#InvestInFamilies

[qcsupermom]

Wednesday Wow: The Need for Healthy, Affordable Pantry Options

Providing healthy, affordable food for pregnant mothers and moms with young children is a powerful way to support families and strengthen communities. Food insecurity is not just about filling bellies,it’s about ensuring families have proper access

Empowering Pregnant Moms and Moms of Young Children: A Path to Healthy, Affordable Food for All By prioritizing the health of our youngest and most vulnerable, food pantries have a unique opportunity to make a transformative impact. Pregnant mothers and moms with young children often face the dual challenge of feeding their families while managing tight budgets. Ensuring they have access to…

[logankellysworld]

Will you join us as we support marriages and families in our community? Your donation proves families in Panama City and NW Florida with marriage & family strengthening resources. To donate, click the link in my bio. Thank you! #investinwhatmattersmost #investinfamilies #makeadifference #itsworthit #investinourfuture #strongmarriagesstrongcommunities #strongertogether #livethelifepanamacity #strengthenmarriagesandfamilies #yourdonationmatters #givetoday (at Lynn Haven, Florida) https://www.instagram.com/p/CGShKZAF8Z6/?igshid=fq3z2pg0s0zb

[scy-chicago]

Debunking Alternative Facts: The Reality of Chicago’s Violence Problem

This week’s blog was written by Kendra Freeman at the Metropolitan Planning Council as a response to the misconception that Chicago violence is an out of control issue that can be resolved only by calling in federal authorities. SCY is reposting this blog in an effort to stress that the violence in our city has complex individual contributing factors that must be improved upon systemically and be focused on areas that are verifiably disenfranchised. By taking away rhetoric that is unfounded, communities can look more closely at things such as segregation, public safety and neighborhood investments. Read the full article here

[sifisojohnngobeniradebe]

Crazy entertainer... #PositiveVibesOnly #InvestInSmiles #InvestInFamily https://www.instagram.com/p/Bv696uvBwV9BqcPUjLw_dQxwXOW_8BJtP6iJrs0/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=uhh9ru7ocvvh

[krob123-blog1]

Family comes in all shapes, sizes, and shades. Removing the labels, breaking down the walls- and opening up to bigger possibilities of Love!!! This week's podcast is the 2nd part of Tanisha Merrell's story. A story of a woman who dared to see family as bigger than the "norm" better than what people say "it will be." And it all begins with surrendering every moment to Jesus and his wisdom. Please listen and share. . . . #joyontheface #investinfamily #honor #familyfirst #blendedfamily #blended #stepfamily #love #motherhood #motherhoodunplugged #motherhoodrising #jesus #podcast #podcasts #podcasters #podcasting #episode58 #lovetheoneyourewith #parenting

[bloomnaturals-blog]

This guy is special. Those boxes are full of chairs for us to sit on while on the beach. He works so hard to make the cottage a respite. So, yesterday we threw off the books and decided to have a lesson in blessing him. Armed with 2 SUVs loaded with those boxes, we drove to the lake. If only they would assemble themselves. #mydadisthebest #bestpapa #investinfamily #michigansummers #eagerforsummer

[scy-chicago]

A Lifetime Sentence: Incarceration of Parents Impacts Health of Their Children into Adulthood

This week's blog is on a study recently published with the American Academy of Pediatrics by our Lurie Children's colleague, pediatrician Nia Heard-Garris, about the impact of parental incarceration on children's health.

A new study published in Pediatrics found that young adults who had a parent incarcerated during their childhood are more likely to skip needed healthcare, smoke cigarettes, engage in risky sexual behaviors, and abuse alcohol, prescription and illicit drugs. These findings have potentially broad impact, as over five million U.S. children have had a parent in jail or prison.

Strikingly, incarceration of a mother during childhood, as opposed to a father, doubled the likelihood of young adults using the emergency department instead of a primary care setting for medical care. Young adults whose mothers had been incarcerated also were twice as likely to have sex in exchange for money, while those with histories of father incarceration were 2.5 times more likely to use intravenous drugs.

