SAMHSA Introduces Series on Trauma-Informed Communities

 

 

The overall goal of the Spotlight Series is to "highlight strategies and create a dialogue among communities." Any setting or community can be defined as "trauma-informed," according to SAMHSA, if the people there:

SAMHSA developed six key principles of a trauma-informed approach, which are customizable based on location, and provided examples of what this could look like in a community setting:  

A community trauma initiative was launched in May 2015 with a listening session that included teams from the six communities mentioned above. The goal of the session was to facilitate community-to-community sharing, develop materials for dissemination, and lay the initial groundwork for a national plan for trauma-informed communities. Key findings from the session can be found in the publication,

Safety and Risk Management Resources for Camp Programs on Campus

 

College and university campuses are now bustling with summer students as well as non-students and minors participating in summer camp programs. Summer camp programs carry a certain amount of risk exposure and colleges and universities are ultimately responsible for the safety of program participants and employees.

 

The American Camp Association (ACA) is a community of camp professionals who, for over 100 years, have joined together to share knowledge and experience and to ensure the quality of camp programs. As you review your operations, procedures, and programs, the ACA can help identify areas where you'd like to see improvement and assist in detecting and minimizing areas of risk. The ACA's  Camps on Campus web page offers a wide variety of tools and resources for managing risk and promoting safety in camp programs. Their online  resource library provides access to numerous health and safety tools, crisis communications materials, mental health publications, and other resources searchable by keyword, topic, core competency, and type to address safety issues and help your organization run a successful program.

 

Some of the ACA's available risk management online training opportunities are:

If you are seeking to connect with peers, share ideas, educate yourself and your institution, and improve risk management, health and safety, staff training, and program quality, consider joining the Camps on Campus Council. If you're new to the ACA, this can be a great place to begin building your network and become connected to others with similar goals. If you are already a part of the ACA community, your peers in higher education can benefit from your knowledge and understanding of this unique setting. For more information on the council, contact Tim Huchton by  email or phone at 765-349-3539.