Breaking the cycle of trauma, supporting our youth
Imagine you’re a child again. Did you or your family encounter challenges? Did you have someone to support you when things felt impossible to overcome?

For too many children and young adults in Dane County, the challenges they experience can lead to trauma that they carry with them throughout their life. Without support and care, childhood trauma can lead to mental illness, addiction and contact with the justice system. Unchecked, this trauma can create a cycle.

My 2019 county budget proposal takes bold action to help break the cycle. It creates several new positions aimed at supporting youth. Two positions will work with the Neighborhood Intervention Program: a youth trauma coordinator will help identify youth experiencing trauma and connect them to the resources they need, and a second position will work with young, at-risk women in danger of falling prey to sex trafficking.

A new, two-person team will provide support to families with children under the age of five who are experiencing neglect and are at-risk for abuse. By partnering with Joining Forces for Families and resources in the Early Childhood Zones, the team will connect families to community resources, including housing and employment, to help stabilize the family and prevent abuse.

My budget also expands the Building Bridges program to the Monona Grove School District. Created in 2013, this partnership with 10 school districts across Dane County provides mental health support for students and has led to positive outcomes for them, their teachers and their families.

The recent 2018 Dane County Youth Assessment illustrates the importance of this continued work. Nearly one in three high school students reported impacts to social interactions and education achievement as a result of long-term anxiety. More than one in four reported suffering from long-term depression. Over 20 percent of respondents in grades 7‒12 reported having suicidal thoughts in the past 30 days.

To learn more about these proposals and more in my 2019 budget, visit https://exec.countyofdane.com/budget.aspx.