“The United States has the highest incarceration rates in the world. With the climbing number of parents, especially mothers, who are incarcerated, our study calls attention to the invisible victims – their children,” says lead author Nia Heard-Garris, MD, MSc, a pediatrician at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and Instructor of Pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “We shed light on how much the incarceration of a mother versus father influences the health behaviors of children into adulthood.

Full story here

[scy-chicago]

What Parents/Families Need

This week’s blog is written by Nia Heard-Garris, MD, MSc, FAAP, Pediatrician with Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and Researcher with Smith Child Health Research, Outreach, & Advocacy Center. Dr. Heard-Garris focuses on policies, systems, and supports that enrich families.

Policies that are good for families are also good for parents and what I’ll focus is where families could benefit.

Much of the focus on parenting has been on how parents have failed or are continuing to fail at parenting.  I appreciate that parenting doesn’t come with a manual and we all could use some guidance; however if we are not willing to look at the structures and systems that are failing and disadvantaging families, such as our justice system (e.g. mass incarceration, that breaks up families), many of whom are impoverished and racial/ethnic minorities, we are being dishonest and irresponsible.

We need to talk about the physical environment, where families live and play. Families need safe, toxin-free (which includes lead) environments. Families need affordable housing that preserve the dignity and respect of those living there.

Families deserve neighborhoods that have grocery stores or other places that have affordable, fresh, nutritious food. Families should also be able to allow their children to play outside without the fear of violence, shooting, or harassment from anyone (including law enforcement).

Families deserve good childcare (with experienced caregivers and caregivers) that is safe, affordable, and have flexible options. Similarly, children deserve good schools that are trauma-informed with experienced teachers. All children should be safe and intellectually stimulated at their schools. Children also deserve schools that address their learning and physical limitations, but also push them to grow and learn.

Families deserve to be able to find and secure jobs that pay a living wage and offer the opportunity for skill development and growth.

Families deserve access to adult education and job training to further their ability to secure employment and possibly advance their careers. This includes individuals who are learning English as a second language. We cannot cast those individuals aside.

Families are in need of medical and dental insurance that allows them ALL to seek quality healthcare when and where they need it. Furthermore, families need access to doctors, dentist, mental health professionals, and occupational, speech, and physical therapists that are easy to get to with schedule availability.

A city, state, and nation that provides families with housing, educational, and economical opportunities in addition to healthcare is the future I envision. It is the only way forward, because it is a future that actually allows all families and children to live their best life and thrive! That is what families and kids deserve.

[scy-chicago]

Adverse Childhood Experiences: The Relationship between a Violent Childhood and Adult Health Outcomes

This week’s blog was written by recent SCY intern, Gabriella Rader. Gabi earned her Bachelor of Arts in Molecular and Cell Biology with an emphasis in Neurobiology from the University of California, Berkeley and is pursuing dual degrees in Medicine and Public Health at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. 

