By CDV
Hope you’re having a wonderful summer!
If you’ve been following us for a while, thank you for the continued support and dedication to those impacted by Childhood Domestic Violence (CDV). For those of you new to CDVA, the Childhood Domestic Violence Association (CDVA) is the only organizations with a specific focus on defining the category and creating unique resources for this last unnamed childhood adversity.
WE SEEK TO NAME & ADDRESS THE LAST MAJOR UNNAMED CHILDHOOD ADVERSITY
When we say “childhood adversity,” we are referring to the 10 key childhood adversities named in the ACE study – the “largest investigations ever conducted to assess associations between childhood maltreatment and later-life health and well-being.” (CDC : http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/acestudy/) By “defining a category,” we mean naming and creating a solid understanding of an adversity that has never had an actual name or been systemically addressed before. More specifically, when we look at the 9 other childhood adversities discussed in the ACE study, they all have a definitive categories and related resources, like “physical child abuse,” “sexual abuse,” “divorce in the home,” “substance abuse in the home,” etc. But CDV has never before had a name – until we named it – and we are also the first to create specific resources to address it.
What is particularly important to remember is that 90% of those who faced one adversity in their childhood home experienced more than one and almost half experienced more than 2. This is particularly important because the 10 LIES learned growing up with CDV that we so often discuss apply across the board for the rest of these childhood adversities, and so do the 10 corresponding TRUTHS. Our Best Seller INVINCIBLE focuses at great length on both.
WE CHANGED OUR NAME TO UNDERSCORE OUR PURPOSE
CDVA has always been focused on how to optimally serve our community. We talked about some major overarching goals, received feedback from supporters like you, and uncovered some true insights which led us to a big decision – to officially change our name from Children of Domestic Violence to the Childhood Domestic Violence Association.
We’ve done this to better reflect our special, unique focus – on what happens when one experienced CDV in their childhood home and how it impacts a life – validate the experience of the 1 billion people impacted globally by CDV, give them a name for what they went though (which they’ve never had before), and strengthen their sense of community. We’re very thankful for the many positive comments we’ve received since the change and are excited to continue to serve you in newer and better ways.
RECENT RESEARCH PROVED THE EFFICACY OF OUR CHANGE A LIFE PROGRAM!
Research that tested and proved the efficacy of our premiere program, Change A Life, was just presented at the American Association for Psychological Science Annual Convention last month. The presentation highlighted the results from a two-year study that showed the program increases an adult’s understanding of the issue and impact, and their confidence to take action to help a child impacted by CDV. We are proud of these findings and encourage you to read this article, explaining how this program can be used by any caring adult who wants to step in with simple support and message of hope to literally “Change A Life.”
This Huffington post article by our Founder & CEO Brian F. Martin discusses the importance of equipping teachers in particular with the tools to create paths to resiliency. Teachers generally are a first line of defense for children growing up with adversities in their home, so it is critical that they be empowered and informed to seize teachable moments and do and say the simple things that can have a significant positive impact. The Change A Life training does just that.
A NEW MEDIA PARTNER HELPED BUILD CRITICAL AWARENESS
Finally, we want to commend domesticshelters.org for their visionary support. Over the past couple of months, they worked closely with us and did substantial work bringing attention to the single greatest predictor of domestic violence – CDV. This most recent article reminds us that memories of childhood are not easily forgotten.
WE’RE PREPARING FOR THE INVINCIBLE PAPERBACK LAUNCH IN SEPTEMBER – MORE TO COME
We’ve also been busy laying the groundwork for the paperback launch of INVINCIBLE in October. Next month we’ll share some exciting updates about our plans to ensure that this paperback launch is successful and that the healing content in INVINCIBLE reaches the greatest number of people possible.
Hope you find these updates helpful. In the meantime, we love hearing from you and always welcome your feedback and involvement. Feel free to reach out to info@cdv.org with any questions or if you’d like to help.