Too often, the events we see unfolding in the news and online are both tragic and horrible. As parents, when your child asks about what is going on, it might be difficult to form a response. While this discussion is never easy, here are a few things to consider:

  1. Be honest, but focus on the good. You know your child best – but if they ask about what is going on, try to be as honest as possible. Focus on the ‘helpers’ in the situation.
  2. Listen more than you speak. This is hard because we want to reassure our children and give them answers. We challenge you to listen to your kids. They may have questions or need reassurance in an area that does not line up with YOUR agenda to make it “OK”. Instead, reflect back what you hear and help them name what they are feeling. It can be hard to name them, but now is a good time to work on describing and exploring complex emotions.
  3. Speaking of Emotions. . . We need to talk about hate. It’s more powerful than how someone feels about a television show, a color, a song, or getting stuck doing chores instead of playing with their friends. We need to talk about what makes people hate another group of people so much that hurting them becomes a viable option . . . and then make connections to the richness a diverse environment can add to life and community. Challenge their own ideas about diversity by asking simple questions: What are the groups that you are in? Who do you keep out? Who do you let in? What changes can be made to ensure everyone has an opportunity to be a part of the group?
  4. Give them an action to focus on. Give your child a small task – something that can help make the world a better place. This is a great way to keep them from worrying, and a way to help them see that they can make a difference. Suggest that they reach out to someone at school and make a new friend, or plan a day to volunteer as a family. No matter how big or how small, every effort makes the world a better place.

Camp Fire is, and always will be, a safe place for youth and families of ALL backgrounds. The following is an open letter to today’s youth, written by our Camp Fire National CEO, Cathy Tisdale. We encourage you to read this with your family.

“I am writing you today because we desperately need your help. Adults need you to step up and be our role models. We need you to show the country how to treat people with kindness and respect.

Too many adults—including adults in important positions—are using social media and their conversations at home, at work, and in their communities to speak badly about people they don’t like or agree with. We often see it on TV, too.

When that happens, you are robbed of the kind of environment you need to thrive—an environment where you feel safe, supported, and encouraged by the adults around you.

Maybe adults have forgotten what it feels like to be bullied or made fun of. But I bet you haven’t—you see it every day. You have seen how much it hurts people’s feelings. Think about a time when you were the last one chosen for a team at school. Or the time someone made fun of the way you were dressed. Or when someone posted something bad about you or one of your friends online that wasn’t true. Remember how awful it felt? How embarrassed you were? Now imagine if someone in an important position made fun of you in a speech to thousands of people that was shown on TV. And then all those people started laughing and making fun of you too, even though they’d never met you.”

Read the complete letter here: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/an-open-letter-to-americas-youth-from-camp-fire_us_5991cc19e4b0ed1f464c0cbf