What if I told you that your life expectancy could be cut by 20 years if you were exposed to something six times? What if I also told you 12.5% of individuals have been exposed to this more than 4 times already? That means that, from a fairly common exposure, your life expectancy can drop from current U.S.A. expectancy (about 78 years) to what would have been typical for someone born in the 1920s or ‘30s. What is causing this century-long backslide? The exposure I’m talking about is what is known as an “Adverse Childhood Experience.” Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACEs, is “the term given to describe all types of abuse, neglect, and other traumatic experiences that occur to individuals under the age of 18.”[i] These experiences include emotional, physical, and sexual abuse; emotional and physical neglect; and growing up in a home where there was substance abuse, mental illness, violent treatment of a mother or stepmother, parental separation or divorce, or had a member of the household go to prison.[ii] These encompass a broad range of violent events as well as other traumas. In a landmark study from 1995 to 1997, the CDC and Kaiser showed that in addition to the impact on life expectancy, ACEs have an incredible effect on a number of health outcomes.[iii] Long term, someone who has experienced a higher number of ACEs (represented by a higher ACE score) is more likely to develop an alcohol or substance abuse problem, develop depression, attempt suicide, develop heart disease or diabetes, or develop chronic bronchitis or emphysema as well as a number of other health impacts. When a child witnesses or experiences violence, there are long-term health and behavioral outcomes that can continue to impact that child through adulthood. This lends further credence to the idea that violence is a public health issue.[iv] Even if we did not consider immediate physical injuries that can be experienced by those exposed to violence, and could last a lifetime, health continues to be impacted by violence in other ways. Very few would argue that the increases in diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and other major killers of Americans are not public health issues. The evidence that exposure to violence in childhood can lead to increased incidence of these chronic health conditions suggests that public health resources should be directed towards violence prevention. Childhood experiences “have a tremendous impact on future violence victimization and perpetration.”[v] That is, there is a potential to reduce future violence and health impacts by addressing early childhood experiences. The good news is that ACEs are preventable. We can promote “safe, stable, nurturing relationships and environments”[vi] for children, to help all kids succeed. Creating state-level partnerships with child abuse and neglect prevention organizations, continuing to collect data for state-specific ACE information, and taking a data-driven approach to prevention of family violence are all strategies to prevent ACEs. A number of other strategies can be found in the CDC Essentials for Childhood framework.[vii] ACEs have been studied for almost 20 years, but we still have a lot of progress to make in terms of preventing them. Educating each other about the effect of ACEs is the first step. The ACEs study shows us that a violent childhood can impact individuals’, families’, and communities’ long-term health and success. Now it is up to us to invest in proven violence prevention practices to protect children today, and for the rest of their lives. 

[i] https://vetoviolence.cdc.gov/apps/phl/resource_center_infographic.html ii] https://vetoviolence.cdc.gov/apps/phl/resource_center_infographic.html [iii] https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/acestudy/about.html [iv] https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/history_violence-a.pdf [v] https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/acestudy/about_ace.html [vi] https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/childmaltreatment/essentials.html [vii] https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/essentials_for_childhood_framework.pdf

[sifisojohnngobeniradebe]

"by exploring beneath the surface we often discover that what we judged of little worth really contains hidden treasure." #Smitten #Family #Aunts #DankieLife #Chapter38 #NgobeniRadebe #SJNgobeni #Jele #Mdhluli #Mdluli #Radebe #Ngobeni #Nkambule #FamilyTree #Womandla #Izimbokodo #WCW #WCE #KnowWhoYouAre #KnowYourRoots #CelebrateFamily #InvestInFamily https://www.instagram.com/p/Bx9LGyFHYNw_ZZI4xp4AamPvJHauOjnE6bLZCI0/?igshid=fq2qgh1qa9n3

[sifisojohnngobeniradebe]

"We don't have it all but God got us and that's all we need"... #HappinessIsAchoice #PositiveVibesOnly #AllYouNeedIsFamily #InvestInSmiles #InvestInFamily #OurGlassIsHalfFull #LetGod #LetChildrenBe #SeeTheWorldThroughTheirEyes #Woza2019 https://www.instagram.com/p/Br5-RPABP2R/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=17ot1s66yx2kk

[sifisojohnngobeniradebe]

We present to you our feisty #MissLittlePerson... #Radebe #RadebeKids #RadebeNose #ChildrenAreTheFuture #SeeTheWorldThroughTheirEyes #MyBrothersDaughter #HappinessIsAchoice #InvestInFamily @sifisocharlesradebe #TheFutureIsBright #CelebrityKids https://www.instagram.com/p/Bq87ZFehE4J/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=gk483iu9adew

[sifisojohnngobeniradebe]

When you touch lives... When you change lives... When you are the reason someone kneels down to thank God... 🌻 #InvestInSmiles #TakeCareOfWhatMatters #TakeCareOfWhoMatters #InvestInLove #InvestInFamily #FamilyMatters #GodKnows #HappinessIsAchoice https://www.instagram.com/p/BqiTTBHBAFc/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1nzwerzrc21s8

[scy-chicago]

The Power of Storytelling

This blog post was written by Alyssa Petersel, SCY Program Assistant, about how storytelling can transform one's understanding of his or herself and of the world.

