Resilience

Directed by James Redford, 1 hour 

Researchers have recently discovered a dangerous biological syndrome caused by abuse and neglect during childhood. As the new documentary Resilience reveals, toxic stress can trigger hormones that wreak havoc on the brains and bodies of children, putting them at a greater risk for disease, homelessness, prison time, and early death. While the broader impacts of poverty worsen the risk, no segment of society is immune.

Resilience, however, also chronicles the dawn of a movement that is determined to fight back. Trailblazers in pediatrics, education, and social welfare are using cutting-edge science and field-tested therapies to protect children from the insidious effects of toxic stress-and the dark legacy of a childhood that no child would choose. 

Film will have a talkback afterward with: Roberta Meek, Director, Africana Studies, Muhlenberg College Hasshan Batts, Lehigh Valley Social Impact Center Sirry Along, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Lehigh University Yuriko de la Cruz, MPH, Lehigh Valley Health Network