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Afterschool and ACEs: How Alaska promotes a trauma-engaged response

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Afterschool and ACEs: How Alaska promotes a trauma-engaged response

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and we’re highlighting the ways afterschool programs support children and young people as they face challenges including trauma, ACEs, substance use, and beyond. Read the full series here.

This is the second of a two-part series on preventing and responding to substance use and trauma in Alaska. The first part of the Afterschool Alliance’s conversation with Thomas Azzarella can be found here.

Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACEs, are stressful or traumatic life events, such as abuse, neglect, or growing up with substance abuse, mental illness, or a parent in jail that children experience before the age of 18. Studies have found that ACEs can be directly linked to an increased risk of numerous health outcomes, including chronic illness, depression, anxiety, PTSD, and risky behaviors, including drug and alcohol abuse and unsafe sex. And unfortunately, ACEs are all too common among all populations—according to a study conducted by the Center for Disease Control, almost two-thirds of study participants reported at least one ACE, and more than one in five reported three or more ACEs.

Rates are even higher for specific populations and in specific geographic regions. In Alaska, for example, the state’s ACE score results are much higher compared to the study’s five-state average, especially in three categories of adverse experiences: incarcerated family member, household substance abuse, and separation and divorce. These high rates of ACEs have been found to have the same negative health and economic impacts on the Alaskan population: decreased mental and physical health, decreased wage-earning potential, lower educational attainment, and increased smoking and alcohol use.

However, while the risks associated with ACEs are incredibly high, there are ways to combat or mitigate the effects of ACEs for those who have experienced or are at risk of experiencing childhood trauma, by building protective factors and increasing resiliency skills. And that is where out-of-school time programs fit into the equation, according to Thomas Azzarella from the Alaska Afterschool Network.

“One of those key protective factors is really being there in times when families need support the most. That is what afterschool does: we provide support for the family in times of need, we help reduce the stress that families feel about juggling between work and childcare, and we help connect parents to help build that greater family resilience protective factor.”

Not only is the afterschool space well-positioned to holistically support families by guaranteeing a safe and nurturing out-of-school time environment, but it also allows (and requires) staff to be on the frontlines of addressing trauma that youth may be facing in their lives.

In 2018, the Alaska Afterschool Conference hosted a trauma-engaged training session, led by Jennifer Smith from the Wisconsin Afterschool Network, who shared her model for a comprehensive training on trauma-engaged care in response to ACEs. On the second day of the conference, a 7.1 magnitude earthquake hit Alaska that had devastating and long-lasting impacts around the state. Suddenly the theoretical trauma-responsive supports were about to become very hands-on.

Watching the afterschool field respond to the experience, guiding and supporting students through a traumatic experience, Azzarella asks, “How do we as providers have the same response that we did to a major earthquake? How we help the young people manage and understand the world around them, when they face an earthquake every day?”

Since then, Azzarella is part of a team in Alaska that developed a framework called “Transforming Schools: A Framework for Trauma Engaged Schools” that looks to start to answer this question. The framework offers guidance on how to begin to address ACEs at a systematic level.

A key aspect is understanding how afterschool staff are approaching youth and establishing a continuum from being trauma-informed to trauma-responsive to trauma-engaged. How are programs incorporating a lens of understanding trauma into their program?

“Frequently we refer to ACES as something that has happened, not something that is happening,” Azzarella reflects. “Instead of focusing on particular ACE scores when the child comes to us, we need to assume that all young people need the opportunities, relationships, and support to build protective factors for the present and the future. Whether that child has experienced trauma or has not, we know that a focus on relationships helps kids build resiliency to succeed and thrive. Social-emotional learning is not a curriculum you teach; it’s the way you teach curriculum, it’s the way to interact with young people.”

Maintaining this trauma-engaged perspective means examining all aspects of programming, from big picture items like planning curricula, to details like recognizing the impact that transition times or methods of obtaining students’ attention may have on them.

That includes considering the impact that trauma may have had on staff members working in afterschool programs.

“I think that’s one of the pieces of the equation that’s frequently left out. We really to look at a more holistic approach, not just what happened, but how can I help support that young person? Really, that also means paying attention to the staff. The adverse childhood experience study show that ACES or childhood trauma are more common than any of us ever thought, across socio-economics, across racial demographics, across a wide variety of variables. We need to recognize that our staff themselves may have experienced trauma, and that they carry that legacy into caring for children and working in the programs, potentially impacting their behavior. It could be retraumatizing them or the children they’re working with.

