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The Garrison & Friends Project is
fiscally sponsored by
Texas Prisons Community Advocates
The Garrison & Friends Project was developed to address trauma and its effects on children's development. No one escapes this life without some traumatic experiences, but how children think and feel at different ages affects how we help them heal after trauma has occurred. The Garrison & Friends Project believes that everyone can benefit from a deeper understanding of child and adolescent development because, as Maya Angelo says, "When you know better, you can do better."
What is Childhood Trauma?
Childhood trauma is anything that causes emotional, mental, or physical harm to a child, and when left without intervention, can lead children to struggles in childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Childhood trauma is sometimes referred to as Adverse Childhood Experiences or ACES. Most adults have had at least one ACE occurrence in their lives, and many have experienced several ACES. So, why is it important to know if you or your child has navigated life affected by ACES? Because, "if we know 'better,' we can do 'better'," and we all want to do better for our children. To further explore your own or your child's ACE score, click on the button below and take the short eight-question quiz.
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We explore our own traumas and do the hard work of healing
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We protect our children from situations and people who might cause them harm by being present and aware of the surroundings in which we place them
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We get medical help for substance abuse and examine our beliefs and judgments about those who struggle with substance abuse
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We recognize that trauma can be the cause of emotional or disruptive behavior and are sensitive to how we redirect our children in light of their trauma
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We forgive our past and our parents for their limitations, and we learn how to apologize for our own shortcomings, because we teach our children by our example
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We continue to learn about their growth and development stages so that we can better understand them and connect with them, creating foundations of trust that last throughout their lifetimes
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We recognize, as a society, that stigma and shame have NO PLACE being put on children who are innocent and don't deserve the burden of those negative emotions, and we give them space to express how they feel without suppression
How do we avoid trauma for our children?
The Project's Efforts & Goals
The Garrison & Friends Project recognizes that education is a vital means of creating positive change. Change that prevents trauma must happen on two levels. Individually, we must recognize our personal responsibility to the children in our lives. Societally, we must form views, opinions, laws, and policies that prioritize the protection of children above all else. To do that, we must understand what children understand at the different developmental stages of their lives, so that we can meet them where they are. Long gone MUST be the days when children might be seen, but not heard, because "What diminishes one, diminishes us all," and our children are the future.
Our focus on education utilizes the Raindrops to Rainbows curriculum, developed by Juliana Perez, LCSW, LCDC, and teaches parents what to expect from their child's growth and development in physical, social, moral, and cognitive areas. Then, it addresses some of the potential traumas that children may experience, and finally, it offers paths to recovery and resilience, ultimately making the entire family healthier.
To learn more about the Raindrops to Rainbows classes, click below.
If you took the ACES Quiz above, then you know that parental incarceration is a recognized adverse childhood experience. The founders of the Garrison & Friends Project came to recognize trauma and its statistical outcomes through the lens of the American Prison System and began this work with the children of incarcerated people foremost in our minds. As part of our focus on incarceration and its harms, one of The Project's founders has created this exhibit on the daily lives of incarcerated people. This exhibit offers a glimpse into the goals, dreams, and living conditions of incarcerated individuals with the goal of demystifying the hidden spaces within American prisons and humanizing the people who live there. 95% of incarcerated people will return to their communities, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics. How they live and how they are treated when serving their time matters to them, their families, and all of society.
Please enjoy Hidden Spaces!
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