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HELPING CHILDREN DEAL WITH WAR: AMERICAN RED CROSS TEAMS UP WITH SCHOOLS ACROSS THE COUNTRY FOR ‘FACING FEAR’
‘Facing Fear’ Course Available for Educators at http://www.redcross.org/
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WASHINGTON, DC, April 1, 2003— “What does war mean?” “Am I safe?” “How can I help?” These are just a few of the questions raised in the minds of adults and young people alike during this time of heightened tension. In schools around the nation, teachers are turning to the American Red Cross to help their students cope with their fears about war, the threat of terrorism and the uncertain times we live in. The Red Cross Facing Fear: Helping Young People Deal with Terrorism and Tragic Events curriculum contains preparedness information addressing tragic events, natural disasters and other human-caused tragedies, including war and terrorism. The ready-to-go lessons are available for K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12 grade levels and meet national education standards in health, social studies and language arts. As the nation watches the crisis in Iraq unfold and deals with the threat of terrorist attacks under the Orange/High level, educators from Delaware to Seattle are using the Facing Fear curriculum to alleviate fears in their classrooms. New York City public schools brought the curriculum in for their students, and Washington, DC area school districts began utilizing Facing Fear during the October 2002 sniper attacks. In San Diego, where thousands of members of the military are leaving families to ship out for active duty, schools are looking to the Facing Fear curriculum to help children whose relatives are in the Armed Forces. In the weeks following the September 11 terrorist attacks, the
Red Cross brought together experts and educators from coast to coast
to develop Facing Fear . This curriculum is available online
for schools nationwide at http://www.redcross.org/ for no
charge. Already, 40,000 copies of the curriculum have been placed in
schools throughout the country, and over 13,000 copies have been
downloaded at no cost from www.redcross.org “As much as we would like to protect our children, we cannot
isolate them from tragedies,” said Heidi Taylor, a curriculum
associate with the American National Red Cross Disaster Services in
Washington, D.C. “Today’s unique circumstances place tremendous
stress on children, and they often turn to their teachers for
support. Now more than ever before youth are relying on the adults
in their lives for reassurance and guidance, and we can help them to
learn about facing and moving beyond their fears.”
For more information on Facing
Fear: Helping Young People Deal with Terrorism and Tragic
Events, contact your local Red Cross chapter or visit http://www.redcross.org/ online.
Governed by volunteers and supported by community donations, the
American Red Cross is a nationwide network of nearly 1,000 chapters
and Blood Services regions dedicated to saving lives and helping
people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies. With 1.2
million volunteers and 30,000 employees, the Red Cross annually
mobilizes relief to families affected by over 67,000 disasters,
trains almost 12 million people in lifesaving skills and exchanges
more than a million emergency messages for U.S. military service
personnel and their families. The Red Cross is the largest supplier
of blood and blood products to more than 3,000 hospitals across the
nation and also provides relief and assistance to those suffering
from conflict, disasters and other international crises worldwide.
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