Still shooting

On December 14, the nation will mark the year anniversary of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary school in Connecticut. Twenty children and six adults were killed that day in a senseless act of violence. Almost a year later the violence continues with news of a middle school teacher gunned down in Sparks, Nevada shielding his students from a gun wielding classmate. This is not the only time in the last year when there have been reports of gun-related violence in schools.

Regardless of your position on gun control, everyone is asking why this increase in violence and how can we stop this from occurring. Together as communities we should address how to assure that children are kept safe especially in schools and that teachers and school personnel not worry about their security.

The answer is not to arm our teachers or turn schools into fortresses, but rather to create communities that are attentive and responsive to the needs of our children and families. One of the things that we have begun to do at Hillsides is to sensitize all our staff to the role trauma has to play in the lives of the children and families we serve. For many of them they have experienced a great deal of violence not only because of physical threats but also emotional abuse. A word, a gesture or a tone of violence can trigger memories that revisit a traumatic event and prompt an otherwise irrational response.  

We have learnt that without this kind of heightened sensitivity we run the risk of retraumatizing children who are already in vulnerable emotional states. These episodes of post traumatic stress have the ability to destabilize a child and further jeopardize the child’s well-being. It is in this kind of situation that violent outbursts can occur, contributing to a cycle of behavior that is challenging to stop.

An approach to care that is sensitive to the trauma that has been experienced can effectively reduce episodes of post traumatic stress. More importantly, the approach by staff exposes the child and family to an environment that is attentive, supportive and responsive. With in this kind of environment difficult issues can be addressed, solutions can be identified, healthy strategies pursued, and hopefully violence averted.

This is not the only thing that can be done to address a pervasive violent culture, but it certainly is something that can be introduced into all our schools. A trauma-sensitive approach can have a lasting impact not only on our students and their families but also affect our ability to support communities responsive to the needs of the most vulnerable. With any luck it could also be a strategy that contributes to stopping the senseless violence that has become all too pervasive. 

Reaction to violence

I had been in meetings all day at the CWLA conference in Washington, D.C. when I got word from a colleague from Massachusetts that there had been a bombing at the Boston Marathon. I immediately became concerned because I knew my niece and her husband, who had run the marathon, were there. I called my niece and was reassured that they were safe though disturbed by the incident and grateful that they had managed to escape the melee. Such random violence is an increasingly common occurrence in our society. The victims of such heinous acts are innocent bystanders going about their lives, hoping the odds are in their favor that they will not be stricken.

This morning on the final day of the annual CWLA conference I sat in on a listening session addressing the threats to children in such a violent culture and how we, as caregivers, can help to address their needs. The sad fact is that 60% of all children in the United States are exposed to violence. Violence seems to have become pervasive. In the light of the Newtown tragedy and the Boston Marathon bombing, many are suggesting that the solution to such unspeakable acts is greater vigilance and capacity to defend ourselves.

The instinct to protect and defend is not the solution, but rather an understandable initial reaction to a threat. The solution is more complicated and requires a great deal of thought and effort for us to reverse what is a pervasive violent culture.

The impact of such violence is made painfully clear because of notorious acts. However, every day in this country 29 children or youth under the age of 18 die un-necessarily. They die because they are victims of violence, abuse or neglect, some taking their own lives because they consider death preferable to the tragic lives they endure.

Solutions should go beyond arming ourselves, fortifying our homes, and resorting to suspicion. Our ultimate response is to resist a bunker mentality in favor of a resolve to make a difference. While many instinctively ran from the chaos at the Boston Marathon blast, some were drawn into the mayhem and courageously responded to the injured risking their own well-being to tend to those who had been affected by the bombing. Their instinctive response to care is a great example of how violence is ultimately thwarted. We should honor, value, and share stories of courageous people in the midst of tragedy rather than overwhelmingly highlight the tragedies and perpetrators.

Our prayers are with the individuals and families affected by this recent violence.