Pappas praises Girls at Work/ACERT collaboration

MANCHESTER, N.H. – On Monday, U.S. Representative Chris Pappas (D-NH-01) participated in a discussion within the confines of Girls at Work’s Bedford Street facility to talk about the non-profit program’s connection with Manchester’s Adverse Childhood Event Response Team, or ACERT.

A joint initiative of Amoskeag Health and the Manchester Police Department, Manchester’s ACERT intervenes after adverse childhood events or ACEs to help the child address the trauma related to those moments that could impair the child psychologically later in life. Girls at Work is a program aimed at empowering young girls primarily though education related to woodworking. Approximately a year ago, the two groups realized that the possibility for collaboration was something that needed to be explored.

Manchester ACERT Supervisor Skylar Bottcher learned about Girls at Work through a Manchester Police Department detective and the partnership quickly arose.

“I thought, ‘We should be able to get connected to them,’ so I reached out to (Girls at Work Program Director) Melissa (Cotter) and (Girls at Work Executive Director) Elaine (Hamel),” she said. “They didn’t really know what ACERT was about, but we came in, explained it to Elaine and her immediate reaction was ‘why aren’t we working together, we work with very similar populations.’”

“This is a really powerful partnership,” said Hamel. “This is changing the game for a lot of kids; it is really important work. We need to be there for kids and that’s what we do.”

Participants in the discussion also praised Girls at Work’s efforts to help build the confidence of young girls exploring potential careers. Manchester Police Department Juvenile Unit Detective Adrianne Davenport said that several girls in the program were surprised to learn that women can be both police officers and mothers. Now, she says that several female Manchester Police officers volunteer with Girls at Work to reinforce that message, which aids in the group’s mission of empowerment as well as helping young girls traumatized during ACEs.

“There was a time when the male was expected to go out any make money and the woman was expected to stay home, but that’s often not real life anymore. I think it’s important for (the girls) to see that you can do what you want to do and still fill the role of being a mom if that’s what they want,” she said. “I know what some of these kids have been through and what they’re dealing with at home, so for them to come to a place that is so positive and learning to take a pile of wood and build something from it, I think that’s great for empowerment.”

Pappas was pleased with the discussion with Girls at Work, one of several non-profit organizations in the Manchester area that collaborates with ACERT.

In Washington, Pappas is developing legislation for federal grants that would help other communities emulate Manchester’s program, which is the first of its kind in the country.

“(ACERT) is about making sure that these kids are holding onto that trauma for the rest of their lives and the way that it can influence their behaviors and restrict their outcomes, so its both about opening opportunity and possibility for young people,” he said. “I think there’s just a natural fit with Girls at Work in that regard as they ensure that girls have someone in their corner and they’re allowing them to get rid of their trauma by learning a new skill. This is definitely a good partnership.”

Currently the program helps girls aged 8 to 13, but Hamel says that a new program for high school-aged girls that will focus on more on workforce development currently being developed by Girls at Work.