The ACES Project is a ConVal Substance Abuse Task Force sponsored project. It is a docudrama that has been in production for four months. The film will be used in the fall to educate the student body about the relationship between childhood adversity and substance abuse and addiction.
The ACES Project was based on research originally conducted by the Kaiser Permanente health care company and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The study found that childhood experiences, both positive and negative, have a tremendous impact on future violence victimization and perpetration, and lifelong health and opportunity.
As such, early experiences are an important public health issue. Much of the foundational research in this area has been referred to as Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs).