Cheering for the Children: Creating Pathways to HOPE for Children Exposed to Trauma

If we as a nation invested the money and time necessary to give every trauma-exposed child a cheerleader, we would empty our prisons and mental health facilities within two generations. We would dramatically reduce intimate partner violence and see stunning drops in crime rates across all categories. We have the resources and we know what to do. It is only a question of our priorities and commitment.

Cheering for the Children is a clarion call to all caring people to become cheerleaders for children exposed to trauma and abuse. Author Casey Gwinn, former elected San Diego city attorney and a leading domestic violence professional, explains why childhood trauma should be the preeminent public health issue in America today and how we can all help change the lives of children for the better.

In this compelling and well-documented book, Gwinn maps out the massive costs and lifelong consequences of unaddressed childhood trauma through the internationally recognized Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study and other critical research. Then, using his own personal journey through trauma, lessons learned from leading experts across the country, and poignant real-life anecdotes from survivors, he provides the big strategies and small, practical steps that every parent, grandparent, mentor, caring community member, and policymaker can take to make a difference in the lives of their own children and the hurting children of America.

Casey Gwinn, J.D. is president of Alliance for HOPE International and a widely sought after speaker in communities across America. He served for eight years as the elected city attorney of San Diego and is the visionary behind a rapidly expanding Family Justice Center movement that creates specialized centers where victims of domestic violence and sexual assault can find safety, hope, and healing. He is the founder of Camp HOPE, the first camp in the country focused exclusively on children exposed to domestic violence and impacted by physical and sexual abuse. All of the proceeds from the sale of this book will benefit Camp HOPE.