According to the 2015 National Survey of Children’s Exposure to Violence, 58 percent of youth in the U.S. were exposed to violence at some point in 2014. About 1 in 10 of those children were exposed to five or more instances of violence in that one year alone.
While these are chilling statistics, there is hope. Evidence shows that the presence of a stable, caring adult can make all the difference in the life of a child who has been exposed to violence.
A new campaign called Changing Minds, led by the U.S. Department of Justice, health and social justice nonprofit Futures Without Violence, and the Ad Council, seeks to address the issue of childhood exposure to violence and the resulting traumas that can result.
The campaign insists that “adult support can help to prevent the worst effects of trauma — even creating stronger neural pathways in a child’s developing brain that support planning and reasoning over anxiety and impulsiveness. The campaign provides adults with tips to celebrate, comfort, listen, collaborate and inspire children in their lives.”
What you can do:
- Know that you have the power to make a difference in a child’s life and there are resources to help you support them to heal.
Check out and share:
- Mashable’s coverage of the Changing Minds Campaign
- Watch: Child Trauma Survivors Reunite With the Adults Who Made a Difference (Education Week, October 24, 2016)
- The Changing Minds Campaign website
- The US DOJ’s Defending Childhood website
- http://www.acesconnection.com/ to learn more about trauma and resiliency
- https://alamedacountytraumainformedcare.org/ to learn more about local resources related to trauma informed care in Alameda County