Our Resources
As educators, we often have to discuss difficult topics in the classroom. It’s important that we do discuss these topics–but it’s also necessary to be aware of the effects what you are teaching may have on students in your classroom. This resource is the first step in making classrooms safer spaces for all.
Trauma-Informed Teaching
Though you may not realize it now, trauma can affect your whole life. It is important to recognize trauma, and get help when you are young so that you can avoid severe long-lasting effects, such as increased risk of incarceration, poor mental health, and poor physical health. This guide will help you identify some of the ways trauma shows up on a daily basis.
Your Brain on Trauma
External Resources
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) are traumatic events or situations experienced in childhood. Research shows that high ACE scores indicate an increased risk of all types of negative outcomes, including mental health problems, disease, and even criminal justice system involvement. The ACE test defines trauma in lots of ways, from having a parent who passed away, to abuse within the household, or even simply a history of family illness. The Burke Foundation funds and invests in early childhood initiatives in New Jersey that serve to reduce in number and limit the harm of ACEs, and also curates and shares research within the field.
New Alternatives for Children is an interactive organization that helps provide educational, familial, and housing support to underprivileged kids, as well as kids with mental and physical health issues. They provide services as small as tutoring and book fairs, and as large as medical services and foster care options, to ensure that every child has equal opportunities and is given what they need to flourish and become functioning, impactful members of society.
Young New Yorkers is an organization founded in 2012 that aims to rehabilitate young people involved in the criminal justice system through art as an alternative to incarceration. Through court-mandated programs, YNY facilitates art projects and various other opportunities for public engagement that helps kids not only avoid going to prison, but also develop skills, passions, and creativity through projects that help integrate them back into their communities.