BELLOWS FALLS, Vt. – Caregivers across the country are being challenged with stress levels that have increased since the start of the Covid pandemic. In response, Neil Allen, director of Greater Falls Connections (GFC) in Bellows Falls, has created “Ollie’s Epic Adventures,” a tool to provide caregivers of young children with ways to increase their resiliency and help reduce stress for themselves and their children, as well as prepare them for school.
According to Allen, there are many reasons why families are stressed out: a shortage of jobs and housing, limited resources, lack of access to healthcare and behavioral health, and limited socialization during the pandemic. This stress can contribute to negative outcomes, such as young children not being ready for school, struggles at work, increases in health concerns, substance misuse, domestic violence, child abuse, and more.
“As part of my job in substance misuse prevention, I frequently hear about the negative effects of adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs, and the need to find a way to assist families who have or are experiencing toxic stress,” said Allen. “It’s been a topic that has been without much of a fix other than recommending therapy or working with a social worker for nearly 30 years. New research, however, has introduced seven stress-busters called positive life experiences (PLEs) that people of any age, especially caregivers, can introduce to their life and find strength and more resilience.”
The book combines an interactive hide-and-seek book for children, a journal, and a guide for caregivers. The guide features information on “The Basics,” an organic style of teaching that has a focus on reducing stress, sharing about the stress-busters, and how you can implement them in no- to low-barrier ways.
The publication of the book is one of the activities that GFC is doing to bring positive life experiences to the community, and collaborate with partners to address underlying issues that can lead to stress that may potentially lead to substance misuse. Activities beyond traditional prevention work include participating in youth and community events, a LGBTQIA+ hangout for adults, transgender peer support groups, a teen night at Main Street Arts in Saxtons River, and teaching workforce computer basics classes.
If you’re interested in ordering bulk copies to pass out to families at no cost, please contact Allen at info@greaterfallsconnections.org. Any proceeds from royalties will be donated to GFC, to support creating more positive life experiences.
It is the vision of GFC to build a healthy, nurturing, equitable, and supportive community. Our mission is to connect to the community of Windham Northeast by inspiring and empowering people through education and collaboration to promote equity, wellness, and prevent the misuse of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs, with an emphasis on youth substance misuse prevention.
For more information, visit online at www.greaterfallsconnections.org/mentalhealth.