America At War:
Helping Families And Children Cope

 

With the war in Iraq, high international tensions, and the increased threat of terrorism, all of us need to share our reserves of sensitivity, reassurance, and love more than ever. As adults who care deeply about children and youth, we carry a special responsibility to listen really well, both verbally and nonverbally, to the wide range of feelings and thoughts that youngsters of all ages are experiencing. They are depending upon us for guidance, stability, and accurate information.

This Web page provides camera-ready and audio resources in English and Spanish for supporting and educating families and children in coping with the constant evidences of war. You may download all items verbatim. Please cite the source as the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service, giving the names and titles of the authors as they appear below (if space allows) at the end of each article.

We have worked as a team in developing this site. Please feel free to communicate with us using the following email address: alesueur@uky.edu. You can be sure that one of us will quickly respond. (Carole Gnatuk, Alex Lesueur, Brian Fitzpatrick, Bob DeMattina, Bob Flashman, and Sam Quick)

Media Articles

• America At War: Helping Children Cope
• America At War: Our Attitude Makes a Difference
• America At War: What the Average Person Can Do
• America At War: Rising Above Fear and Prejudice
• America at War: How to Help with Humanitarian Crises in Iraq

Short Media Spots on Helping Children Cope with the War
(In English)

• America At War: Children Sense the Anxiety
• America At War: Be There for Your Child
• America At War: Let Children Help Out
• America At War: Young Minds Are Easily Confused
• America At War: Share Honestly with Your Child

Audio Versions of Short Media Spots
(English)

• America At War: Children Sense the Anxiety
• America At War: Be There for Your Child
• America At War: Let Children Help Out
• America At War: Young Minds Are Easily Confused
• America At War: Share Honestly with Your Child

Los Estados Unidos y la Guerra: Mantenga la Seguridad de su Hijo
Short radio spots in Spanish

• Los Estados Unidos y la guerra: Mantenga la seguridad de su hijo
• Los Estados Unidos y la guerra: Sea sensible a los pensamientos de su hijo

Audio Versions of Short Media Spots
(Spanish)

• Los Estados Unidos y la guerra: Mantenga la seguridad de su hijo
• Estados Unidos y la guerra: Sea sensible a los pensamientos de su hijo

Related Links

• http://www.cyfernet.org/warres.html Resources for parents, teachers, and family support professionals in times of war. CYFERnet is the Children, Youth, and Families Education and Research Network. This website contains comprehensive resources listed under the following headings: talking with children about war and terrorism, classroom resources, stress and coping, protecting children from traumatic media exposure, patriotism, related organizations and links, and resources for military families.
  
  
• http://www.reeusda.gov/1700/statepartners/usa.htm Access to state Cooperative Extension web sites across the country.
  
  
• http://www.agnr.umd.edu/HotTopics/preparedMD.htm Supporting Maryland families during times of war. Useful resources for all states as well as Maryland. Prepared by Susan Walker, Ph.D., Family Life Specialist, Maryland Cooperative Extension.
  
  
• http://web.aces.uiuc.edu/news/stories/news2256.html Parents must interpret war talk for their children, by Aaron Ebata, ACES News, University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, March 19, 2003. Contact Aaron Ebata, Ph.D., Family Life Specialist, Illinois Cooperative Extension, at (217) 333-2912, e-mail: ebata@uiuc.edu.
  
  
• http://family-info.info/. Family-Info.Info: War Words. This is a new consumer website from Cooperative Extension at North Carolina State University. It contains brief articles for families that change weekly but are archived for future reference. Current offerings emphasize ideas for families on communicating with children about war.
  
  
• http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/fcs/smp9/disspan.html Hablar con niños y jóvenes: Cuando el hablar se hace dificil (Talking with children during tough times). Adaptado por Karen DeBord, Ph. D., la Universidad del Estado de Carolina del Norte, Servicio de Extensión Cooperativa. Originalmente desarrollado por Judy Myers-Walls, Ph. D., Servicio de Extensión Cooperativa de la Universidad de Purdue (preparado como respuesta al ataque del terrorista, septiembre 11 de 2001). Traducido por Dr. H. Nolo Martínez, Director de la Oficina de Asuntos Hispano/Latinos, Oficina del Gobernador de Carolina del Norte.
  
  
• http://www.aacap.org/publications/apntsfam/fff55.htm Comprendiendo el comportamiento violento de niños y adolescents (Understanding violent behavior in children and adolescents). Publisher: American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (1996). This factsheet describes factors that influence violent behaviors and discusses warning signs and prevention.
  
  
• http://www.nydic.org/resource_crises.cfm Helping children, youth & families cope with terrorism and war: Resources for service providers. Website contributed by Allan T. Smith, Ph.D., National 4-H Program Leader, National 4-H Headquarters. This is the website of the National Youth Development Information Center (NYDIC), an internet clearinghouse for fact sheets, curricula, websites and other resources to better equip social workers, teachers, youth group leaders and others to help children, youth and families cope with terrorism and war. NYDIC is operated by the National Collaboration for Youth, a coalition of more than forty leading providers and supporters of services for children and youth.
  
  
• http://www.naeyc.org/resources/news/supporting_children.asp Supporting young children during war and conflict. National Association for the Education of Young Children. This website contains resources for working with young children in groups as well as suggestions for families. There are links to numerous other sites.
  
  
• http://npin.org/library/2001/n00578/n00578.html Talking about terrorism, tragedy, and resilience: Resources for parents, teachers, and family support professionals. National Parent Information Network (NPIN) Virtual Library.
  
  
• http://www.aap.org/family/frk/frkit.htm Family Readiness Kit: Preparing to Handle Disasters. American Academy of Pediatrics. The AAP includes information on numerous types of disasters on its Web page.
  
  
• http://www.agctr.lsu.edu/eden/default.aspx The Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN) links Extension educators from across the U.S. and various disciplines so they can use and share resources to reduce the impact of disasters. From food safety to field safety, from the physical to the psychological, and from governmental process to community development, EDEN has resources you can use.
  
  
• http://wwwagwx.ca.uky.edu/EDEN/EDEN.html Kentucky Extension Disaster Education Network, a branch of EDEN (see above website). Point of contact: Tom Priddy, Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, University of Kentucky, 245 C. E. Barnhart Building, Lexington, KY 40546-0276.
  Phone: (859) 257-3000, ext. 245. Email: priddy@uky.edu.
  

Audio files require the "Real Audio" player available here.