Media coverage of children being separated from their parents at the US-Mexico border has highlighted the issue of childhood trauma.
Childhood trauma is the subject of much recent research and now informs good child welfare practice.
The short version is that experiences that cause children trauma are very common (see the Adverse Childhood Experiences website) and the impact can be lifelong (potentially affecting both the quality and length of a person’s life).
This time of year is full of celebrations: weddings, graduations, reunions, the start of summer.
At Family & Youth Initiative, June also brings the annual birthday party, celebrating the birthdays of all DCFYI teens.
Before I landed my first "real" job, I held a variety of summer jobs and had many years of babysitting as a teen. I don't remember thinking too much about the basic skills I was gaining or how those experiences might help me in future employment. (except for money management; I still remember how carefully I tracked every penny earned from every babysitting job)
