Connect youth to caring adults and activities

Connect youth to caring adults and activities

Relationships with caring adults who are positive role models can prevent ACEs and improve future outcomes for young people. Caring adults could include teachers, coaches, extended family members, neighbors or community volunteers.

Connecting youth to caring adults and activities helps to ground them, improve their engagement in school, and establish positive networks and experiences. It is an important preventive strategy to buffer against parental absence or other difficulties at home, frequent moves, and exposure to negative influences at school and in the community. It can also buffer against the impact of ACEs for youth who have already experienced ACEs.