After Every Disaster, There is Always a Sunday
After every disaster, the Church has a unique opportunity to respond. After every disaster, there is always a Sunday.
For people who minister to children and youth, this means that there is an immediate opportunity to connect young people to the rich resources of hope and healing, of prayer, conversation, ritual and action that their faith community offers.
Episcopal Relief & Development's US Disaster Program has created a set of resources to assist religious educators and youth ministers in responding to the spiritual needs of children and youth in the first weeks after a disaster. These include:
- Ministering to Children after a Disaster, Resources for Grades K-5
- Ministering to Youth after a Disaster, Resources for Grades 6-8
- Ministering to Teens after a Disaster, Resources for Grades 9-12
They are downloadable for free from the Episcopal Relief & Development Resource Library on the Episcopal Relief & Development website.
Each curriculum provides age-appropriate suggestions for prayer, discussion, reflection and response that can be woven into a regularly scheduled faith formation session or a special youth event. Reproducible handouts for teachers, parents and other care providers are included at the end of each resource.
The resources focus on the idea that those working with young people in the aftermath of a disaster or traumatic event have a clear mission: to comfort, to listen and to point young people toward paths of resilience.
Here are some general tips for responding effectively:
- Listen and share a sense of compassion, and serve as a calming presence
- Pray with and for the young people you serve. Allow them to pray in their own words, but do not force participation.
- Do not try to fix problems, but aim to help children and youth find a place of serenity and security.
- Make room for young people to share their thoughts and feelings about a disaster, but don't insist that they do so.
- Invite trauma specialists, mental health providers or people with good pastoral skills to attend group meetings with children and youth, especially if some of the young people need help processing emotions of sadness, fear or grief. Make sure that anyone new to your program has the appropriate background checks and trainings.
- Invite young people to help their community or neighbors in some way. For young children this might mean writing thank you notes to first responders or drawing pictures and making cards for people affected by the disaster. Older youths can help package good or assist in food distribution programs. Teens can be encouraged to match the resources they have, such as time, fund-raising ability and physical labor, to needs that the community is articulating.
Adults ministering to youth after disaster may notice that their young participants exhibit a variety of reactions, especially if they have experienced trauma. These will stem not only from the event and their own perception of it, but from their own history of crisis, from their age and developmental stage, and their support system. Understanding these responses can help religious educators and youth ministers plan faith formation activities that acknowledge where young people are emotionally and help meet these emotional and spiritual needs.
Very young children can react to trauma with shorter attention spans, confusion, bowel or bladder problems, nervousness, clinging and disobedience. Their primary need is to establish safety, security and self-control. Adults can offer clear and honest information about an event. And they can provide comfort, assurance of protection, and a sense of calm.
Like their younger counterparts, this age group can also have difficulty concentrating and may experience a variety of physical complaints as well as loss of sleep. In addition to needing safety and security, they may also need to relieve a sense of guilt, build self-esteem and re-establish productivity. Adults can encourage children to discuss their feelings. They can also reinforce age-appropriate behaviors, offer structure and provide creative opportunities for children to succeed and fee good about themselves.
Junior/Senior High School
In addition to problems concentrating and physical ailments, teens may withdraw, exhibit anti-social behavior, abuse drugs or alcohol and struggle with survivor guilt. Teens often need to be reassured about normalcy, and to understand the meaning and purpose of an event. Teens might need help reducing stress, preparing for additional reactions and clarifying information about the disaster. Adults can validate their reactions, provide opportunities for positive actions, and make sure that they can meet and talk with their own peers.
(Source: Jayne Crisp, Association of Traumatic Stress Specialists, and School Crisis Management, Kendall Johnson Ph.D. Hunter House, 1993)
Faith formation and youth ministry programs can be uniquely positioned to assist young people in the first few weeks after a disaster. With a little preparation, adults who work with youth can quickly structure their outreach to meet young people's specific needs and help them move toward resiliency.