I agree Resilient Jefferson County Steering Committee looks to be a great group of people. This past Wednesdays meeting was not the first meeting of the committee nor was it the first meeting for public input or education. There had been some "preliminary" work in preparation for the public premier this past week. I agree its a very impressive project that will require a great deal of work. You have some great questions- where is the meat and potatoes and how will they address problems as well as where will the money come from to address these massive challenges. Its great that you would support the effort and we all hope it remains transparent and goal oriented rather than micromanaged by special interest political or other groups or persons. If the past is any indicator- maybe we should be cautious. Theres been lots of grand plans and lots of even grander failures. But this group is different. I think the most important thing for me to remember is that this is the FIRST step- and the FIRST step is increasing the conversations around adverse childhood experiences. In our county and Madison there is a ton of bad things that happen to our kids or in our families and even schools that really hurts our children in both the short and long term. Remember these conversations have been introduced before and beat back by persons who prefer to market Madison and Jefferson County as a great place to live - the truth is, it can be - but it can also be a very tragic, cruel place for children. That doesn't exactly make great PR for the city and county websites and Visit Madison will struggle to put a positive spin on poverty and child seexxual abuse and teen suicide. Still its a HUGE accomplishment to get these issues out to the public and if the committee can brave the efforts to quiet the conversation under the premise of they are "too negative"- then we've made progress. Still, like you I am eager for preventive measures. Teaching a child to cope in a more positive manner with poverty or even being abused is a lesser but still important goal than preventing poverty and certainly eliminating or at least reducing abuse. I get it. I know the members of the committee get it too. But the first step is discussion and building awareness while certain folks are fighting and wanting to stifle such conversations. Next up would be education as to the nature and depth of the problems and dealing with more pressure from the cheer squad to avoid public exposure and discussion of such negative issues. I'm hopeful Jeff and others find ways to help the committee move the discussion and facts forward. We cant begin to solve a problem that few if any are willing to admit exists. Still I'm in hurry to eliminate adverse childhood experiences. I have to believe we all want children to have happy, safe life's filled with hope. thank you to Jeff for allowing such frank discussions on this site - obviously his was among the first public media sources to detail many of these "adverse experiences" not just for children but for veterans, women and our entire community. thanks again Tami |