On Thursday, February 4, 2021, the Office of the Governor released a statewide action plan to promote resilience and address the effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). ACEs are stressful or traumatic events, including abuse, neglect, substance use by a family member, and parental separation, that can negatively impact the developing brain and can lead to emotional, physical and economic health challenges in adulthood. Adverse community environments such as poverty or systemic discrimination can further compound the effects of ACEs.
The good news is that ACEs are not inevitable, nor do they determine the destiny of a child. Research shows that ACEs can be mitigated by positive experiences and relationships with caring adults.
As a member of the New Jersey ACEs Collaborative, the Burke Foundation, along with the Department of Children and Families, the Turrell Fund and The Nicholson Foundation, released a report in 2019 detailing the challenges New Jersey faces in addressing ACEs. Today’s action plan outlines the important steps we can take to raise awareness and make New Jersey a trauma-informed and healing-centered state.
The Office of Resilience will be leading the statewide implementation of this plan, but partners from all sectors — public, private, and philanthropic — are needed to bring this to fruition. The NJ ACEs Collaborative seeks additional organizations to partner in advancing the policy and program objectives included in the plan and here are the steps you can take to respond to this call:
- Read the plan here.
- Join the NJ Resiliency Coalition.
- Sign up via the “Call to Action” link on the NJ Resiliency Coalition or the Office of Resilience pages.
We look forward to partnering to raise awareness about the power of positive relationships to help people prevent, protect and heal from ACEs.