A “100%” Conversation in Silver City
Discussing adverse childhood experiences with the school community offers a powerful opportunity for identifying challenges and solving them.
by Dominic Cappello
October 17, 2024
Addressing adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) is not an easy conversation, but it’s crucial for prevention. Our approach within the 100% New Mexico initiative focuses on fostering a caring school community where we help one another. It’s important to remember that parents don’t set out to neglect their children, and by identifying the root causes of abuse and neglect, we can work towards effective solutions.
In this talk at an inservice with 600 school staff members, we’ll explore a range of school strategies that can transform the entire community. Aspects of these are already in place in Silver City, making my talk about the role of schools in preventing ACEs and addressing student trauma much easier. Schools across New Mexico have the opportunity to establish school-based health centers with robust behavioral health care centers to assist students and their families with challenges, including adversity and trauma that can lead to substance use disorders. Schools can also create school-based family resource centers that serve as one-stop service hubs, staffed to connect visitors with ten vital services for surviving and thriving, either onsite, online, or through staff navigators.
Furthermore, many schools are becoming true community schools, with resources to engage students, parents, and local service providers in community-focused activities. This approach creates school and community environments that support afterschool and weekend activities, service learning, socially engaged community projects, and collective problem-solving.
As I contemplate my upcoming presentation in Silver City, I feel a surge of inspiration. I’m grateful to the school district for tackling this complex topic and for thoughtfully engaging in an important conversation about challenges and solutions. Their goal is to ensure all students have the resources to succeed academically and emotionally. This invitation represents more than just a speaking engagement; it’s an opportunity to share a vision of every student and family thriving.
As Rosabeth Moss Kanter, a renowned professor at Harvard Business School, wisely said, “A vision is not just a picture of what could be; it is an appeal to our better selves, a call to become something more.” This sentiment perfectly encapsulates the spirit of this upcoming presentation. It’s not just about highlighting problems, but about inspiring a collective vision of a community where every student has the opportunity to succeed.
PS: I want to give a shout-out to Lt. Governor Howie Morales, a resident of Silver City, who referred Superintendent Hawkins to the Anna, Age Eight Institute.
Mission: The 100% New Mexico initiative is dedicated to ensuring that 100% of families can access ten vital services crucial for their overall health, resilience, and success. This university-sponsored endeavor necessitates the local implementation of evidence-based strategies encompassing both community and school-based service hubs, aiming to prevent the most pressing and costly public health and safety challenges, including adverse social determinants of health and adverse childhood experiences.
Did you know? Our transformational 100% New Mexico initiative is guided by web-based, self-paced courses provided free to all New Mexicans.
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Dominic Cappello
Cappello is a New York Times bestselling author and TEDx Conference curator with decades of experience advocating for health, safety and education. He has a Master of Arts in Liberal studies with an emphasis on Language and Communication from Regis University. He worked for the New Mexico Department of Health Epidemiology and Response Division and the New Mexico Child Protective Services Research, Assessment and Data Bureau, where he co-developed the Data Leader for Child Welfare program, which he implemented in New York City, Connecticut and New Mexico.
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The 100% New Mexico initiative is a program of the Anna, Age Eight Institute at New Mexico State University, College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, Cooperative Extension Service. Contact: annaageeight@nmsu.edu or visit annaageeight.nmsu.edu to learn more.
