PACEs

The transcription discusses PACEs, which are Protective and Compensatory Experiences that can help balance or heal the damage from trauma. PACEs include positive experiences like having stable caring adults, a safe home environment, being part of a community, feeling heard and validated, and receiving comfort during tough times. The role of CASA volunteers in providing consistency and support to children is highlighted. Volunteers spend quality time with children, help with school, medical needs, and life skills, showing that someone cares and that the children matter. PACEs are crucial for these kids' well-being and development. Now that we've talked about ACEs, I want to go a little deeper and talk about PACEs because this part actually gave me a lot of hope. PACEs stand for Protective and Compensatory Experiences, basically the positive experiences that can balance or even heal the damage from trauma. In developmental psych, we learned that just like trauma wires the brain for survival, PACEs can rewrite the brain for safety, trust, and connection. They're the things that help kids build resilience. Our psych class taught us that science, the science taught us how that science becomes real support for a child. Some examples of PACEs are having at least one stable caring adult who shows up consistently, living in a safe, predictable home environment, being part of a community like sports teams, clubs, church groups, feeling heard and validated by teachers, caregivers, or mentors, stronger teams and structures which create a sense of security, opportunities for mastery like doing well in school, art, music, or sports, someone comforting them when something goes wrong instead of punishing them. And then CASA training brought all of this to life. They talked a lot about how a CASA volunteer can be one of the PACEs, not because we fix everything but because we're steady, we listen, and we show up. That consistency alone can be healing for a child who's used to instability. And honestly, that was the moment when I realized I can do that. I can be one positive, stable relationship in a child's life. The research shows that one relationship can really change a child's outcome. I'd like to add to that, going back to the stable and predictable household, I mean, we don't really think about this, but even us as adults and those who may not even have experienced trauma, we love a schedule. We love going and having the same predictable thing. These children have already been in so much unpredictable environments and situations that even just knowing that they're going to have the same time of going to school and the same time of having dinner, I mean, it's something that's the thing. It's somewhat in their control and something they can have for themselves. To add on to that, just like Danita said, we are volunteers, so we do not get paid. When we did our training, even our advocate told us to let our kids know that we do not get paid, so most kids feel more comfortable because we're not there for ill intentions. We're not there to just do a quick hi, goodbye, but we're there for the intention to build their future, as well as we have to do two visits a month, plus our court reports and our other time that we do with the child. We spend quality time with them, activities that they like, and interests that contribute to their development, such as helping them with school, whether that be tutoring, giving them the conditions and everything that they need, or having a one-on-one with their teachers. Life, a lot of kids go through a lot of stuff that they don't want to tell their foster parents or even their parents themselves, and a lot of them just feel more comfortable to talk to us about it. Medical, a lot of us can help them take them to a doctor's office or set up an appointment because that is the most scariest thing to call for yourself, as well as any life outcome that they might get, such as cooking food, not taxes, but money. It's life experiences. Yeah, I agree. I think us becoming foster volunteers will provide the pieces that these children are missing. Although we are only assigned to them for 18 months, we can be a part of their lives for the ongoing, for the rest of their lives, essentially. We don't have to just end when their case is dismissed. Also, with us not getting paid, it doesn't seem that important, but in reality, it's not only do they see that someone cares, but that they matter, that someone can want to do so much for them without being paid, that they matter that much, and sometimes they lose that with all the trauma that has gone on in their life through that. So, pieces are super important to these kids.