The Department of Psychology and the Community Crime Prevention Program have teamed together to bring a screening of “Paper Tigers” to the D.P. Culp Center Auditorium Tuesday, April 4 at 6:30 p.m.
“Paper Tigers” was released last year and is a documentary about the revolutionary teaching tactics of a small school in Walla Walla, Washington. It offers a close look at the lives of several students from Lincoln High School, an alternative school that specializes in educating traumatized youth.
According to a press release from ETSU’s Department of Psychology, the film “captures the pain, danger, beauty and hopes of struggling teens-and the teachers armed with new science and fresh approaches that are changing lives forever.”
Becky Haas, Community Crime Prevention Programs Coordinator for the Johnson City Police Department, believes that the message of “Paper Tigers” is relevant to East Tennessee communities.
“Our region is faced with the challenges of rampant opioid addiction, domestic violence, and has one of the highest rates in the nation of babies born to drug addicted mothers,” she said. “We see educating our community on the adverse effects of childhood experiences as an important step towards impacting these challenges. The message of hope found in the story of “Paper Tigers” will further inspire our community towards this goal.”
The film reveals the transformative power that a single caring adult can have in ending the cycle of violence, poverty and disease in the lives of at risk children. It focuses on the potential of Trauma-Informed Communities to combat these cycles and to transform families and eventually entire communities.
Dr. Andi Clements, ETSU Department of Psychology Professor and Assistant Chair, stated in a press release that in partnership with Haas, they have begun to conduct coordinated trauma informed care trainings in the area.
“This effort has grown rapidly, fueled by our compassionate community’s desire to increase the resilience of trauma survivors. As professionals and others have learned about the scientific support for the likely impacts of past trauma, they have embraced features of trauma informed care such as empathy toward and empowerment of those with whom they work,” said Clements.
Both Haas and Clements will attend the screening to discuss their local efforts to create a Trauma Informed System of Care.
For more information about this film, or to watch a trailer, visit www.PaperTigersMovie.com.
