As part of its ongoing parent night series, the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District will host “Reel Talk,” a documentary viewing event on Jan. 18 at Kenai Alternative High School. The documentary, “Not Enough Apologies: Trauma Stories,” explores how adverse childhood experiences can lead to behavioral and mental health issues.
Emily Alvey is the recidivism prevention liaison for the school district. She says while trauma prevention often begins at home, many schools and juvenile justice systems are unequally informed when it comes to trauma care.
“That’s something that I’m finding with my caseload a lot, is that there’s a bit of a disconnect," Alvey said. "We’re trying to bring everybody to the same page.”
The screening will be followed by a roundtable discussion about the documentary and how trauma-informed practices should be implemented in the community. Community sponsors geared toward helping those affected by mental trauma will be present to answer questions and provide resources.
“It’s continuing to educate not only parents, but also people within the system," Alvey said. "It’s really for community members because a lot of these issues are all-encompassing. We just want to be able to get as many people on board to help kids to be as successful as possible, and these are areas we’re seeing that there’s a bit of a disconnect.”
Pizza and popcorn will be provided to attendees of the “Reel Talk” event. Dinner will begin at 5:30 p.m., with the documentary viewing at 6. Childcare will also be provided at the event.
The school district will host more parent nights in the future. An evening about recognizing the signs of depression is in the works.
