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| Source: EdSource, Ian Kapsalis/ The Express |
Summer can be a difficult time for kids as schools close down. But, have we thought that how this is especially true for those with undocumented family members? This blog contains excerpts from How to help kids cope with ongoing ICE raids, deportations | Quick Guide written by Vani Sanganeria for EdSource. To view this original publication, click here.
“Fears remain unabated for both children of immigrants and their friends, as federal immigration agents in California continue to detain, arrest and deport residents, in what community members say has become an indefinite fixture of the Trump administration.”
Vani Sanganeria explains:
- With school out for the summer, some students may no longer have access to crucial support and services available during the academic school year, as fear and anxiety rise in their communities from ongoing immigration raids.
- The absence of school-based services often leads to worsening mental health for students during the summer.
- During the summer, unstructured routine, social isolation and increased social media use can exacerbate feelings of sadness and fear. Also, children are much more likely to internalize traumatic events like raids on social media or outside of school, often in isolation and lacking the safe environment of a classroom to talk through their feelings about the day’s news.
- Data indicate a spike in both substance use and feelings of sadness among adolescents during the summer, which worsens in part due to unstructured routine, increased isolation and increased social media use.
“Children are already seeing masked individuals with weapons coming into the communities, tackling people and taking them away and putting them into vehicles. We have to acknowledge that some very scary things are happening in all of our communities — by lying about the magnitude of this, we may be risking our trust with our children in the future.” – Ahmanise Sanati, school social worker in Los Angeles
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| Source: www.pexels.com |
According to Marta Melendez, a social worker with LAUSD, families can prepare for scenarios like an ICE raid, detention or deportation by preemptively building their and their child’s mental health tool kit, similar to an emergency plan.
“Families can take steps to support their child’s mental health and prepare for what experts are calling a child welfare and human rights crisis.”
- Research shows that even basic mindfulness interventions can mitigate the short- and long-term negative effects of stress and trauma, and these techniques, when taught bilingually, are especially effective for populations such as the Latino community.
- Prioritize something that is a positive outlet for the child, whether they like to play sports, to write about their feelings, draw about their feelings, sing about their feelings, if they want to dance about their feelings — make sure that they have a way of processing all the emotions that they are experiencing.
- Talk through your child’s feelings.
“One way to validate a child who is afraid is by letting them know that their family will be ready for a worst-case scenario.” - Marta Melendez, a social worker with LAUSD.
- To create a sense of normalcy for children, Melendez said families should do their best to maintain healthy routines and hobbies during the summer, especially those that promote social connection with their peers.
- Prepare for emergencies.
- Create a childcare plan.
- Find remote mental health support for your child.
- Practice healthy coping skills as a family.
Previous LIAS Blogs on this topic can be viewed here.
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