Community Blitz

With a targeted focus on distressed communities in and around the City of Atlanta, Innovate The Change focuses on city right-a-ways and Metro Atlanta's busy street corners that have become hot vending spots for the "Water Boys."

It is also home to some of Atlanta's challenged and displaced neighbors. The Atlanta Planning Advisory Board Public Safety and Legal Administration Committee will host various events that will deliver the following key benefits:

•Walkable communities that integrate work-based learning opportunities for young innovators and entrepreneurs.

•A reduction of identified triggers that incite aggressions between authority figures and constituents of all ages.

•Counter-measures that re-channel negative energy and actions into impact solutions, service-learning initiatives, and business ventures that benefit the community at large.

•Marketing campaigns that promote community engagement and the achievements of young innovators and entrepreneurs by celebrating their ability to demonstrate effective team-building, problem-solving, and leadership skills.

Changing What We See... 

Innovate To Change:

•Engages and Educate Communities.

•Encourages constituents to adopt positive, self-regulating behaviors.

•Teaches innovators the rules for becoming responsible entrepreneurs. 

•Teaches all constituents the value of their contribution in helping to sustain their local economies.

•Creates responsible peer leaders and neighbors.

•Creates a universal understanding that our current and collective behavior towards one another impacts future business opportunities for our community at large.

Adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs, are potentially traumatic events that occur in childhood (0-17 years). For example:  experiencing violence, abuse, or neglect witnessing violence in the home or community having a family member attempt or die by suicide. 

Also included are aspects of the child’s environment that can undermine their sense of safety, stability, and bonding, such as growing up in a household with:  substance use problems mental health problems instability due to parental separation or household members being in jail or prison ACEs are linked to chronic health problems, mental illness, and substance use problems in adulthood. 

ACEs can also negatively impact education, job opportunities, and earning potential. However, ACEs can be prevented.  Please note the examples above are not meant to be a complete list of adverse experiences. There are many other traumatic experiences that could impact health and wellbeing.