Cause & Affect: It Take a Community

kes

mmunity

ocial Action Campaign

Educat

parents

and caregivers

to teach and guide their children

using empathy

in order to build the

social-emotional

development of preschool

age children

Clients and Partners

The County of

Los Angeles Department of Mental Health

Education and Parenting (CNVEP)

The County of Los Angeles Department of Mental Health serves a quarter of a million

residents a year and is now the largest mental health service system in the nation.

The DMH has partnered with the Center for Nonviolent Education and Parenting

(CNVEP), a small grassroots parenting center dedicated to imparting nonviolent child-

raising philosophy to families in the Los Angeles-area, on a new program called It

Takes a Community (ITC). This innovative initiative, targeted at helping parents

and caretakers raise young children with regard for their social and emotional well-

being by using the principle of empathy, is one of the most groundbreaking programs

of the Department of Mental Health.

Over ten percent of preschoolers are estimated to be at risk for mental health

problems, an issue that is exacerbated by stigma and can lead to many problematic

future behaviors such as diminished self-esteem and poor school performance. ITC

aims to reduce the stigmas associated with mental health disorders by equipping

parents and caretakers with the tools and skills that will help address or prevent

early issues from developing. In its amalgamation of documentary footage, stills, and

peer-to-instructor and parent-to-child interactions, ITC offers practical solutions by

teaching the art of empathy, ultimately helping parents and caretakers ensure that

their children will be competent at expressing their feelings, solving conflicts and

treating others with respect and care as adults. Cause & Affect advised the

Department of Mental Health on a multi-platform distribution plan utilizing the

media products of ITC to target parents and caregivers of young children—within Los

Angeles and beyond—to employ empathetic, non-violent methods of parenting.