Walk into a California school and you can see the first wave of modern school safety: single points of entry, visitor badges, cameras, vape sensors, and active-shooter drills. These measures matter. But they are not what students describe when asked what makes them feel safe.

At its core, the power of the pause is about creating space between a stress event and our response. In the middle of a challenging moment like a disruptive comment, a disengaged student, or rising tension, educators are encouraged to pause briefly before reacting. This pause is not about inaction; it is about intentionality.

In a post-pandemic world where screen-based connection has intensified youth anxiety and isolation, the evidence-based Safe School Ambassadors Program equips students with concrete intervention skills, including “Getting Help,” to build safer, more inclusive school communities and a student-led mental health safety net.

A practical action plan for parents and children with clear steps to address and prevent online bullying.

On July 30, 2025, Governor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order to confront rising suicide rates and growing disconnection among California’s boys and young men, calling for coordinated mental health, education, and workforce support across the state.

Resilience is a concept that emerged in the psychological field in the 1990's, referring to an individual's ability to recover from adversity. Coming to an understanding of resilience has engendered controversy: what does it take for an individual to have the golden substance of resiliency? Is it natured or nurtured?

by Rachel Hunkler

Community Matters and the Eradicate Hate Global Summit share the goal of empowering and engaging youth voices. We believe including young people in anti-hate and community safety efforts is critical to their success.

We know that young people’s actions can make a tremendous difference – sometimes the difference between life and death. Research on this topic indicates that approximately 80% of school shooters leak communications indicating their intentions prior to their attack.  Research also tells us that peers are more likely to receive these leaked communications and are, therefore, much better positioned to identify concerning behaviors.

That’s why Community Matters and Eradicate Hate teamed up for the UP End Hate initiative, which launched in September 2024.

It’s hard to believe that it’s been 25 years since the tragic mass shootings on April 20, 1999 at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. I can vividly remember watching the horror on live television as students and staff were desperately climbing out of windows trying to get out of harm’s way any way they could.

From helping them understand their emotions to setting the right goals and showing empathy to others, as a parent, you want your child to be equipped with the necessary social and emotional skills through social-emotional learning (SEL). And to ensure that your child develops them, it's important to remember that learning always starts at home.