RESILIENCE is a powerful documentary film by James Redford, the son of actor and Oscar-winning director Robert Redford. The film was shown at the 20th Century Theater on April 6, and hosted by Cincinnati Youth Collaborative (CYC) in partnership with Empower MediaMarketing and Luxottica Retail North America. The film was embraced by the community, with nearly 250 guests in attendance. Guests included many CYC business partners and friends in the nonprofit sector.
Resilience chronicles the promising beginnings of a national movement to prevent childhood trauma, treat toxic stress, and greatly improve the health of future generations.
“The child may not remember, but the body remembers.”
Redford argues that toxic stress can trigger hormones that wreak havoc on the brains and bodies of children, putting them at greater risk for disease, homelessness, prison time and early death. The film chronicles a movement that is determined to fight back, showing how some in pediatrics, education, and social welfare are using cutting-edge science and field-tested therapies to try to protect children from the insidious effects of toxic stress – and the dark legacy of a childhood that no child would choose.
The original research was controversial, but the findings revealed the most important public health findings of a generation. Resilience is a one-hour documentary that delves into the science of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and the birth of a new movement to treat and prevent toxic stress.
CYC President and CEO, Jane Keller, believes that one caring adult can make a monumental difference in outcomes for our youth. She says, “By connecting students, particularly those affected by ACEs and toxic stress, with a positive adult advocate, CYC shows students the possibilities, and guides them down pathways to success. A nurturing mentor has the capacity to change lives. Together we can strive for all children to achieve their full potential.”
Special guest speakers, Harry Blanton (Vice President and Manager at HCDC) and Patrick Russell (Vice President – Recovery at Citibank) spoke to the audience about their 20-year friendship that started at CYC when Harry began mentoring Patrick. Both gave a powerful and heartfelt call-to-action for mentoring, and Patrick referenced the critical support that one caring adult can make in a vulnerable child’s life. He also credited Harry’s role in his life to helping him overcome toxic stress and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs).
Jane Keller (CYC President and CEO), Mary Ronan (CPS Superintendent), and Antione Spriggs (CYC Mentoring Manager) also gave compelling speeches that concerned the toxic stress and ACEs that our community’s youth are currently facing.
James Redford will be the keynote speaker at CYC’s 2017 Dream Makers Celebration. For James Redford, storytelling, film, and social change have become the fabric of his life. As a writer, director, and producer for both film and television, he tells stories infused with compassion, optimism and hope, rendering complicated issues into accessible, relatable narratives that inspire positive change. Redford’s film, Resilience, examines how traumatic stress can wreak havoc on the brains and bodies of children – and what can be done about it.
Don’t miss an incredible opportunity to meet James Redford in person. Purchase your tickets to CYC’s Dream Makers Celebration at Music Hall on October 12, 2017.
Click here for more information about Resilience.
