Friday morning December 14th our nation’s belief of children’s safety was shattered by a single gunman who entered the sanctuary of an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut and then proceeded to massacre 20 children age 6 to 7 years old and 6 adults including the school principal, school psychologist and 4 teachers. The enormity of the tragedy has triggered a profound collective grief and unending questions of why, how and what could have been done to prevent it.
A barrier was broken with this trauma, as innocent young children were the targeted victims. We now face the task of moving through the grieving process as a nation, helping adults and children grieve. We must help our children understand in developmentally appropriate terms what happened while restoring their sense of safety. We also must place a priority on helping adults grieve and regain steady grounding, so they can support and guide children.
YHC has dedicated this year to addressing the issues of grief, trauma and loss. It feels even more important, urgent and critical than we could ever have imagined. We do know that healing takes time, care and connection. Navigating through the trauma to be able to grieve the loss is the fundamental task in order to heal as a nation. In the upcoming months YHC will be hosting programs on grief, trauma, witness to violence and Typical or Troubled™ (Understanding Adolescence. The timeliness and choice of scheduled speakers can help us be better prepared to tackle the challenge we now face. Please join us as we work to create a connected community of adults educated and prepared to collaborate in healing.
