The annual Bridges to Resilience conference is focused on educating and increasing awareness about the widespread impacts of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), and providing hopeful strategies to build resilience within our communities and promote more seamless systems of care.
It brings nationally recognized guest speakers and local experts, together with hundreds of community members who work with children, youth, and families in the coastal tri-counties of Santa Barbara, Ventura, and San Luis Obispo – including social workers, parent leaders and volunteers, interpreters, healthcare and behavioral health providers, educators and early care providers, faith leaders, law enforcement, and community civic leaders.
Founded in 2016, the annual conference has inspired a regional learning community that provides both virtual and in-person learning and networking to raise awareness about and engagement with resources that can help to prevent, treat and heal the harmful consequences of ACEs and toxic stress. KIDS Network and the Bridges conference gave rise to the growing ACEs initiative known as Resilient Santa Barbara County. KIDS Network leads a collaborative tri-county planning process to engage new partners and strengthen care networks in the tri-counties. The three neighboring counties have a long history of regional partnership. The Coastal Tri-Counties Child Abuse Prevention Coalition (CTC-CAPC) and multidisciplinary prevention teams from each county offer a base from which to build cross-sector relationships that link, lift and leverage child and family well-being initiatives.
The Bridges conference is organized and sponsored by a partnership of organizations including KIDS Network of Santa Barbara County, Partnership for Safe Families & Communities of Ventura County, Center for Family Strengthening, First 5 of San Luis Obispo County, and First 5 of Santa Barbara County. In some years, the support of local foundations plays a key role in making the conference possible.
Traditionally run as an in-person event, the Bridges conference pivoted with the pandemic to be offered as a virtual event. This year’s Bridges conference was held as a series of four virtual events.
A three-hour kick-off event in May featured a keynote address from Dr. Robert Sege, a Tufts medical professor known for his research on effective health systems approaches that directly address the social determinants of health. Dr. Sege offered those working with children and families practical guidance in implementing a strengths-based approach that identifies, celebrates, and promotes access to key Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs), which are critical to the health and thriving of all children. He introduced the HOPE framework (Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences), the Four Building Blocks of HOPE (interpersonal relationships, safe environments, social engagement, and emotional growth), and discussed power of the brain to heal (how PCEs can literally strengthen the neural pathways that promote recovery). The keynote was followed by interactive sessions with experts from the HOPE initiative that included group conversation, breakout groups, and guided HOPEful activities. The 3-hour event focused on creating HOPEful practice among tri-county partners who work directly with families and children.
Over the following months, this was followed by three one-hour virtual lunch-and-learn sessions, one hosted by each county: in July it was Mitigating ACEs for Families with Children Ages 0-5 in July, in September it was Trauma-Informed Best Practices for Family-Serving Professionals, and in November it will be Creating Positive Experiences for Youth.
Next year, the Bridges to Resilience conference is expected to return to a one-time, in-person format. No matter what form it takes, the conference promises to continue building a more informed, more connected community and care network for children and families.