“Until we help that adult, that youth worker, that teacher understand their own emotional intelligence, and they understand how their own trauma or childhood upbringing has affected them, we are not doing justice to the kids we are serving. We need to stop and look at how we’re supporting staff wellbeing. How are we helping them heal from their own trauma? How are we helping them understand and discover their own emotional intelligence? There’s so much that our field can do right now to focus on ensuring the adults who are working with young people are trained, and proficient, and understand their own emotional intelligence and how trauma has impacted them. At that point we can move forward with the work we’re doing with young people, creating relationships with young people that is truly responsive, rather than reactive, to the needs of that young person.”

Furthermore, in shaping a trauma-engaged response plan, it’s essential to consider the impact that trauma has had not only on children and staff, but also, more broadly, on the community.

“For Alaska,” Thomas reflects, “we are working on understanding the impacts around historical trauma and how that has shaped and changed our communities and young people. Some of the amazingly promising practices we’re seeing in the state are around the resurgence of connecting Native young people and families to their cultural identity, in language, dance, traditional Alaska native ancestral knowledge that was and is so rich with resilience and healing.”

This culturally competent approach to healing past traumas that engages and employs community buy-in builds up supportive environments with an intentional approach. This is especially important in Alaska, where its unique geographical landscape presents numerous challenges in creating programming that is equally supportive of both the youth worker in Anchorage, their biggest city, and the youth worker out in Noorvik, a small village above the Arctic. When isolation can at times be the default, creating communities of support and connecting those communities to one another can be incredibly important in establishing a balanced response to trauma.

“When we get a whole community behind young people during out-of-school time, that’s when we have transformation. That’s when we’re able to see resilient communities. That’s when we’re able to help youth who have experienced trauma: they know that the community sees them, hears them, loves them.”

The Alaska Afterschool Network is one of 50 statewide afterschool networks established by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundationto foster partnerships and policies to develop, support, and sustain high-quality opportunities for children and youth.

Youth Voice Week 2024 was a huge success

The voices of young people are still echoing in afterschool programs across the nation, in the halls of Congress, and across social media after a powerful Youth Voice Week! From March 25-29, the Afterschool Alliance partnered with the Collective for Youth Empowerment in STEM & Society and...

BY: Maria Rizo      04/15/24

By helping create my afterschool program, I became the person I am today

By Ava Havidic, Afterschool Youth Ambassador, class of 2024. March 25 to 29, 2024 is Youth Voice Week! All this week, we will publish blogs from our Afterschool Youth Ambassadors, as they describe the impact their program has had on their lives and why afterschool is important to them and their...

BY: Guest Blogger      03/29/24

I'm grateful to my afterschool program for giving me a place to belong and helping me make friends.

By Gabrielle Haynes, Afterschool Youth Ambassador, class of 2024. March 25 to 29, 2024 is Youth Voice Week! All this week, we will publish blogs from our Afterschool Youth Ambassadors, as they describe the impact their program has had on their lives and why afterschool is important to them and...

BY: Guest Blogger      03/27/24

I have been led by my afterschool teachers, and now I am leading the youth of today.

By Jay'Len Clark, Afterschool Youth Ambassador, class of 2024. March 25 to 29, 2024 is Youth Voice Week! All this week, we will publish blogs from our Afterschool Youth Ambassadors, as they describe the impact their program has had on their lives and why afterschool is important to them and...

BY: Guest Blogger      03/26/24

Afterschool gave me access to opportunities that improved my outlook on life.

By Brandon Tibbs, Afterschool Youth Ambassador, class of 2024. March 25 to 29, 2024 is Youth Voice Week! All this week, we will publish blogs from our Afterschool Youth Ambassadors, as they describe the impact their program has had on their lives and why afterschool is important to them and...

BY: Guest Blogger      03/25/24

It's almost Youth Voice Week! Here's how to participate.

Next week marks the start of Youth Voice Week 2024, and all eyes are on the young people in afterschool. From March 25 to 29, we’re amplifying young people’s voices as they share the issues that are most important to them, and we’re inviting your program’s youth to...

BY: Maria Rizo      03/22/24

Afterschool is changing the narrative in my community

By Brandon Tibbs, Afterschool Youth Ambassador, class of 2024. Where I’m from, there’s three ways to be: a “Norbit” (a scholar), a “hoodlum,” or a baller. Afterschool programs aim to change that narrative. A typical day in the ComED youth program would...

