NEWTON, N.J. (Sussex County) — Project Self-Sufficiency will offer three free virtual workshops aimed at educating the public about adverse childhood experiences, supporting trauma survivors and providing strategies for prevention and healing.
The “Connections Matter” workshop and discussion series will be offered in English at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 22, and in Spanish at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 23. The workshops will address childhood trauma and discuss protection, prevention and ways to promote resilience within the community.
A virtual “Understanding ACEs: Building Self-Healing Communities” presentation will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22. The program will address the neurological and biological effects of adversity on development and its impact on overall health.
All three workshops will be held on Zoom and are open to the public. Participants can call 973-940-3500 for login information.
The Connections Matter curriculum is designed for providers, parents and community members and focuses on building caring connections to improve resiliency. Discussions will address adverse childhood experiences and how caring connections can help buffer the negative effects of trauma.
The training is appropriate for parents and providers raising and teaching school-age children. The workshops are funded by the New Jersey Department of Children and Families and led by Prevent Child Abuse New Jersey.
During the Understanding ACEs workshop, parents, caregivers and community providers will learn about the effects childhood trauma can have on physical and neurological development and discuss methods for improving health and well-being throughout a person’s life.
Speakers will also discuss the impact of adverse childhood experiences on social, emotional and cognitive development and offer strategies for building resilience.
Adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs, are categorized as abuse, neglect and household dysfunction. According to Project Self-Sufficiency, about 67% of the population has experienced at least one adverse childhood experience.
“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,” Project Self-Sufficiency Executive Director Deborah Berry-Toon said. “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.”
