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CAPC Newsletter                                                  January 2018


If a Child Survives or Thrives - RESILIENCY

By Gisele Galoustian


It's inevitable. Most children will
 experience some form of bullying at some point in their lifetimes. What's not inevitable is that they will be adversely affected by the experience. So why is it that some children are devastated by bullying while others are not? Is there is a major personal characteristic or trait that buffers and protects them against internalizing the harm intended through bullying and cyberbullying?

The answer is a resounding "yes." That trait is "resilience" or the ability to "bounce back" and successfully adapt to stressful situations. A new study from Florida Atlantic University and the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, published in the journal Child Abuse & Neglect, validates how resilience differentiates children who just survive bullying from those who thrive when faced with adversity. Children do in fact play a significant role in allowing or disallowing the harm that takes place when bullied. Astonishingly, the ability to be resilient comes naturally, but it needs to be nurtured through social and environmental factors.   

The researchers hypothesized that resilient youth are less likely to be targets for bullying both at school and online, and that those who are targeted are less impacted by it at school. To test this concept, they used a validated biopsychosocial 10-item resilience scale to explore the relationship between resilience and experience with bullying and cyberbullying. The scale included statements like "I can deal with whatever comes my way," "I am not easily discouraged by failure," and "Having to cope with stress makes me stronger," with items assessing both the protective capacity of resilience as well as its reparative ability to restore equilibrium in the lives of youth when they face adversity.

Based on a nationally-representative sample of 1,204 American youth ages 12 to 17 and living in the United States, results from the study found that uniformly, students with higher levels of resilience were bullied at school or online less often, and among those who were bullied, resilience served as a buffer, insulating them from being affected in a negative manner at school. Their experience with various forms of interpersonal peer harm also varied inversely with the students' self-reported level of resilience.  

"Resilience is a potent protective factor, both in preventing experience with bullying and mitigating its effect," said Sameer Hinduja, Ph.D., study author, a professor in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice within FAU's College for Design and Social Inquiry, and co-director of the Cyberbullying Research Center. Hinduja co-authored the study with Justin W. Patchin, Ph.D., a professor of criminal justice at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. "Resilient kids are those, who for a variety of reasons, are better able to withstand external pressures and setbacks and are less negatively impacted in their attitudes and actions than their less-equipped peers when facing this type of victimization."

Hinduja and Patchin hope that the latest data from their study will bring attention to an often-neglected and even forgotten component of the ways that schools, families, and communities address the role and responsibility of the child who is bullied.

There is heavy interest to identify better solutions to bullying these days, and Hinduja recently shared their research on resilience in keynotes with the International Bullying Prevention Association, the World Anti Bullying Forum, and social media companies' intent on helping targets help themselves.
"We want children to learn and develop the skills they need to deal with problems, and yet we rarely help them engage with those problems so that they can grow in their ability to solve them," said Hinduja.  "Instead, we seek to constantly protect and insulate them - instead of bolstering their self-confidence , problem-solving ability, autonomy, and sense of purpose - which are all innate strengths."

Hinduja points out that in many forms of verbal and online bullying, targets do have some agency to allow or disallow much of the harm that others try to inflict. As such, youth-serving adults have a responsibility to teach and model for them the proper strategies to deflect, dismiss, or otherwise rise above the insults and hate.  


" Cultivating Youth Resilience to Prevent Bullying and Cyberbullying Victimization," is published in the current issue of Child Abuse & Neglect. The link to the original article ad for more information is HERE.
 
 

CAPC in Community

We would like to share a wonderful photo and Facebook post that 
Christina Condrey shared with us! Thank you Christina for helping
 spread the word  about the Period of Purple Crying!

Good morning, fit mamas! Looks like Gumdrop was cold last night. I found her in my box of beanies when I woke up.
FACT ABOUT ME: I love to crochet! My step-mom  taught me when I was 10. I'm 39 as I write this, and it's still one of my greatest passions in life. It's one of my favorite creative outlets AND a fantastic stress-reliever!

For me, living a healthy lifestyle isn't just about exercise and nutrition. It's about nurturing my heart and soul, too. One of the ways I do this is through creative expression. Crocheting allows me to work with different colors and patterns. It keeps my mind flowing in a positive direction. AND, it's something I enjoy doing for others, which also contributes to my emotional well-being.

The  Amador Child Abuse Prevention Council gives knitted and crocheted caps to babies to help educate parents about the  Period of PURPLE Crying, a normal but frustrating period of increased crying all infants experience in the first few months after birth. This program teaches parents about normal infant crying, how to cope with this crying, and the dangers of reacting to frustrations to a baby's crying by shaking or otherwise harming them.