BY: Guest Blogger      03/21/24

In afterschool, I had amazing experiences and got to meet amazing people

By Gabrielle Haynes, Afterschool Youth Ambassador, class of 2024. Throughout middle school, I loved going to the Boys and Girls Club afterschool, and I especially loved the staff. Being at the club felt like home to me; it just felt normal and comfortable. Every day, at about 2:15 pm, we would...

BY: Guest Blogger      03/19/24

In afterschool, we're building community and celebrating progress

By Edgar Euceda, Afterschool Youth Ambassador, class of 2024. One meaningful lesson I've learned in the Elsik Afterschool Debate Club, particularly as president of the club, is the importance of having a community that's not only supportive but also celebrates progress.  A few...

BY: Guest Blogger      03/14/24

In afterschool, I discovered that my voice could make a difference, in my life and the lives of others.

By Jully Myrthil, Afterschool Youth Ambassador, class of 2024. Being a project leader and board member for Young Voices (YV), a youth organization advocating for policies affecting youth and their communities, has been a life-changing experience. Young Voices has allowed me to use my voice to...

BY: Guest Blogger      03/05/24

Youth Voice Week 2024 was a huge success

The voices of young people are still echoing in afterschool programs across the nation, in the halls of Congress, and across social media after a powerful Youth Voice Week! From March 25-29, the Afterschool Alliance partnered with the Collective for Youth Empowerment in STEM & Society and...

BY: Maria Rizo      04/15/24

By helping create my afterschool program, I became the person I am today

By Ava Havidic, Afterschool Youth Ambassador, class of 2024. March 25 to 29, 2024 is Youth Voice Week! All this week, we will publish blogs from our Afterschool Youth Ambassadors, as they describe the impact their program has had on their lives and why afterschool is important to them and their...

BY: Guest Blogger      03/29/24

I'm grateful to my afterschool program for giving me a place to belong and helping me make friends.

By Gabrielle Haynes, Afterschool Youth Ambassador, class of 2024. March 25 to 29, 2024 is Youth Voice Week! All this week, we will publish blogs from our Afterschool Youth Ambassadors, as they describe the impact their program has had on their lives and why afterschool is important to them and...

BY: Guest Blogger      03/27/24

I have been led by my afterschool teachers, and now I am leading the youth of today.

By Jay'Len Clark, Afterschool Youth Ambassador, class of 2024. March 25 to 29, 2024 is Youth Voice Week! All this week, we will publish blogs from our Afterschool Youth Ambassadors, as they describe the impact their program has had on their lives and why afterschool is important to them and...

BY: Guest Blogger      03/26/24

Afterschool gave me access to opportunities that improved my outlook on life.

By Brandon Tibbs, Afterschool Youth Ambassador, class of 2024. March 25 to 29, 2024 is Youth Voice Week! All this week, we will publish blogs from our Afterschool Youth Ambassadors, as they describe the impact their program has had on their lives and why afterschool is important to them and...

BY: Guest Blogger      03/25/24

Afterschool is changing the narrative in my community

By Brandon Tibbs, Afterschool Youth Ambassador, class of 2024. Where I’m from, there’s three ways to be: a “Norbit” (a scholar), a “hoodlum,” or a baller. Afterschool programs aim to change that narrative. A typical day in the ComED youth program would...

BY: Guest Blogger      03/21/24

In afterschool, I had amazing experiences and got to meet amazing people

By Gabrielle Haynes, Afterschool Youth Ambassador, class of 2024. Throughout middle school, I loved going to the Boys and Girls Club afterschool, and I especially loved the staff. Being at the club felt like home to me; it just felt normal and comfortable. Every day, at about 2:15 pm, we would...

BY: Guest Blogger      03/19/24

In afterschool, we're building community and celebrating progress

By Edgar Euceda, Afterschool Youth Ambassador, class of 2024. One meaningful lesson I've learned in the Elsik Afterschool Debate Club, particularly as president of the club, is the importance of having a community that's not only supportive but also celebrates progress.  A few...

BY: Guest Blogger      03/14/24

In afterschool, I discovered that my voice could make a difference, in my life and the lives of others.

By Jully Myrthil, Afterschool Youth Ambassador, class of 2024. Being a project leader and board member for Young Voices (YV), a youth organization advocating for policies affecting youth and their communities, has been a life-changing experience. Young Voices has allowed me to use my voice to...