I recently listened to a This I Believe podcast that opened with the line, “What is the point of stories if we do not tell them to others?” Though undeniably a valuable tool, storytelling has the power both to hinder and also to empower our communities.

On July 7, 2015, a Chicago Tribune headline read, “Violent Englewood on South Side had no shootings July Fourth weekend.” Here, Englewood earned the nickname Violent Englewood, despite having achieved a relative feat of safety. If the media paints consistently grim expectations of a community despite its behavior, what would motivate that community to succeed?

Rather than tear down our communities, I believe that, if channeled correctly, words can lift our communities up. The same This I Believe storytelling podcast suggested that we only have what we give, and it is by spending ourselves that we become rich. We can become rich by sharing our stories.

The podcast continued to showcase five essays as highlights of the This I Believe series. This I Believe sources its content from the everyday person. By sharing their stories with the This I Believe community, these individuals feel heard, affirmed, and fulfilled. Most importantly, by being heard, these individuals have a chance to feel understood.

I found these essays to resonate highly with the world of violence prevention and reduction in Chicago. I took the following lessons to heart and plan to apply them to my efforts in our city.

Openness. While we are rightfully cautious of who we trust, we must not be afraid of all people and things different from ourselves. Instead, our attitude ought to be, “We are glad you are here.” The more open we are with others, the more open they will be with us. At that point, diversity can add to performance and enhancement of society.

Govern with consent of the governed. We must trust our communities to know their own minds and needs. To assume that formal degrees or professional expertise outweigh community insight is a flaw that may cost a project effective impact and positive change.

Kindness, sympathy, and consideration. In line with the first two lessons, it is of utmost importance to acknowledge our neighbors, colleagues, and community partners as equal in value and perspective. We must be kind to those around us, we must sympathize with their circumstances, and we must consider how their experiences add depth to our plans for city-wide and community-based safety.

Value of examples (positive or negative). Most circulated news is bad news, but good can be as contagious as evil. Let’s spread the right stuff. Why wait to begin planting seeds, no matter how long they take to grow?

Not so monstrous. A criminal justice prosecutor confessed that though he was talking with a man who was charged with murder and rape, while talking with him, “all of a sudden, he didn’t seem so monstrous.” The prosecutor wondered, “So how do I administer justice?” This is a pressing question in the juvenile justice and criminal justice realms. How then?

Just needed the assignment. One individual submitted her essay to This I Believe merely because she overheard an ad for submissions on the radio. She was not a huge writer, and had never motivated herself to write her piece before. “It was just rattling around her head,” she said. All she needed was the assignment. After all, her piece made the top five favorites list. In many cases, the individuals we work with do not have a motivational factor or figure in their lives to nudge them in a challenging, productive, or inspiring direction. Be that nudge. Sometimes, they just need the assignment.

“The pizza dude.” Practice empathy. Use the so-called “pizza dude” as an example. The pizza delivery boy or girl delivers to all people: vegetarians, meat eaters, poor, rich, young, old. Sometimes, you feel like the hot, desirable bubbly cheese, and other times, you realize you are the burnt crust. Remind yourself of the fickle nature of that fragile pizza wheel. Check yourself, check your privilege, check your perspective, your openness, and your attitude. The author of this essay felt equal to all those she met because of the kindness in her heart, and for her, it all started with “the pizza dude.”

I encourage you to utilize storytelling as a tool not only to empower the community members and co-workers that you work with, but to empower yourself. If you are interested in learning more about how to tell stories in an impactful way, the Frameworks Institute provides useful tools and trainings to guide you in a compelling, approachable professional direction.

If you are interested in discussing this topic in more depth, or in writing a blog post of your own, please comment here or reach out to us at Strengthening Chicago’s Youth at info@scy-chicago.org.