So often when we look at the world news, we see the struggles of children with serious trauma. The stories can be horrific and tragic. But we should also realize that trauma in many forms is quite prevalent in our own country.
Why don’t we see the trauma our own country’s children experience?
This article by Jonathan Zaff speaks to this issue right in our own country.
The U.S. isn’t at war, but many of our young people experience trauma every day.
It’s shocking and heartbreaking to see the lives of millions of Syrian children thrown into chaos. Now refugees, they’re struggling for survival, often without their parents, trying to find new homes, new lives.
A recent study of more than 300 Syrian refugee children in one refugee camp in Turkey found astronomical rates of trauma, with nearly 80 percent experiencing the death of a family member, 30 percent enduring violence, and 45 percent exhibiting PTSD symptoms.
We’re not at war here in the United States, but many of our young people deal with trauma every day.
Among young people in the U.S. who have left school without graduating (arguably the most socially and economically disadvantaged), 14 percent report losing a parent during their adolescence, 40 percent have been physically or emotionally abused, nearly 20 percent have been homeless, and more than half report dealing with a major mental health issue.
More than half of young people who have left high school without graduating have faced five or more adverse life experiences while they were teenagers.
Any one of these adversities would knock most of us off a positive developmental pathway. Now add four or more crises. Imagine not one of these — being put in multiple foster homes, moving homes three or more times, going to jail, becoming a teen parent — but five.
Schools can play an essential role in providing stability, supportive relationships, an integrated set of human, mental health, and social services, and a sense of purpose for all young people, refugees and non-refugees alike. But solutions need to go beyond schools.
Young people in challenging circumstances need services to help resolve the psychological impact of trauma and help acquiring day-to-day essentials, like roofs over their heads and food on their tables.
Most importantly, young people need caring adults in their lives. Relationship poverty is real and young people who lack access to additional sources of support often face serious consequences. All young people have assets to be leveraged, and relationships with caring adults help them to direct their assets and their energy toward positive goals and healthy outcomes.
The plight of Syrian refugee children is a reminder of the trauma and hurdles that millions and millions of young people face throughout the world. It also reminds me of the trauma and hurdles young people face here.
Often we attribute drop-outs and missing graduation to many other issues.
I would suggest that trauma and adverse child experiences could be a significant contributing deficit causing students to not graduate from high school. We certainly need to be aware and proactive to help our students who have faced these circumstances. It could make a huge difference to the rest of their lives.
Gerry Vassar, President/CEO, Lakeside Educational Network
Source: http://www.gradnation.org/blog/trauma-without-borders
