Check out this very special throwback episode
On this episode of Be VicTORIEus, Dr. VicTORIEus speaks with a very special guest about the recent tragedies concerning school shootings.
Full Transcript
Introduction and Mental Health Awareness 0:00
Hello, hello, Hello. Welcome, welcome, Welcome. It's Dr. Tory here, aka Dr Victoria is here for another episode of the victorious. Make sure you're following us. You know I am Dr victorious everywhere, Dr victorious on Twitter, dr victorious on Facebook, doctor victorious in my Facebook group be victorious for Dr Tory Williams. I'm on LinkedIn as be victorious with Dr. Tori Williams Instagram is Dr victorious I can be found that is the IC TOR IE us be Victoria's with me today. Let me share with you this guest that we have for this episode is extremely special to me.
There have been a lot of things going on during mental health awareness month. And this young lady participated in our first ACES youth mental health movement and I loved it so much. The impact that we get from the students really made me believe that what we're doing and serving the purpose that were serving is so needed. And I'll be honest with this. Incident that happened in Texas, we've been receiving a lot of calls and everything is okay. But I'm very concerned, not only as a parent, but as an educator, because that could have been any of us.
So my heart goes out to the families that were impacted by this traumatic episode, Because that's exactly what it is. And I wanted to bring this special guest in to chime in on some things and talk about mental health awareness. So this special guest again is very important to me. And I think as parents, this is something that we need to do.
Kermari Introduces Herself and Learns About ACEs 2:06
We need talk to our students, we to talk our children. So I have my first born, Kermari, as a special guests. Welcome to be victorious episode five. You're so beautiful. Thank you. And I'm biased. How are you today? Good. I brought you onto this podcast today just to talk about a lot of stuff that has happened around mental health awareness and about the school shooting that happened yesterday. Because I know we've had discussions about it, but I think it would be important to talking about ACEs, average childhood experiences, and even this recent shooting from a youth perspective.
Is that OK? Yeah, that's fine. Cool. Well, tell me about yourself first. I'm in ninth grade. Cool, I live in Dallas. 15, yeah. The oldest sibling and yeah, Cool! I think you're awesome. You're beautiful. Your mom, oh my God, she's such an amazing person. Now, my question to you is this. My first question. Do you know what ACEs are? Yes, I know where ACE is. Interesting. Who introduced you to ACE's? You did? I did. Did I correct you? Yeah. How did you find out about ACE? Tell us about your thoughts about ACES.
I mean, when you first started, you're not first starting dissertation program, because I was younger. So I think when I started like, understanding what it is more as like I said, the middle of your dissertation programs, I didn't know what It was. Oh, cool. What do you think? What's what's your interpretation of ACES? It's another like way to identify like, instead of saying, oh, that person don't have parents or all that, it puts it in a category easier for other people to understand. Okay. Interesting.
What do you think about it? Is it a good thing or a bad thing? It's a Good thing because it builds character. It feels like Okay, so you actually went to the ACES Mental Health Youth Summit this weekend. Did you enjoy it? Yes, I did enjoy. What was your takeaway? Everybody has a different story. Not everybody has the same story and maybe like one of the girls on the youth Zoom said, Everybody can all relate in a way through ACEs,
Youth Summit Reflections on Shared Trauma 5:15
even though it may not seem like a good thing because it's something traumatic that may have happened. We can relate on a certain level. Now, honestly, have you talked to your friends about it? I mean, my friends know what it is. They know that ACE is a thing. Most of my friend do, I think. Okay, is that thanks to you, or is it just something that they're talking about in schools? I say thanks-to-me, because I don't think they knew what it was until I spoke up about it or said something about. Yeah.
Pretty good. So you're advocating for the youth as far as ACEs is concerned. Congratulations. You know, it's extremely hard to do that, especially for some parents, happen with their parents. And so, you know, parents are very protective of their children, and I can understand that. So I commend you for actually being on here, just so you guys know. This is live. We're doing this. There's no script. But as parents, we need to have these conversations with our children so they can know exactly what's going on.
Quick question. Are you taking the ACEs test? Yes, I just took it. Yes I did. You just take it? What's your aces score? A one. Interesting. A two. Um, yeah, it's a one. That's okay. But guess what? You have says, and that's, okay to have ACES. You already said it. It's. Okay. it doesn't make you different. Doesn't. Make you, um, worse or better now on the, just so you know, as far as the ACEs test, Um it, 10 questions can score from a 1 to 10. If you haven't a, one it just, let you know that you only score in the categories one or two or three times.
So just so you, know if your score is a one, it's okay.
ACEs Score, Family Divorce, and Personal Impact 7:27
It just knows that, you have aces. And just, so, I know we talked about it on the Youth Summit, one out of every six students They have ACEs. This is something, this is a worldwide pandemic. It's something number one in mental health, especially for our youth. So to have a one, it's okay. Just know that that's your number. A lot of students your age don't really do the ACE test because it kind of old, but there are some things that could be added to the ace test. Do you know about the ACES categories?
