29 Jun 2022

NJSACC Publishes Resource List to Support Youth in Coping with Trauma

We will continue to mourn the loss of the 19 children and 2 teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas to senseless violence. This event and others remind us of the importance of the work we do in supporting the development and success of the youth in our care. In these unfortunate times, we as childcare professionals must be prepared to aid the youth we nurture and care for in processing these traumatic events, their emotions related to the trauma and their experiences in this troubled world.

The staff of NJSACC have curated the following resources to assist you in providing support to youth. We all hope for and will continue to work towards creating safe environments for our youth.

If you or someone you know needs immediate help or assistance, please ask for help.

Additional resources are available by clicking here.

TALKING ABOUT IT

TAKE ACTION

  • How to Help Uvalde Families
    Uvalde, Texas, is reeling from the second-deadliest school shooting in U.S. history. The community is looking for blood donations, legal assistance and funds for victims’ families. Read on to learn how you can help.
    Read more
  • March For Our Lives again: Young people are done waiting. It’s time to March For Our Lives again. On June 11th, we are once again taking to the streets in DC and in sibling marches across the country to demand our political leaders take action to end gun violence. RSVP and march with us in Washington, DC or find a march near you (or host your own march.)
  • You can also use the Students Demand Action Walkout Activation Toolkit to plan a walkout at your school.
  • Send a message to your Senators and demand that they pass gun safety legislation.
  • We need to do our part as citizens and participate in the election process, to effect positive change. This will take more than one election, but the first steps are to register to vote, make sure everyone you know is registered to vote, educate other voters about prevalent issues, and vote like our lives depend on it – in this year’s election and every election.

MENTAL HEALTH & SEL RESOURCES

PLAN & PREVENT

  • American Camp Association (ACA): As camp professionals, the safety of children and staff at our camps is always the number one priority and we need to be prepared for the possibility of an active shooter occurrence at one of our camps. If you haven’t done so already, we strongly encourage each camp to create an active shooter plan as part of your emergency action plan. Each camp is different and will need to assess its own needs, however, we are including some resources below to help assist you in thinking about and preparing a plan.
    • Speak with your local EMS & local law enforcement – Contact your local law enforcement agency as well as your local EMS. They will come to your property to help you create a plan.
    • U.S Department of Homeland Security – The Department of Homeland Security has created a comprehensive active shooter document.
    • Active Shooter Document
    • Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency – The agency has created an active shooter emergency action plan guide, including an active shooter emergency plan video and template.
    • Emergency action plan guide and template
    • ACA resources – ACA has some helpful resources on camp safety procedures as well as how to talk with parents about camp safety.
    • Camp security
    • Talking with parents about protecting their children at camp.
    • Security firms – Hire a private security firm to work with your camp on developing a plan.
  • What Role Should Schools Have in Preventing Shootings? – Gil Noam, Psychology Today
  • How Do I Help Students Feel Safe in School Again? – Gil Noam, Psychology Today

GENERAL RESOURCES