By Matthew Bradley
The ongoing war in Gaza has undoubtedly drawn the attention and deep concern of all of us and is expected to continue into the foreseeable future. The brutal terrorist attack by Hamas and the ensuing response have brought death to thousands and created a humanitarian crisis affecting millions.
These horrific events and their coverage in the news impact all of us to varying degrees based upon personal connections, relationships, and affiliations, and depending upon our ages, levels of exposure, and engagement in discussions. While the situation is complex, to be sure, I believe all of us share in our concern for humanity in the face of such violence.
As a Quaker school, we look to the Quaker testimony of Peace that is at the heart of our mission and strive to foster in our students the knowledge, perspective, and skills to seek non-violent resolutions to conflict so that they can, in turn, foster peace in our immediate community and in the broader communities that they will inhabit throughout their lives.
As I reflect on the current conflict and its impact on our community, my mind is drawn to two related queries: What can we do? and How can we help?
As the adults in this learning community – parents, guardians, and teachers – one pressing concern is to help our children and students navigate and make sense of what they are hearing in the news, through social media (including exposure to graphic images), and from adult conversations. Toward that end, here are some valuable resources with guidance about monitoring our children’s exposure to news and helping to make sense, as best we can, of what they are learning.
Explaining the News to Our Kids (age-based guidance from Common Sense Media)
How to Talk to Children About Difficult News (from the American Psychological Association)
How to Talk to Your Children About the Conflict in Israel and Gaza (from Stanford Medicine)
The above article from the APA includes some simple advice for adults in caring for themselves in these challenging circumstances as well. The article from Stanford Medicine includes a focus on social media.
In addition to speaking with and responding to the needs of our children, another way to help children respond to a humanitarian crisis is to engage them in being helpful. One most effective way to be helpful is to support organizations that are providing humanitarian aid in the region, such as the International Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, Save the Children, and World Central Kitchen (which FSMH has supported in the recent past). This article lists and describes a number of organizations that families may consider supporting.
How to Help Humanitarian Efforts in Israel and Gaza (from NPR)
In closing, please join me in holding all of those impacted by war in the Light and in our continual prayer for peace in the world.
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