I believe so, yeah. Okay. You're a one. What category does that one fall into, if you don't mind me asking? The divorce hearing section. So you have an ACEs score of one, now that you know that, you had an ACES score one what are you going to do about your ACE score? How can you help yourself? I mean, I mean, I feel like it depends on which category if you could do something or not. Cause like with that category, it's not much I can do. With different categories, yeah, they can like help the situation.
Like there's nothing I could really do with it. Your parent's divorced, oh well. But if, if don't mind, did that make you feel some type of way? I'm mean at first, now it like, its been so long. It's normal. At first, yeah. I was so used to, Yeah. Okay. Well, I don't want to put you on center stage, but this is reality. And ACEs are real. So just know that there's tons of people out there that parents have divorced, separated, that type of thing. so I commend you for actually, again, coming on and sharing that information with everybody, because yes, your parents are divorced.
Which makes you And as much as I could prevent that from happening, sorry, you have ACEs. And I think as parents, what we have to do is make sure that the students, your children, I keep saying students. Your children also know that it's okay to have it. They're just joining us and we're doing something about this. It's a pandemic, it has been going on. This is number one in mental health right now and it just needs to be addressed. So I have a question for you. How important is a conversation of ACES?
I think it's important because it is something that we should bring more to light in our shadow, if that makes any sense. Are you a part of the ACEs youth movement? Interesting. Okay, so if you could add anything to the ACES categories because it's a lot going on right now, especially with the recent shooting of the school in Texas yesterday, what would you add to that ACEs categories? I would say students like not doing well in school and then also like trauma from mass shootings or trauma for them like something like plane crashes or
School Safety, Mass Shootings, and Student Concerns 10:51
car accidents that could be on your because it's a lot of stuff that really needs to be added. It hasn't been updated since 1998. So I agree with you, especially the terrorism. We're having a discussion on the way to school and you had made a statement about the mass shootings. There has been a mass shooting every day? There's been since January 1st, 2022. There hasn't been one day without a mass shooting in America, there's been 144 days already this year, and there has been 212 mass shootings in American.
So that's like two at least every day, if not two every other day. How does that make you feel? Everybody, like senators and stuff are so focused on other laws, taking away women's rights and staff, but aren't doing anything about these mass shootings that have been happening continuously back to back every day. It's like, when are we actually gonna do something? Because this is just now, because it's been two mass shooting, big mass shootings back-to-back. This is not the first time that there's a mass-shooting.
And now more people are speaking up about it because they're realizing how They're so focused on other rights rather than the rights of kids at school or the right people go into like a supermarket or going to church something simple like that. How does this impact you as a student. Um, my school has been strict. our monitoring the bathrooms is like, usually we can ask the teacher can we go to the bathroom they give us a passcode to restroom now we're taking bathroom breaks like we did in elementary school.
And it's like like yeah, we need to monitor our kids and stuff, but I'm taking a whole class bathroom break as a high schooler. That's so not normal, you know. You know it's for your safety though. It's far our safety, but we shouldn't have to go to school and be scared that we not come home or that would go school. And be. Scared that like somebody in your class could have a gun or somebody around you could be thinking about. like coming to school the next day with something like scary. And so your last thoughts about the tragic incident in Texas, what are your final thoughts?
We need to focus more on the kids because I feel like it could have been prevented. stopping him from coming in the building like prevented like way before like he's been showing signs of that his friends were saying like, he cut his face up and said it was just for fun. That's a sign right there. Okay, something should have been done about it. A long time ago. When he first started showing sign of saying he wanted to do stuff like that. Wonderful. And they're stricter on gun laws because, especially in Texas, because he was 18. He was legal to have a gun, but it's still like background checks, specially like how they were in school because it shows records in his record books for school.
like mentally okay, like background checks for that would have been helpful.
Why ACEs Matter and Closing Thoughts 14:54
That's good that you're in tune with society and what's going on with today's society, and things of that nature. So that's a really good thing. My last question, ACES, do you think it is a good or a bad thing? I think it's a good thing to a certain extent. The nature of ACEs, where it comes from, yes, it may be a bad thing, depending on the person, because a lot of it can either go a go away or a better way. Some people, what they've been through in life, they use it to grow and get better, and they used it for their advantage.
But a lotta people with the stuff that they been though, take it like they're not strong enough to take you so it may turn out to be a bad like situation within themselves or within other people. So I feel like it could be A good thing. If she not treated properly, but understood by that other person, because a lot of people don't understand it. And that's where the bad comes from. All right, come on. Any final last words? Asus is a good thing and more people should get a better understanding of it.
Wonderful. Young lady, it's been a pleasure interviewing you. I think this is very important as a parent. It's very as an educator. As the ACES educator to let parents know it is okay to have these conversations with your children because we communicate and we talk and talk about these things often. And so it's okay to have this as a cycle breaker, these open discussions with your children. So I thank you so much for volunteering and chiming in on this wonderful podcast. Thank you for your time.
I appreciate you. This one was a special one. I love the special guests, of course. And you guys can find us on all social media platforms, Dr. Victorious Everywhere. Be victorious with Dr Williams, and we thank you, guys, so much again for tuning in.
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