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It's not the size of the man, but the strength of his gesture that matters. On Sept. 10, 2016, a young boy faced off against thousands of anti-gay-marriage protestors. Journalist Manuel Rodriguez captured this amazing photo during a Frente Nacional por la Familia march in Celaya, Guanajuato, in central Mexico. Frente Nacional is a nationwide pro-family organization that essentially condemns same-sex marriages. Rodriguez says he initially thought the boy was just goofing around when he saw...

I grew up poor, in the Rust Belt, in an Ohio steel town that has been hemorrhaging jobs and hope for as long as I can remember.” That’s how J. D. Vance begins one of this campaign season’s saddest and most fascinating books, “Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis” (Harper). Vance was born in Kentucky and raised by his grandparents, as a self-described “hillbilly,” in Middletown, Ohio, home of the once-mighty Armco Steel. His family struggled with poverty and domestic...

The drug problems in the Mahoning Valley are not improving according to local children's services agencies that are left to care of innocent children, who've fallen victim to addiction. "We see the impact of the crisis every day," said Tim Schaffner with Trumbull County Children Services. About a year and a half ago, local agencies began experiencing increases in the number of cases opened due to drugs. While most times, children services agencies are able to place these kids with other...

Gemyra Wynn doesn't need to go into the details of her childhood in Camden. After sketching out how adverse childhood events can traumatize people and cause lifelong health consequences, the 17-year-old can just offer her ACE (Adverse Childhood Experiences) score — it's seven out of 10 — and leave it at that. The same goes for her fellow instructors, 16-year-old Aunyay Fussell and 15-year-old LeBaron Harvey. They each survived psychologically trying experiences. But these students are...

Far too many Baltimore students come from impoverished inner-city neighborhoods wracked by drug and gang violence where shootings, stabbings and beatings occur on a daily basis. When impressionable young people witness dreadful things happen to family, friends and neighbors, it leaves a mark on the soul that can last a lifetime. They've been cruelly traumatized by what they've seen and experienced, and if they're ever to get over it emotionally and psychologically they're going to need help.

The new documentary "The One That Got Away" takes a look at the tough problem of dealing with at-risk youth in American schools. In the feature, Dan Gill, a teacher at Glenfield Middle School in Montclair, New Jersey, reconnects with his former student, Tourrie Moses. Moses is serving prison time for manslaughter and aggravated assault. One of the documentary's co-producers, Steve McCarthy, joined us to talk about the work. [For more of this story, written by David Brancaccio, go to ...

Google the definition of play and the first thing that pops up is this: “[To] engage in activity for enjoyment and recreation rather than a serious or practical purpose.” Jack Shonkoff, the director of the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, finds that language supremely frustrating. “It’s not taking a break from learning when we talk about play,” he told me, rattling off a litany of cognitive, physical, mental, and social-emotional benefits. “Play is one of the most...

Eileen Moore agreed to volunteer as a mentor to veterans in the Orange County Community Court because of her deep commitment to military men and women and her experience as a combat nurse during the Vietnam War. She’s also an associate justice for the state’s 4th District Court of Appeal, so her knowledge of the law likely came in handy from time to time. “Over the years, I’ve mentored most of the women, but sometimes men as well,” she said. In 2015, vets in the OCCC Veterans Treatment Court...

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Dear Friends and ACE's Members, Please join me to learn how to promote self-compassion in the teens you care for! In advance of the release of my much anticipated book, Self-Compassion for Teens , I am offering the following in-person seminars through PESI Continuing Education. Course Description: Are you frustrated with the epidemic of teens suffering from stress, anxiety, depression, ADHD and trauma? Wish you had some non-medical approaches teens can use to build inner strength while...

As a middle aged, naive and wide eyed kid with a new mission, that of addressing the many behavioral issues we faced in our Alaska Native Community, I focused on what I referred to as restoring responsible fatherhood to families. As the son of an absent father, I believed that the simple act of re engaging fathers with their children could have immediate results. Well, as I discovered, nothing is easy, especially in the field of corrections. I did start a fatherhood initiative for Alaska...

It is undeniable that most of us live a fast-paced existence that includes instant gratification and Instant Breakfast. We have fast-food communication with our family, friends and co-workers that leave much to be desired, since it lacks the interpersonal feeling of eye contact or at least voice-to-voice inflection. We spend our workdays living for the weekend when we mistakenly believe we will slow down, but then fill the 72 hours from Friday night to Sunday night getting the tasks done at...