Our Approach
Barnstone Art For Kid’s programs are responding to a public health crisis. Childhood trauma can have devastating impacts on a human being. Using the best information available, Barnstone Art for Kids is committed to providing an environment of safety and participating in a community of care. We feel we are most effective when we fully integrate the information and concepts outlined below.
What are ACES?
Childhood abuse, neglect, and exposure to other traumatic stressors were termed Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) in a study conducted at Kaiser Health Permanente beginning in the 1990’s. The ACE Score is used to assess the total amount of stress during childhood.
This study, and others following it, demonstrated that children suffering from Adverse Childhood Experiences have statistically significant poor health outcomes later in life. These include behaviors
such as overreacting, substance abuse, smoking, and lack of physical activity. Physical and mental health outcomes include severe obesity, depression, suicide, STDs, heart disease and cancer.
What does it mean to be "trauma informed"?
Being trauma-informed means that we realize the widespread impact of trauma, recognize the signs and symptoms of trauma in our community, respond by integrating this knowledge into our policies, procedures, and practices. We seek to avoid re-traumatization through our language and behavior.
Barnstone Art for Kids recognizes the need to provide basic understanding about trauma and its impact on children, families, and volunteers. In our training program, we model the principles of a trauma-informed approach by creating safety, maximizing opportunities for choice and control, fostering connections, managing emotions and promoting self-reflection. These principles are essential in the work we do with children.
What is resilience?
Resilience is the process of adapting to stress and adversity. Some people are born with strong natural resilience, others are not. Regardless, resilience is a process that can be learned and strengthened.
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Barnstone Art for Kids developed the Power of Art to help children bounce back from difficult experiences.
Additional Resources
PACEs Connection, an ever-growing social network, connects those who are implementing trauma-informed and resilience-building practices based on ACEs science.
Harvard University's R&D platform dedicated to the research and implementation of strategies to improve the life of children facing adversity.
Hear from the former Surgeon General of California on how childhood trauma affects health across a lifetime.
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Paper Tigers: A film
Paper Tigers is a film inspired by the original 1997 ACE study and focuses on the life of teens facing adversity.
Resilience: A documentary
Resilience is a documentary that takes a look at different ways people are combatting ACEs.