SWAINTON – Roughly 100 community members made up of educators, law enforcement, parents, religious groups, and youth-serving organizations attended Cape Assist’s 9th Annual P.R.I.D.E. (Prevention, Resources, Innovation, Development, Education) Conference on January 27 with the goal of supporting young people in their growth and development.
“With each year, I am more and more impressed by this dedicated community,” said Cape Assist’s Executive Director and CEO, Katie Faldetta. “Our initiatives continue to grow, and we owe that to the impact and influence these leaders are having on our county’s youth. Seeing everyone together in support of bettering the lives of our future generations and leaders itself is impactful.”
To begin the conference, Adrienne Breitinger of the Cape May County Department of Education announced the Cape May County Teacher of the Year – Mr. Stephen Serano of Wildwood High School.
The keynote speaker, Joseph Faldetta, Cape Assist’s Director of Prevention Services, presented “The Calm and the Storm” which focused on helping professions and relationships and how they often require working with people who are dysregulated or in crisis. The presentation touched on why sometimes de-escalating strategies will not work in a crisis and explored key components of self-regulation to become a calming influence on someone who may be at their most in need.
Attendees were shown strategies to achieve this calmness in the middle of a situation. Faldetta went on to explain how anxiety and stress, especially in youth, can alter mental states and the perception of that person in crisis.
Faldetta also finished the conference with a short presentation on the Children’s System of Care.
Other speakers included Cape May County’s Prosecutor Jeffrey H. Sutherland, who spoke on the Child Advocacy Center; Jenny Allen and Ty Lewis, resource specialists and crisis management from The Covenant House New Jersey; and Superintendent Jamie Moscony, Interim Asst. Superintendent Dr. Thomas Baruffi, and Director of Related Services Jonathan Price of Cape May County Special Services School and Cape May County Technical High School.
Prosecutor Sutherland presented alongside Jennifer Caprioni, Director of the Cape May County Child Advocacy Center, on the services offered by the center and their mission in helping families of Cape May County.
Allen and Lewis discussed the correlation between homelessness and human trafficking, and how through The Covenant House, they provide resources to help those battling with homelessness. In addition to their services, they spoke on their latest fundraising event called “Sleep Out.” The events invite community members to spend the night in boxes and sleeping bags to better understand the plight of homeless youth. Speakers from executives to influencers across NJ come and give workshops during the event on topics of homelessness and human trafficking.
Moscony and fellow CMCSS School officials took attendees on a virtual tour of the school while introducing some current staff and students. The tour highlighted the new facilities and key services available to present and future students.
The Cape May County P.R.I.D.E. Committee was formed in 2013 with the goal of better understanding how the opioid epidemic was affecting school-age children in Cape May County. Over time, the focus of the committee has widened to include the link between childhood trauma and addiction. Funded through the Sea Isle City School Board, members include the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office, the Cape May County Office of Education, County Educators, the County Department of Human Services, and Cape Assist.
To learn more about Cape Assist’s programs and events, go to CapeAssist.org.
