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Products -- Safe from the Start Newsletter Archives
SFTS December 2002 News
In mid-November, the Orange County Department of Education, in collaboration with the Attorney General's Office, and other local partners, hosted two forums on "Early Childhood Exposure to Violence and Its Effects on Learning and School Readiness". On November 13th, an Executive Session in Costa Mesa with Dr. Bruce Perry was attended by 75 county leaders including educators, law enforcement, deputy district attorneys, probation officers, social service agency policymakers and other youth-serving organizations. A full-day forum was held in Garden Grove on November 14th, where the Attorney General and Dr. Perry addressed nearly 400 participants on the subject of exposure to violence and the impact on brain development and learning. The event was extremely well received with numerous participants commenting that it was the most useful training they had ever attended! County organizers will be conducting a follow-up meeting to encourage further integration of the prevention message and develop a next steps plan for Orange County. Special recognition for the success of the two forums goes to our Orange County Safe from the Start contact, Sandie Jacobs, Violence Prevention Coordinator for the Orange County Department of Education.
RESEARCH
Research shows that violence is a learned behavior and is often learned in the early stages of life. A new program called, "Adults and Children Together Against Violence", aims to help adults show kids through their own actions how to behave positively and avoid violence. For more information, check out
http://www.connectforkids.org/newsletter-url1570/newsletter-url_show.htm?doc_id=130860
Research presented at the Radiological Society of North America meeting suggests that violent video games may affect the brain activity of young people, particularly those with behavior disorders. The brain activity of 38 teens, half of whom have been diagnosed with disruptive behavior disorders (DBD), was studied while the teens watched clips of two games, one rated "T" for teens and the other rated suitable for all ages. According to the study's authors, the DBD teens showed reduced brain activity while watching the game containing violence. The researchers reported that the lack of normal levels of brain activity shows that the DBD teens were not able to control their behavior. For more information, check out
http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20021203/4667397s.htm
A study by the Rand Corporation set out to answer the question of how a neighborhood can affect the welfare of its children. The report breaks down three geographically close, yet diverse communities, by factors such as wealth, education, health and race and looks at how each relates to behavioral problems. For more information, check out
http://www.rand.org/publications/MR/MR1470/MR1470.pdf
Researchers from Reuters Health Information Services report that a cycle of violence may result from children who either witness or experience violence then grow up to perpetuate the behavior in their own relationships as adults. The National Family Violence Survey of American Men and Women found that women who had witnessed violence between their parents, and who had been abused by their parents, were much more likely to abuse their partners or children than mothers who had only been exposed to one of those factors. In men, researchers observed that while childhood exposure to violence was linked to partner or child abuse, that risk was not reduced if he witnessed just one form of parental abuse. For more information, check out
http://www.reutershealth.com/en/index.html
The Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth found that in 2001, youth under the drinking age saw more alcohol advertising in magazines that adults did. The study includes a breakdown of the brands of alcohol whose advertisements reach youth and also names of the magazines publishing the most alcohol advertisements. For more information, check out
http://www.camy.org/research
RESOURCES
Please take a few minutes to visit: http://www.SafeState.org
This site is designed to provide Californians with practical, useful, solution-oriented information to keep their homes, schools and communities safe and violence-free. You can find the latest research and model practices on child abuse, child safety, children exposed to violence, community policing, domestic violence, drug and alcohol abuse, elder abuse, firearm safety, hate crimes, high-tech crimes, youth and gang violence, school safety and many other topics. Feel free to add a link to the SafeState web site. If you have any suggestions to help make our site better meet your needs, please contact us at SFTS@doj.ca.gov
The Maryland Intergenerational Coalition has created the "How to Start Intergenerational Programs in Communities Guide". It is a "how-to" guide on launching intergenerational activities at the community level. For more information, check out http://www.readyatfive.org/our_work/mic.html
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA) National Mental Health Information Center has developed some tips for families to help children deal with trauma. "Intervention at Home for Children in Trauma: From Preschool to Adolescence" is available for download at:
http://www.mentalhealth.org/publications/allpubs/nmh02-0138/.
The Access Project provides information on community improvement strategies, especially in gaining access to health-care programs. This project is geared toward helping small organizations and includes dozens of links to government agencies, health-access initiatives and funding resources. For more information, check out
http://www.accessproject.org
This U.S. Department of Education booklet has tips for parents on what they can do to protect their children from abduction and exploitation. For more information, check out http://www.nochildleftbehind.gov/parents/safety/index.html
The Violence Institute in New Jersey has created an "Inventory for Aggression Assessment", which provides youth workers and health professionals with detailed information about adolescent violence. This Web site illustrates more than 200 surveys, tests and other methods for youth-related professionals to evaluate the origins of violence. For more information, check out
http://www.umdnj.edu/vinjweb/research_projects/instrument_inventory/instrument_inventory.html
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
The SAMHSA Youth Violence Prevention Grants program supports 2-year grants for collaborations of community organizations to foster the prevention of youth violence, substance abuse, delinquency, suicide, or other mental health and behavior problems through a public health approach. For more information, check out
http://www.samhsa.gov/grants/grants.html
The California Department of Education (CDE) has announced funding available to local educational agencies to support the implementation of opportunities for kindergarten to grade 12 students to participate in quality service-learning experiences that address community needs and enhance academic learning districtwide.
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