The Resilience Challenge
Getting to root causes. Does your church want to help parents, children, educators, health service, police, social services, etc., in your community?
What information, if it were flowing through the people of your community, would start them on a journey together toward really strong, healthy living?
Could your church be instrumental in raising awareness in your community of the effect of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and become trauma-informed?
ACEs are stressful events occurring in childhood including:
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domestic violence
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parental abandonment through separation or divorce
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a parent with a mental health condition
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being the victim of abuse (physical, sexual and/or emotional)
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being the victim of neglect (physical and emotional)
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a member of the household being in prison
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growing up in a household in which there are adults experiencing alcohol and drug use problems.
ACEs have been found to increase the risk of lifelong impacts on health and behaviour and they are relevant to all sectors and involve all of us in society. You can help reduce ACEs by encouraging wider awareness and understanding about ACEs and their impact on health and behaviour, supporting parents and families and building resilience in children and wider communities. Therefore becoming a trauma-aware community.
Preventing ACEs in future generations¹ could reduce levels of:
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Early sex by 22%
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Unintended teen pregnancy by 38%
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Smoking (current) by 16%
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Binge drinking (current) by 15%
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Cannabis use (lifetime) by 18%
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Heroin/crack use (lifetime) by 59%
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Violence victimisation (past year) by 51%
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Incarceration (lifetime) by 53%
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Poor diet (current) by 14%
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Mood disorders by 22.9%
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Anxiety disorders by 31%
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Behavioural disorders by 41%
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Psychosis by 33%
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Mental health diagnoses by 29%
The Resilience Challenge offers churches in 30 different communities in the UK, the possibility to show the film
‘Resilience’ free of charge to parents, health and social workers, educators, police and local government representatives in their community and initiate discussions with those present on the effect of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and what, as a community, can be done to prevent and reduce them.
Could your church take up the Challenge?
More details
here.
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Geoff Knott, 24/01/2024