BY: Guest Blogger      03/05/24

It’s important for everyone to feel equal and important. I feel that way in afterschool.

By Willany Sayles, Afterschool Youth Ambassador, class of 2024. Even though I participated in afterschool programs all of my elementary years, my middle school did not have an afterschool program my 6th and 7th grade years because of the pandemic. However, my elementary school was right down the...

BY: Guest Blogger      02/20/24

Measuring Youth Development: How out-of-school time programs collect and use data

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BY: Ursula Helminski      04/02/24

Find essential OST research on the new Wallace Foundation website

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BY: Charlotte Steinecke      01/23/24

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BY: Maria Rizo      01/02/24

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BY: Elizabeth Bannan      10/17/23

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BY: Guest Blogger      10/09/23

Connecting young people with high-quality arts programming in multipurpose OST settings

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New podcast discusses youth perspectives on program design

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BY: Elizabeth Bannan      08/01/23

U.S. Dept. of Ed. calls for more afterschool and summer supports

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BY: Ursula Helminski      07/17/23

21st CCLC youth gain life and work skills

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BY: Ursula Helminski      06/29/23

Building peer-to-peer relationships and taking "safe risks": Project Morry

In a conversation with Dawn Ewing, Executive Director of Project Morry, we sat down to discuss how the program is fostering a safe space for youth to re-engage during the summer and how youth are able to define success on their own terms. Project Morry was one of the 36 grantees of the 2021 Aim...

BY: Maria Rizo      01/19/23

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By Dawn Marie Johnson, MSW, Director of Leadership and Culture for the South Dakota Afterschool Network; School Board Member, Sioux Falls School District Dawn Marie Johnson has been involved in supporting young people and school and afterschool organizations for the past decade. Growing up...

BY: Guest Blogger      07/27/23

U.S. Dept. of Ed. calls for more afterschool and summer supports

The U.S. Department of Education’s Engage Every Student Initiative marked its one-year anniversary last week with the Raise the Bar Summit, a celebration of the progress made toward expanding afterschool and summer programs for youth across the nation and a platform to exchange...

BY: Ursula Helminski      07/17/23

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BY: Maria Rizo      06/27/23

Success stories: The Burma Center

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BY: Sophie Kidd      06/26/23

Building peer-to-peer relationships and taking "safe risks": Project Morry

In a conversation with Dawn Ewing, Executive Director of Project Morry, we sat down to discuss how the program is fostering a safe space for youth to re-engage during the summer and how youth are able to define success on their own terms. Project Morry was one of the 36 grantees of the 2021 Aim...

BY: Maria Rizo      01/19/23

January is National Mentoring Month

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BY: Charlotte Steinecke      01/10/23

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BY: Charlotte Steinecke      01/03/23

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BY: Jillian Luchner      12/09/22

California celebrates the 20th Anniversary of Proposition 49

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BY: Emily Murtaugh      12/05/22

Program Toolbox recently updated for new, established, and growing programs

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BY: Maria Rizo      11/22/22

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BY: Maria Rizo      02/16/24

Culturally responsive STEM programming: Aim High awardee Geeking Out Kids of Color

This blog is part of a series covering the work of New York Life Foundation Aim High grantees. Awardees receive support for their outstanding out-of-school time programs serving underserved middle school youth. The Aim High grant request for proposals is open now through February 1, 2024...

BY: Maria Rizo      01/02/24

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BY: Sophie Kidd      11/03/23

The power of representation: Being a role model for the next generation

By Dawn Marie Johnson, MSW, Director of Leadership and Culture for the South Dakota Afterschool Network; School Board Member, Sioux Falls School District Dawn Marie Johnson has been involved in supporting young people and school and afterschool organizations for the past decade. Growing up...

BY: Guest Blogger      07/27/23

Success stories: The Burma Center

Reflecting on the findings from our recent voter poll, "Afterschool a Priority for Asian American and Pacific Islander Voters," the Afterschool Alliance is amplifying the work of out-of-school providers supporting AANHPI students and their families. The Burma Center is a...

BY: Sophie Kidd      06/26/23

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BY: Ursula Helminski      05/15/23

Building peer-to-peer relationships and taking "safe risks": Project Morry

In a conversation with Dawn Ewing, Executive Director of Project Morry, we sat down to discuss how the program is fostering a safe space for youth to re-engage during the summer and how youth are able to define success on their own terms. Project Morry was one of the 36 grantees of the 2021 Aim...

