Phase 1: Understanding ACEs: Building Self-Healing Communities ACE Interface presentations

Once active in the ACE Collaborative Partnership Initiative, Collaboratives can work with More Resilient Minnesota to set up Understanding ACEs: Building Self-Healing Communities presentations in their communities. The goal of this project is to share this information widely and reach a diverse cross-section of parents and caregivers, community members, professionals, and Collaborative partners living and/or working in communities served by Children’s Mental Health and Family Services Collaboratives.

The Understanding ACEs: Building Self-Healing Communities presentation is presented in three sections:

1) Neurobiology & Epigenetics focuses on how our brains adapt to our environment during childhood & introduce some basic concepts related to how toxic stress can impact healthy development

2) The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study highlights key findings from the ACE Study

3) Resilience & Core Protective Systems provides a framework for thinking about resilience, and focuses primarily on attachment & belonging, supporting individual capabilities, culture, community, & spirituality  

Addressing intergenerational and historical trauma takes creative solutions and approaches – so while a short presentation does not provide all the answers, the key goal of the presentation is to build a common language and understanding about ACEs and the related research as a starting point. After hearing the presentation, community members, parents/caregivers, and providers often reflect on how this information could be applied within their own “sphere of influence” (family, workplace, school, or community).

Phase 2: Regional ACE Interface Presenter Training

More Resilient Minnesota will offer regional ACE Interface Presenter Training that will train groups of local presenters to deliver the Understanding ACEs: Building Self-Healing Communities curriculum to Collaboratives’ communities. ACE Interface Presenter Training applicants should represent a diverse and inclusive group of people who are committed to sharing the ACE Interface presentation widely throughout their communities. ACE Interface Presenters can help expedite the spread of ACEs and resilience research by offering presentations to audiences of parents and diverse sectors.  

Phase 3: Community Resilience Conversations

More Resilient Minnesota will partner with Collaboratives to support Community Resilience Conversations that will help Collaboratives’ communities move from understanding neuroscience, epigenetics, ACEs, and resilience research to action planning for possible community responses. The conversations will allow time for community members, parents, and practitioners to discuss ways to develop resilience, guided by community wisdom and local data. More Resilient Minnesota will provide Collaboratives with technical assistance and support for two Community Resilience Conversations in a Collaborative’s community. More Resilient Minnesota will work with the Collaborative Coordinator and local Community Resilience Planning Team of at least 3 members to advise and assist (e.g., plan, facilitate, coach, etc.) with these conversations. Our hope is that these Conversations will lead to the development of a Community Resilience Plan that will be guided by local data and community wisdom.

Phase 4: Community Resilience Plans & Initiatives

The Community Resilience Plans may contain a pilot project or program to propose and implement later as a Community Resilience Initiative. DHS hopes to offer opportunities to support these initiatives as part of Phase IV. Seed funding for initiatives may begin in 2020. The process for Phase IV is still evolving as are some parts of the processes for Phase III.     

Collaborative Coordinators are invited to opt into the ACE Collaborative Partnership Initiative by submitting an ACE Collaborative Partnership Initiative application to Ann Boerth (ann.boerth@state.mn.us). Applications can be found on the project website in the ACE Collaborative Partnership Documents section. Once active in the project, Collaboratives will be eligible to begin planning Understanding ACEs: Building Self-Healing Communities presentations (Phase 1) with their designated More Resilient Minnesota regional staff person. Presentations will be scheduled according to the presenter and local meeting space availability in the Collaborative’s community

North Central MN – Linsey McMurrin, lmcmurrin@FamilyWiseServices.org | 218 -536-9236

Northeast, Northwest, Central & Western MN – Jenna Zmyslony, jzmyslony@FamilyWiseServices.org | 218-461-0292

Metro – Emily Clary, eclary@FamilyWiseServices.org | 651-523-0099 ext. 111

Metro – Lisa Deputie, ldeputie@FamilyWiseServices.org | 651-325-9391

Southern MN – Barb Sorum, bsorum@FamilyWiseServices.org | 507-383-8842

Or, view the map HERE

This project is currently funded until June 30^th, 2022.

While the presenter and material fees are covered through the DHS grant, there may be other costs associated with a presentation, such as food and beverages for participants, room rental, child care, etc. More Resilient Minnesota has a modest fund per Collaborative to support presentation-related costs (food, child care, etc.), but it is also expected that Collaboratives contribute resources to support these presentations, such as an in-kind space for presentations.

We encourage the following representation:

• Populations most affected by ACEs – especially adults who are currently parenting and/or receiving services
• Representation from various sectors, such as Social Services, Education, Criminal Justice, Health Care, etc.
• People who are interested in and engaged in becoming part of ongoing community conversations

For more information about this project, visit the project website.  We will post more information and updates as this project evolves. We are very excited to be doing this work together with Collaboratives across the state. We are working hard to be as clear as we can with this process and know there will be questions that we might not anticipate in advance! We appreciate your patience as we navigate this co-creative process together.