SKYES THE LIMIT FOUNDATION INC
This organization has already been registered
Someone in your organization has already registered and setup an account. would you like to join their team?Profile owner : k***o@s***********t.o*g
Mission Statement
OUR MISSION is to prevent trauma-related losses by substance overdose and suicide by building resiliency and empowering youth, families, and communities through peer support, art, and wilderness therapy.
About This Cause
SKYE'S THE LIMIT FOUNDATION is a 501c3 Public Charity RECOGNIZING THE NEED FOR COMPASSION AND CONNECTION TO COMBAT THE SOCIAL ISOLATION THAT CAN LEAD TO SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND SUICIDE. "My daughter Skye, 03/07/1995 – 09/30/2014, faced incredible challenges with trauma. She died of an overdose at the age of 19 in 2014. Awareness on trauma informed care/response/approach was not readily available for her or myself at the time. I strongly believe that it's important and life-saving to understand trauma and how to live life and respond with an intentional, trauma-informed and empowered mindset. An integrated, trauma-informed approach for substance abuse and suicide prevention programming through arts engagement, kayaking outings and trauma education are a few ways in which we can build peer support, resiliency and empower our minds." -Keiko Ratcliffe, Founder & President of Skye's the Limit Foundation OUR VISION FOR SKYE'S THE LIMIT! FOUNDATION IS BUILDING A RESILIENT WORLD WHERE WE ALL THRIVE TOGETHER. OUR MISSION is to prevent trauma-related losses by substance overdose and suicide by building resiliency and empowering youth, families, and communities through peer support, art, and wilderness therapy. Skye’s the Limit was founded in light of the trauma-related overdose of 19-year-old Skye Gina Ratcliffe Pilato on September 30, 2014. After two suicide attempts, Skye resorted to drugs to numb the pain she was feeling in isolation. In her honor, Skye’s the Limit now educates the community on trauma, harm reduction, and self-care and works to provide an environment for youth to speak out, express themselves, and ask for help. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), “Trauma experienced by children and youth is a pervasive and serious public health issue that requires a coordinated response.” These experiences can include witnessing or experiencing physical, sexual or emotional abuse, the death of a loved one, family and community violence, refugee and war experiences, natural disasters, and others. “Trauma during childhood is associated with a range of physical health and emotional problems, and most tragically, suicide—too often a consequence of untreated mental illness and substance use disorders, and as such a preventable condition. Among youth ages 10 to 24, suicide is the second leading cause of death” (SAMHSA).1 Experts, researchers, and service providers in the fields of child welfare, youth development and trauma agree that expanding universal best practices of trauma-informed care is a crucial step in addressing the effects of childhood trauma. The trauma-informed approach aims to prevent re-traumatization and promote recovery and resilience by (1) being sensitive to the impact of trauma, (2) understanding and employing tools to regulate emotions during stressful times, and (3) identifying and supporting systemic changes needed to reduce re-traumatization. 2 1 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. 2Arizona Town Hall (2019). Strong Families Thriving Children. Retrieved from https://aztownhall.org/resources/Documents/112%20Strong%20Families%20Thriving%20Children/112%20Stong%20Families%20Thriving%20Children%20Background%20Report%20web.pdf At Skye’s the Limit Foundation, we know that by increasing understanding of the trauma-informed approach and training school staff, healthcare workers, police officers, criminal justice system staff, mentors, youth serving organizations, and other adults to employ this effective approach, the negative impacts of childhood trauma can be effectively mitigated and trauma-related loss can be prevented. We also know that by building peer supports through engaging activities such as the arts and kayaking that we can begin to nurture relational health, the connections needed for thriving and flourishing. Furthermore, by investing in our youth and community leaders who will pass along these learned, trauma-informed care concepts to their peers, we can work to create sustainable, positive change in our communities for future generations. SERVICES: TRAUMA INFORMED COMMUNITY: AWARENESS, ADVOCACY TRAININGS AND EDUCATION Our Trauma Informed Community program is building a coordinated response to childhood trauma by training parents, teachers, staff of youth-serving organizations, and other adults to employ a trauma-informed approach when caring for youth impacted by trauma. YOUTH EMPOWERMENT: BUILDING CONNECTIONS Our Youth Empowerment program employs a trauma-informed approach designed to help youth and young adults impacted by trauma heal, build resiliency, and connect to peers with similar life experiences. The program also helps young people develop safe relationships with caring adults trained in ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) and Trauma-Informed Care. According to the Arizona Trauma Institute, the key to recovering from trauma and building resilience is forming a positive, trusting and long-term relationship with a guardian, parent, or peer. Therefore, this Youth Empowerment program intentionally strengthens peer to peer, parent and child, and youth leader to youth relationships. The program offers the following engagement peer support activities to youth (typically 13-21 years old) who have experienced trauma: Kayaking and Visual Arts. HARM REDUCTION & SUBSTANCE OVERDOSE EDUCATION Our substance misuse prevention program includes a comprehensive training on the facts around fentanyl, various harm reduction approaches that reduce danger for fentanyl users, a Narcan administration training, and education on stigma and how to combat it in communities. This program provides training to organizations that serve people who use substances as well as to Parent groups. After this training, an individual will understand how to implement harm reduction practices in their organization and be a distributor of harm reduction materials in the community. Topics in our Harm Reduction Education training are: - Substance Misuse Education - Understanding Overdose Prevention strategies - Harm Reduction Response - Naloxone Training - Healthy relationship and the responsibilities overview - An overview in Understanding Trauma for prevention & Trauma regulation breathing techniques FOLLOW SKYE'S DREAM NURSING SCHOLARSHIP To honor Skye's dream of becoming a nurse, Skye's the Limit Foundation offers a scholarship program designed to encourage and support aspiring nurses who are dedicated to helping others overcome their illnesses, challenges, and adversities. Scholarship recipients each receive a $500 scholarship to help with the cost of books and supplies.