Books about healthy relationships and a “web of support” featuring encouraging words at Richards Free Library in Newport is part of Turning Points Network’s new “Newport Stops the Cycle of Abuse” initiative. (Courtesy Moriah Churchill-Calkins) 

By LIZ SAUCHELLI Valley News Staff Writer

NEWPORT — A nonprofit organization has launched a pilot program to better support children and adults dealing with trauma in Newport.

Turning Points Network’s “Newport Stops the Cycle of Abuse” aims to help town residents better react and support people in the community who have experienced trauma and adverse childhood experiences.

Adverse childhood experiences — also known as ACEs — include violence, abuse and/or neglect, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They also include growing up in a home with adults who have substance use challenges, cope with mental illness or household members who are incarcerated.

“The ultimate idea is to reduce and hopefully eliminate child abuse and all forms of violence in our community,” said Pascale Graham, executive director of the Claremont- and Newport-based nonprofit organization that supports survivors of all types of abuse, including domestic violence. “The idea is it takes a communal response to end violence, that we can help support those people who are being victimized and let them know they’re not alone.”

An anonymous donor contributed around $50,000 to the pilot program, specifically directed at Newport, Graham said. Planning began in the summer and it launched this fall in the lead up to Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October.

About 64% of adults in the United States have experienced at least one ACE, with 1 in 6 having experienced at least four, according to the CDC. Three in four high school students have experienced at least one. ACEs can affect children’s education and, in the future, their employment potential.

In the Greater Sullivan Region, 37% of students have lived with someone who has a problem with drug and alcohol use; 47% of students have lived with someone with a mental illness, according to the 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey.

By making adults and others more aware of ACEs, they can help young people get support, develop resilience and have healthier relationships.

“That for us is really the hope in the project. When young people can get the support they need that helps to break that cycle,” Kerry Rochford Hague, senior prevention educator at Turning Points, said in a phone interview.

Programming will be directed at people of all ages, including children, teachers and staff in Newport’s schools. For younger ages, it may focus on how they can be good friends and practice empathy. In older children, it may focus on how they can help peers who are going through challenging situations.

“It’s engaging youth to be better bystanders,” Graham said. “If they see something, how do they safely and appropriately intervene?”

For adults, part of the focus will be on how they can recognize signs in children who may be struggling with ACEs and h ow to talk to them.

Turning Points staff have been holding community meetings to solicit feedback about Newport’s strengths and ways they can build on those to better assist children who are struggling. One program is called “Building a Web of Support.”

“Having a sense of community, feeling like there are adults who are outside of your family who know you, who care about you, that there are safe places you can go … all of those things help protect young people,” Rochford Hague said.

One of Turning Points’ partners is the Richards Free Library, including youth service’s librarian Moriah “Mo” Churchill-Calkins. There is a display in the library that features books about building a variety of healthy relationships, from friendships to those kids have with their parents. For children who are a little older, there are young adults books that focus on healthy romantic relationships.

“It’s so important and I love their focus on including literature because it can be so meaningful in how children learn about relationships,” Churchhill-Calkins said.

The display also includes an artificial spider web with inspirational sayings written on paper spiders including “You got this bro” and “You’re braver than you think.”

The library is a frequent after-school gathering spot for teens and staff are there to support them.

“It is so important that these teens have trusted adults that they can confide in and talk to in their safe spaces,” she said.

There is no timeline for how long the Turning Points’ pilot project will last; it is largely dependent on funding sources.

“I’m hoping it’s something we will be able to continue doing,” Graham said.

For more information, visit turningpointsnetwork.org or call 603-543-0155. Liz Sauchelli can be reached at esauchelli@vnews.com or 603-727-3221.