This cause is close to my heart, because my now 15-year-old daughter was a "purple crier" when she was a newborn. It was one of the hardest times in my life. I felt helpless and didn't know what to do. I was unprepared for the experience, and I was too ashamed to reach out for help. I didn't even know where to turn. The only way I knew how to get through it was to lay my crying daughter in her crib and stand in the shower so I could drown out the sound and *figuratively* let my frustrations wash away.

Things eventually got better, but it did take time. If you're a mama struggling with this very real experience, affirm to yourself: "Out of this situation, only good will come! I am calm and centered in the face of stress. I trust the process of life." It's okay to ask for support.

For all you mamas out there going through it, here's a helpful resource:


Thank you so much Christina for letting us share this with our larger CAPC community!

Look for a basket of yarn and more information about the 
Period of Purple Crying  year -round at various rotating locations 
throughout the county  - starting in February!! 
 
January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month

Human trafficking is a form of modern slavery - a multi-billion dollar criminal industry that denies freedom to 20.9 million people around the world. And no matter where you live, chances are it's happening nearby. From the girl forced into prostitution at a truck stop, to the man discovered in a restaurant kitchen, stripped of his passport and held against his will. All trafficking victims share one essential experience: the loss of freedom.

Human Trafficking is a crime that involves the exploitation of a person for the purpose of compelled labor or a commercial sex act through the use of force, fraud, or coercion.  Human traffickers target all populations around the world and in our own neighborhoods.  Runaway and homeless youth, native individuals, domestic violence victims, and the LGBTQ population are particularly vulnerable to human trafficking.

We encourage you to join us and to raise awareness of human trafficking.

For more information and resources on this subject, please refer to the following sites:



Family Strengthening  
Mini-Grants Now Available!
 
We are excited to announce that funding is available for Family Strengthening mini-grant proposals for the 2017-18 fiscal year. Mini-grants will be awarded up to $2,000. Funding is provided by the Amador Child Abuse Prevention Council (ACAPC).
 
Grants are available for qualified organizations and agencies to provide Family Strengthening programs within the County of Amador.
 
Family Strengthening is the premise that children do well when families do well, and that
families do well when they live in supportive communities. Enhancing connections within
families, and between families, and the institutions that affect them, result in better outcomes
for children and their families.
 
Mini-Grant Application

Mini-Grant applications may be submitted to ACAPC at any time throughout the 2017-18 fiscal year, however grant reviews and awards will occur bi-monthly, suggested application deadline dates are as follows:

Wednesday, February 28, 2018 - 5:00pm
Monday, April 30, 2018 - 5:00pm
Upcoming Events

Addressing ACES
(Adverse Childhood Experiences)

Join CAPC in creating a county-wide effort to recognize and address the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences(ACEs) in Amador County.

SAVE the DATE!

March 27-28, 2018

ACES, Trauma Informed Care and Resiliency Training in Amador County.

Geared towards those working with families who would like a better understanding of how adverse childhood experiences and trauma impact the work they do. The first day will be a half day training covering ACES, while the second day will be a full day training covering Trauma Informed Care and Resiliency. This will be a free training offered by Strategies 2.0, the Child Abuse Prevention Center in Sacramento, and the Child Abuse Prevention Council of Amador. More information about times and how to register will be coming soon! In the meantime, if you have any questions, please feel free to give us a call  (209) 223-5921.

Sierra Learning Community
SAVE the DATE
March 7, 2018, 975 Broadway, Jackson
Delving Deeper into ACES (Adverse Childhood Experiences): Breaking the Cycle of Intimate Partner Violence, for the flyer click HERE.

Free Mandated Reporter Training  
The second Thursday of every month, from 10:00am - 12:00pm, the Child Abuse Prevention Council is holding free mandated reporter trainings. Open to parents, child care providers, teachers, the community, staff or colleagues needing a refresher course, or new staff with no previous training, give us a call, (209) 223-5921. For the flyer with all the information, click HERE

Loss, Trauma and Young Children
February 24, 9:00am - 2:30pm
501-F Gold Strike Rd., San Andreas
By UC Davis, Family Childre Care at Its Best
RSVP at (209) 754-1075

Next CAPC Meeting
Monday, March 19, 10:30am-12:00pm
975 Broadway, Jackson 
  

About CAPC

Our Vision
All children know how they are valued; all families receive the support, education and tools necessary to give every child a safe, healthy, and nurturing home; and a community that actively supports the health, safety, and education of its children.

Our Mission 
CAPC is committed to preventing all forms of child abuse in Amador County through community partnerships, free trainings, education, and family-centered events that value children, strengthen families, and engage communities. 
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Investing in Our Youngest Children
Stay up to date on all the latest news and information for the youngest children in our county! Sign up for First 5 Amador's monthly e-newsletter HERE!