Fixing the hidden scars of poverty.

Street memorial, JUNE 2022

For too many kids in Avondale – Cincinnati’s largest African American neighborhood – poverty is reality. As if the violence, despair and feelings of helplessness weren’t enough, living in and among poverty every day has been shown to lead to life-altering problems in adulthood – which in turn can negatively impact education, job opportunities, earning potential and mental and physical health outcomes.

The good news is these “adverse childhood experiences” – called ACEs – can be both prevented and reversed. But it takes targeted, aggressive and ongoing intervention. That’s what ADC’s ROOTS Trauma Ambassadors program does.

The program is a natural outgrowth of ADC’s work in Avondale. It is a research-based, data-informed, innovative approach that prevents and mitigates adversities and improves access to evidence-based trauma prevention and intervention. Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center – one of the premier children’s hospital in the world located right here in Avondale – is a partner and advocate. Other partners include the Mayerson Center, Joining Forces for Children, the Cincinnati Police Department, The Avondale Branch Library, Cincinnati Public Schools, Artworks, Freedom Center and Local Initiatives Support Corporation.

ADC began by assembling best practice research on ACEs and developing messaging that would reach parents and children in meaningful, relevant ways. ADC then recruited Trauma Ambassadors – individuals that were already visible and trusted in the community – and provided training on the basics of ACEs. The Ambassadors – who decided to call their team Resilience Over Our Trauma (ROOTS) – were then dispatched throughout Avondale to provide support to neighbors with the goals of reducing stress and increasing resilience in response to community violence. They are supported with a variety of advocate outreach materials and events.

“Long Live Keen” Avondale Trunk or Treat @ Hirsch Recreation Center, OCTOBER 2021

Our early data show very promising results. Our next goal is to scale up the program.

The Trauma Ambassador program was launched on a shoe string budget in the middle of a pandemic, which severely limited training and outreach. Even so, ADC was still able to train seven Ambassadors and get them into the field. But there is so much more we can do, including recruiting and training more Ambassadors, supporting their work in the field and continuing to measure the effectiveness of the program and make improvements.

If you’re interested in supporting the Trauma Ambassador program, we’d love to talk to you. Please reach out to (CONTACT INFO) to find out more about the program and how you can help.