
discoveries in neuroscience, epigenetics, and epidemiology. The tools
identified in these workshops can positively impact public health, safety, and productivity,
and reduce public and private costs now and for future generations.”
