According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), at least 1 in 7 children have experienced child abuse and/or neglect in the past year. Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) is the term used to describe all types of abuse, neglect, and other potentially traumatic experiences that occur to people under the age of 18.

Numerous studies conducted over the years have linked ACE to various health related issues in adulthood, such as risky health behaviors (alcoholism and drug abuse), chronic health conditions (cancer and diabetes), low economic and social life potential, poor mental health (anxiety, depression, and suicide), and early death.

In 2017, the National Children’s Alliance (NCA) reported a total of 2,267 reports of child abuse and neglect in Idaho. The number of ACE incidents in Idaho alone is staggering and even then, many people are still uneducated on the potentially detrimental impacts abuse can have on children.

To bring awareness to the community, ISU’s Continuing Education and Workforce Training is offering a new course: Hope Conquers ACE’s. This series is taught by Shannon Fox, who has had first-hand experience working with ACE victims.

Hope Conquers ACE’s will help you play an active role in the prevention process for ACE in Idaho. This class teaches what ACE is, its impact on children, and its lifelong healthcare impacts, including its correlation with poverty, substance abuse, and other public health problems.

Divided into three sections, Section 1 will include the viewing of the film “Resilience” and discussions about protective factors. Section 2 will involve learning how to prevent sexual abuse using the “Stewards of Children” training. Section 3 will cover the discovery of the complexities of the developing brain through a hands-on activity in the “Brain Architecture Game”.

These three class sections do not need to be taken in order but it is strongly encouraged.

Whether you’re a parent, an educator, a religious leader, or just a concerned citizen, this class will help you make a difference.

For more information and to register for this series, visit cetrain.isu.edu/aces or call (208) 282-3372.

Sources:

Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2019). Preventing Child Abuse & Neglect. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/childabuseandneglect/fastfact.html.

National Children’s Alliance (NCA) (2017). NCA Statistics - Statistical Report 2017. State: Idaho. Retrieved from http://www.nationalchildrensalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/2017IdahoAnnual.pdf.