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Relentless news about the nation’s opioid epidemic makes it seem like doctors are so willing to prescribe these drugs, which help reduce pain but also can be abused in deadly ways, that they’re practically installing dispensers in their waiting rooms. [For more of this story, written by Paul Sisson, go to http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/health/sd-me-opioid-prescriptions-20170724-story.html]

This article was originally published by Everyday Feminism . It has been edited for YES! Magazine. If you checked out the Jose Antonio Vargas documentary about White people, aptly titled White People , you’ll know that many White people struggle to discuss race (not that some of you needed a documentary to confirm this fact). Throw “White Privilege” into the discussion, and the awkwardness—and defensiveness—can multiply astronomically. What is White Privilege ? The reality that a White...

Inside a community space in downtown Oakland, Kori Chen learned that a tampon can be used to staunch the blood from a gunshot entrance wound. He also learned about the rights he had at his disposal in case ICE ever tried to conduct a raid inside Red Bay Coffee, the café where Chen works as a director. This past May, Chen and other owners and employees of five local businesses attended a community safety training to learn how to handle everything from a medical emergency to an immigration...

Early-stage but promising programs seeking to show that they improve outcomes for children and families often face a daunting hurdle: how can they develop systematic processes and data that will help them measure their success? Established four years ago, the Casey Foundation’s Expanding Evidence portfolio aims to strengthen the capacity of emerging programs for families of color to hone their service, their identity and the processes that make them successful at what they do so they can...

No pressure, teachers, but as an academic instructor, you’ve not only taken on students’ learning development, but also their social and emotional development. The role teachers play in child development is a vital one, but playing it can be emotionally draining, asserts Alex Shevrin, a teacher at Center Point School in Winooski, Vt. Shevrin was recently recognized as one of SmartBrief’s Editor’s Choice Content Award winners for her blog post, “ A mindset shift to continue supporting the...

I encourage every member of ACEs Connection to visit advancingparenting.org to order one of the fifty parenting tip bumper stickers for their car. Parenting tips on cars will be read 1000s of times by 1000s of people of all ages. This is the essence of passive/public parenting education. At stoplights you can watch in the rearview mirror and see people reading the tip. They point, nod, smile, and give thumbs-up. If there are passengers in the car conversations begin and I've lost count the...

I almost felt slapped in the face – a wakeup slap; not a punishment – when I read Cissy White’s groundbreaking post describing her joy in finding out her “ACE score.” Her writing about her elation at learning about the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) study and questionnaire was an unintentional throw-down on her part. As I read her post I was compelled to reframe my shame, fear, and overall sense of dread about my own high ACE score. (Cissy has given me permission to use her name and to...

I read the Laura Parrott Perry thoughtful posting on forgiveness and felt a pull to add to the conversation. I see forgiveness as a process. When I am harmed and tell the one who harmed me of how I feel, if the transgressor offers up a sincere, heartfelt apology, forgiveness automatically wells up, practically unbidden. And since my father never asked for forgiveness I haven’t forgiven him – nor can I, since he’s dead. I often turn to the wisdom of Dr. Judith Lewis Herman and her book Trauma...

Thought I would share this article I came across with all of you! "Despite what many think and believe, humans are equipped with limited ways to deal with trauma. After a traumatic event, we may numb out, distract ourselves, compartmentalize our reactions, act out or intellectualize the event. There is a ‘thinking and feeling’ aspect to these defence mechanisms. There are also body-based reactions that lead us to “fight, flee, freeze or flock.” In an ideal situation, one would have a...

In each of these free 45-minute sessions, a member of the national advisory committee for Mobilizing Action for Resilient Communities (MARC) will share some of their expertise and engage in dialogue with you on key strategies for creating just, healthy and resilient communities. Seats are limited, but recordings will be available after each session. More information at MARC.HealthFederation.org/BrownBag

I’ve spent 15 years working inside New York’s justice system, representing teenagers and doing research inside juvenile facilities. When the New York State Legislature passed legislation to raise the age of criminal responsibility from 16 to 18, I viewed this change not as resolution of a long-standing problem within New York’s justice system, but rather as a step toward needed reforms of our state’s juvenile justice system. Advocates for raising the age of criminal responsibility believe...

Please check out my web sight. I am finding ACE awareness in many local social institutions. I am trying to link them to cross pollinate. http://aceawaresociology.weebly.com/ Hints, comments, ideas appreciated.