The blog and the larger educational project Safe & Sound address the health and social science of adverse and adaptive childhood experiences in a cultural context. We are about to embark on an exciting learning journey in which multiple professional and academic perspectives from different cultures such as Vietnam, Norway and Nepal, will learn, explore and shed light on childhood, health and sustainable development.
Safe & Sound
Whenever there are threats to the safety and well-being of a loved one, we are eager to see him or her back, safe and sound.
- We breathe in relief whenever a baby in our circle is delivered, and mother and child are safe and sound.
- From the chaos of natural disasters or man-made conflict, we pray and hope that people find shelter, that they are not hurt and escape danger, safe and sound.
- When a trafficked child is found and brought to safety, we know there are wounds that must heal for the child to feel safe and sound again.
Nature and nurture blends and form who we become. Children are particularly vulnerable to external and relational danger and prolonged stress. Early experiences influence the architecture of the brain and its dynamics. Experiencing a childhood that is safe and sound equips the individual with resources and resilience to whatever may come, good and bad. It increases the odds for physical and mental well-being, for developing into a safe and sound person.
Relational and environmental safety and nurturing care lay the foundation for a positive, productive and creative force. It opens the mind for learning and thinking and boosts the child’s developmental potential. A safe and sound childhood is a platform for becoming an adolescent who becomes an adult who knows how to take care of other people, society, and mother nature.