Talking to Kids About Scary Things

Maureen Fitzgerald, Project Director

In an age of constant, pervasive media coverage, it is sometimes difficult to shield children from exposure to traumatic events.  Media not only reports on events, that coverage can also at times focus on extremes.  For example, the chances of you or your child contracting Ebola are extremely unlikely, but coverage may cause a child to become fearful.  The recent shootings in Paris, plane crashes, school shootings, and natural disasters can all have an impact on children, even if they, or people they know, are not directly involved.  The news media also tends to mention anytime children were injured or killed in a tragic event, such as plane crash, shooting, or tornado.

Psychologist Diane Levin, author of The War Play Dilemma, What Every Parent and Teacher Needs to Know, points out that children think of the news very differently from adults.  "News to kids is not just tragic events or disasters; instead they define it to include their entire lives."
"They also interpret the news in personal ways. For example, when young children watch or listen to news reports about crime, bombings, and cyclones, they may worry about their own safety. Because young children are not able to fully understand cause and effect and distance, it's hard for them to make distinctions between an immediate threat and one that is far away." ( taken from http://www.kidspot.com.au/Preschool-Behaviour-Talking-to-your-kids-about-scary-news+7219+33+article.htm)

Tips for helping children process traumatic events include:

• Limit exposure to coverage. Avoid turning the TV on when children are present.
• Try to project a calm and confident demeanor - children pick up on your distress.
• If they want to talk about it, let them.
• Help them understand their personal level of safety.
• Avoid blaming people from different ethnicities, religions, or other groups.

A few years back, Fred Rogers of Mr. Rogers fame, shared advice his mother had given him, when as a child he heard about a frightening incident, which was  to "look for the helpers.  There are always people who are helping."

Follow the links below for some handouts and other information about talking to children:

http://www.providence.edu/hr/Documents/TalkingtoYourChildrenaboutScaryEvents.pdf
http://store.samhsa.gov/shin/content//SMA12-4732/SMA12-4732.pdf
http://www.brandeis.edu/lemberg/resources/trauma.html

A Link Between Childhood Trauma and Education - One Reason Why Children "Fall Through the Cracks"

 

by Lynn Rioth, Outreach Coordinator

 

In the same way that the ACE (Adverse Childhood Experience) study demonstrated the link between adverse childhood experiences and physical ailments, the Education Law Clinic at Harvard Law School is advocating for the creation of trauma-sensitive schools. Children suffering from PTSD as a result of neglect, abuse, homelessness, or severe bullying are falling through the cracks.  Joel Ristuccia, one of the trauma experts quoted in the article, stated “It’s only in the last 10 years that we’ve gotten a complete picture of how significantly trauma can affect kid’s learning.” 

 The article, For the Children Who Fell Through the Cracks, by Jon Marcus, cites a study of elementary students in Spokane, WA that found higher rates of acting out, bringing problems into the classroom or skipping school among children who had been exposed to trauma.  According to the article, "U.S. schools suspend more than 3.3 million students annually, according to the National Education Policy Center, 95 percent for reasons other than using drugs or carrying weapons. In Massachusetts, many students who were expelled from school in their own district just dropped out of the educational system, since no other district had to take them.”

 The Education Law Clinic asked parents if their children who had been expelled from school had previously been exposed to violence.  “We were shocked at how many parents were saying, “Yes, “said Susan Cole, founder of the clinic.

To read more, go to:  

http://today.law.harvard.edu/feature/for-the-children-who-fell-through-the-cracks/

Publication helps schools recognize and respond to minor sex trafficking

Would the staff at your local schools know what to look for, and how to respond to, potential sex trafficking of students?  Youth experiencing homelessness are at a higher risk and this publication, put together by the National Center for Homeless Education, might provide a good entree into talking with school leadership about this issue and the role CACs can play in responding to victims. You can find Sex Trafficking of Minors: What Schools Need to Know to Recognize and Respond to the Trafficking of Students at http://center.serve.org/nche/downloads/briefs/trafficking.pdf

BYOD? Pitfalls to Using Your Own Device at Work

Employees often want to use their own electronic devices - cell phones, tablets, PCs, for work, but there are pitfalls.  Check out this article to learn about why BYOD to work may not be the best idea for the company or the employee.  http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/use-your-personal-smartphone-work-email-your-company-might-take-6C9558082#!

NOW OPEN: Advanced Management Institute

NOW OPEN: Advanced Management Institute
Dates: October 8th, October 29th, November 12th, November 26th
Midwest Regional CAC offers Advanced Management Institute in an online format.  As the environment for CACs continues to change, the demand for innovative management and governance is at a premium. This online course will explore topics such as; increasing board oversight, working with advisory boards, leadership vs management and creating evaluation outcomes. Each course module will consist of an hour presentation followed by discussion, exercises, feedback and suggestions for next steps.  For more information, go to http://www.mrcac.org/course/advanced-management-institute/

Linked In is More Than Just Networking

Linked In is one way to network with other people in your field or community, but did you know you can also follow topics and groups?  Here is an example of a discussion from the Board Source group, Too Little Board Deference to CEOs - Typical of Nonprofits?.  There is both a discussion of the problem and suggestions on how to improve the balance between boards and directors.  Check out the second link in the article for more information.

Millennials Support Causes, Not Institutions, Survey Finds

Millennials — young men and women born between 1979 and 1994 — passionately support causes rather than the institutions working to address them; are highly selective about which organizations to follow on social media; and value the intrinsic benefits of volunteering such as networking and gaining professional expertise, a new report from Achieve and the Case Foundation finds. Based on survey responses from more than twenty-six hundred individuals, the report, 2013 Millennial Impact Report (34 pages, PDF), found that 73 percent of millennials volunteered for a nonprofit organization in 2012. When asked about their motivations, 79 percent said they were passionate about the cause or issue, 67 percent felt they could make a difference for a cause they cared about, and 56 percent wanted to connect and network with like-minded people. The survey also found that in a crowded and noisy media landscape, 49 percent of millennials actively follow one to five nonprofits on social media, 80 percent like it best when nonprofits have mobile-friendly Web sites, and 59 percent like receiving news or action-oriented updates with links to more information and next steps. Now in its fourth year, the annual survey also found that 84 percent of millennials prefer to give online and are most likely to donate when they feel inspired by the organization (69 percent) or when the organization provides specific examples of the impact the donation will have on its work (49 percent). And while millennials in general are not yet in a position to give large amounts, more than eight in ten (83 percent) made a donation in 2012, while 52 percent said they would consider signing up for a monthly giving program. "Millennials are a little bit different in that they're much more focused on the cause and not the specific organization," Jean Case, CEO of the Case Foundation, told the Nonprofit Quarterly. "From a strategy standpoint...it really should encourage collaboration....I think we saw a very clear message: the need for organizations and causes to be really authentic to drive action by millennials." "2013 Millennial Impact Report." Achieve and Case Foundation Report 7/18/13. Creedon, Aine. "An Interview With Jean Case on the 2013 Millennial Impact Report." Nonprofit Quarterly 7/18/13. Taken from Philanthropy News Digest  July 23, 2013   The Foundation Center.