BY: Maria Rizo      01/19/23

Celebrating 25 years of masterpieces with a masterpiece of a movie

“We want to show the softness.” – Mingotae Kebede, director and producer A filmmaker and former staff of a long running Washington, DC Afterschool program, Life Pieces to Masterpieces was asked to help the program create a small video to commemorate the program’s 25th...

BY: Jillian Luchner      12/09/22

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BY: Guest Blogger      09/12/22

Afterschool supports LGBTQ students

By Tran Tonnu, marketing manager at School's Out Washington, and Janell Jordan, King County program manager. This article originally appeared on School's Out Washington's blog on June 17, 2021. It has been republished here with their permission. For LGBTQ folks, June...

BY: Guest Blogger      06/28/22

Welcome Leslie Brooks, our new STEM Hub Manager

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BY: Leslie Brooks      09/19/23

Welcome Lucy Maddox, our Communications Associate!

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BY: Lucy Maddox      07/24/23

Welcome Rebecca Salms, our new Office Administrator!

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BY: Rebecca Salms      06/15/23

An afterschool champion starts a new chapter

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BY: Jodi Grant      06/12/23

Amobi Okugo joins board of the Afterschool Alliance

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BY: Ursula Helminski      05/16/23

Introducing Jasmine Crovador, our new Administrative Assistant!

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BY: Jasmine Crovador      04/20/23

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BY: Elizabeth Bannan      01/17/23

Introducing Emily Murtaugh, our Engage Every Student Fellow!

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BY: Emily Murtaugh      11/14/22

Welcome Liana Shivers, our Engage Every Student Fellow!

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BY: Liana Shivers      11/11/22

Welcome Sophie Kidd, our new Project Associate!

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BY: Sophie Kidd      05/02/22

New podcast discusses youth perspectives on program design

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BY: Elizabeth Bannan      08/01/23

New guide to support district engagement in the National Partnership for Student Success

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BY: Jillian Luchner      04/25/23

"I want every girl to know that her voice can change the world": An interview with Girls Empowerment Network

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BY: Maria Rizo      10/24/22

Resources to help you Engage Every Student from wherever you sit

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BY: Maria Rizo      09/08/22

Guest blog: Foundations, Inc.'s REACH model accelerates learning recovery in afterschool

By Elizabeth Cieri and Paula Houghton of Foundations, Inc.  Educators across the nation are dealing with academic losses due to the pandemic -- mitigating those losses requires inventive thinking and better practices. “Coming out of the pandemic, we knew all kids suffered learning...

BY: Guest Blogger      08/29/22

Ensuring access to school meals this fall

As we approach the upcoming school year, school nutrition programs are increasingly important in ensuring children are fed during the hours they are in and out of school and addressing food insecurity exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Last week, the Afterschool Alliance participated in the...

BY: Maria Rizo      08/11/22

From afterschool to the White House: A conversation with Life Pieces to Masterpieces alum Cateo Hilton

In February of this year, soon-to-be-high-school-graduate Cateo Hilton of Washington, D.C.’s Life Pieces to Masterpieces afterschool program was asked to speak at the White House at an event marking the end of Black History Month. Life Pieces to Masterpieces’ Andrew Blickle serves as an...

BY: Matt Freeman      07/12/22

Investing ARP in afterschool & summer: Overview of trends, opportunities, challenges

We’ve released a new overview looking at the trends, opportunities, and challenges around investing American Rescue Plan (ARP) dollars in afterschool and summer programs. Use this overview to help educate partners, policymakers, local leaders, and educators on the opportunity to support youth...

BY: Ursula Helminski      06/06/22

New resources to plan for summer learning and make the case for afterschool

Sharing the latest on COVID funds for afterschool or summer programs that support students’ well-being and academic growth, preparing for summer 2022, and more: The latest updates and tools to help you advance partnerships between schools and afterschool or summer programs to support...

BY: Charlotte Steinecke      04/28/22

MAP: Where are COVID funds supporting afterschool & summer programs?

If you’ve been following our COVID work, you know we’ve been working to track how and where federal COVID relief funding has been tapped to support young people with comprehensive afterschool and summer enrichment programs. Three major funding bills – the Coronavirus Aid, Relief,...

BY: Ursula Helminski      04/19/22