Milwaukee-based Fostering Futures honors 30 trauma-informed organizations in 30 days in celebration of Trauma-Informed Care Awareness Month
Milwaukee, Wis. – May 22, 2018 –During March of this year, Governor Scott Walker proclaimed the month of May 2018 as Trauma-Informed Care Awareness Monththroughout Wisconsin, culminating in a celebration of statewide efforts and successes today, May 22, Trauma-Informed Care Day.Fostering Futures, a statewide public / private partnership that seeks improved health and wellbeing of Wisconsin’s children and families through organizational implementation of trauma-informed principles, applauds and thanks Governor Walker for his efforts to bring greater awareness to this important issue by declaring May as Trauma-Informed Care Awareness Month and May 22 as Trauma-Informed Care Day.
The state of Wisconsin has become a national and international leader in recognizing the prevalence and impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and toxic stress and the necessary response of Trauma-Informed Care. Exposure to chronic toxic stress bathes the developing brain in high levels of hormones that can lead to excessive fight of flight responses. It can interfere with executive functioning and learning strategies that help children cope with stressful situations. Trauma-Informed Care is a movement that brings awareness to this information and provides approaches to better recognizing, understanding, and addressing the needs of people living with the negative effects of toxic stress. Since its inception in 2011, Fostering Futures has been at the forefront of this movement in Wisconsin working to continue raising awareness of how science now shows us that intervening with a trauma-informed approach and shifting perspective from asking “What’s Wrong with You?” to “What happened to you?” can improve outcomes for individuals with ACEs.
In celebration of Trauma-Informed Awareness Month, @Fostering Futureson Facebook is honoring 30 organizations in 30 days in a#30Orgs30Dayssocial media celebration that shares daily highlights of organizations throughout Wisconsin that are successfully implementing trauma-informed care principles, policies, and practices. Organizations being honored include State departments, private social services organizations, county health departments, schools, school districts, and more.
“What science now shows us is that because relationships are so key to healing from negative effects of toxic stress, everyone truly has a role to play,” said Carol Howard, Director of the statewide Fostering Futures initiative that is based in Milwaukee. “Having a Trauma-Informed Care Day celebrated across the state is a wonderful way to honor those who have been working for years to raise awareness of the importance and efficacy of trauma-informed care, and to continue spreading the hope that truly every Wisconsinite has a role to play in improving the lives of Wisconsin’s children and families.”
Howard, along with several other members of the Fostering Futures Steering Committee, will attend a Trauma-Informed Care Champion’s Luncheon today hosted by Governor Walker and First Lady Tonette Walker at the Executive Residence in Madison.
About Fostering Futures:
Fostering Futures was organized in 2011 as an initiative of Wisconsin’s First Lady, Tonette Walker, to raise awareness about how childhood trauma can dramatically shape a person’s life. The initiative is a dynamic collaboration amongst many organizational partners who share a common vision to prevent and reduce childhood trauma while working to improve the health and well-being of Wisconsin’s children and families. Fostering Futures’ vision is that all Wisconsin children and families are thriving in nurturing communities; individuals, communities, and governing bodies integrate trauma-informed, strength-based principles into their relationships, culture, policies, and practices promoting safe, stable and nurturing relationships.
Web: http://fosteringfutureswisconsin.org/ Facebook: @FosteringFutures
Leave a Reply