As the holiday season comes to a close and life has returned to its pre-pandemic state, it's easy to forget our struggles during the COVID-19 outbreak. Looking back, it's fascinating to think about how we managed to stay indoors for such an extensive period. Although things seem to be back to normal, the lasting impact, particularly on children, remains evident. The loss of parents and caregivers has become a significant concern, with over 229,000 children losing one or both parents, 252,000 losing primary caregivers, and 291,000 losing primary or secondary caregivers due to COVID-19. Childhood poverty rates have surged, with 1.2 million children pushed below the poverty line, and in 2022, 9 million children (about half the population of New York) in the United States experienced food insecurity (Khan, 2022; Feeding America, 2023). In New Jersey, according to Feeding America (2023), one out of every ten children face hunger.
The number of children in New Jersey struggling with anxiety and depression has significantly increased from 7.6% in 2016 to 10.7% (nearly 168,000 children) in 2020. To address this growing issue, the state's recent FY2023 budget has allocated $50 million in federal funds to strengthen youth mental health support. During the first year of the COVID-19 crisis, children across America, including those in more than 40 states and the District of Columbia, were found to be at a higher risk of experiencing anxiety or depression compared to previous years. According to recent statistics, the national figure rose by 26%, from 9.4% of children aged 3-17 (equivalent to 5.8 million) to 11.8% (7.3 million) between 2016 and 2020. This increase means an additional 1.5 million children struggle to cope with their daily lives.
In response, the US Surgeon General and the Children's Hospital Association have declared a national state of emergency, a “Mental Health Pandemic.” Minority youth have been disproportionately affected, indicating the existence of systemic racism within America's framework (Hawks, 2023). Although racial disparities in youth mental health are not new, COVID-19 has widened this gap and, at the same time, brought the issue to the forefront of our minds. It’s crucial to shift our focus toward the aftermath of the pandemic and its profound effect on the mental well-being of America’s children.
The Resilience of Children
According to the American Psychological Association (2014), resilience is the ability to adapt well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats, or significant sources of stress. This definition does not accurately describe the complex nature of resilience. What does it really mean to be resilient? How can we teach this concept to children so they can understand? A study was conducted assessing the psychological health of young medical students after the COVID-19 pandemic; they came up with an acronym to complement the 7 Cs of resilience. The acronym is NEPTUNE, and it pairs an action with each of the 7C’s of Resilience (Wirthmiller, 2023).
N is for Nurturing Certainty (Confidence)
E is for Engaging Expertise (Competence)
P is for Pursuing Relationship (Connection)
T is for Training Integrity (Character)
U is for Understanding Impact (Contribution)
N is for Navigating Challenges (Coping)
E is for Encouraging Autonomy (Control)
Children are innately curious and enthusiastic about learning. They possess natural coping skills through play, physical activities, and friendship. Despite their remarkable resilience, children still require adult support and connection. They need assistance developing autonomy, character, confidence, and understanding their unique place in the world.
When helping children develop resilience, our words can significantly impact them and serve as a bridge to connect with them. The journey towards healing is a collaborative effort between the supportive adult and child, where our conversations can transform us into reliable and approachable figures in a child's life. By demonstrating how to communicate and identify difficult emotions, we can assist them in navigating through challenging situations. The exact words used during these conversations may be forgotten, but how we make them feel will leave a lasting impression.
Empowering Through Creative Expression
As we reflect on the challenges we faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, it's important to remember the resilience and strength we possess in ourselves. Despite the difficulties with virtual work, school and being unable to leave our homes for what seemed like forever, we managed to adapt and persevere, and now we can support our children in doing the same. The Regional ACES Collaborative and the NJ Office of Resilience have joined forces to offer grant funding for community projects that promote resilience in children through creative activities.
The partnership between the Regional Aces Collaborative and The NJ Office of Resilience Children allows children who have experienced Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) to connect with peers and adults. They can use their imagination to express their feelings and gain control over their experiences through physical play, art, and creative outlets, allowing them to explore their emotions safely and constructively. Resilience-building programs like the ones funded through the Office of Resilience teach the 7 Cs of resilience through real-life, actionable skills that cover all the bases in the acronym NEPTUNE from dedicated, passionate leaders who have made it their mission to drive change in our communities.
The Potential Project
The Potential Project, conceived by artist and activist Bentrice Jusu, is a multifaceted augmented and virtual reality (VR) initiative to address the impact of violence and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in urban communities like Trenton. This specific component brings together Trenton youth aged 16-21 in a safe space for workshops on self-development, bike mechanics, and entrepreneurship. The participants will co-design a community-based healing model incorporating storytelling, sculpture, skateboards, and bikes. The culmination of this effort will be the development of storyBOARDS™, scalable for broader use in Trenton and similar cities. The concept of storyBOARDS™ emerged from Bentrice's childhood passion for wheels, particularly her experience making her first longboard in college. This project explores personal journeys through various modes of transportation—skateboards, longboards, bikes, words, or artistic expression.
The inspiration for The Potential Project stems from Bentrice's reflections on the tragic death of Jah’day, a 16-year-old former student in her youth multimedia program, Both Hands, who fell victim to gun violence. The project seeks to counteract the limitations imposed on the potential of youth like Jah’day by historical, systemic factors, including violence, trauma, ACEs, and insufficient support for affected young people.
Next Gen Acting
Next Gen Acting is offering a mentorship course in theatre, called The Rising Stars Resilience Project. This program aims to provide middle and high school students who have experienced Adverse Childhood Experiences with eight master classes. The classes will be hosted by seasoned producers, actors, and actresses with over two decades of experience in the field and will cover such topics as acting, directing, production, voice-over, and many others. Next Gen Acting is determined to support all young people passionate about acting and will stand against any form of bullying they may encounter. On January 13, 2024, Next Gen Acting will host a Pre-Launch Party with an impressive line-up of artists including Micah Hauptman, known for his roles in movies like Everest and Homeland, Brad Fleischer, known for his work in Broadway plays, The Walking Dead, Prison Break, and more, Shelly Shenoy, known for her voiceover work in Red Dead Redemption 2 and other video games, the Sharpe Family Singers, a family act on America's Got Talent, and social media icons, and Elizabeth Broadhurst, an actress, and singer from Broadway National Tours of Annie, Mary Poppins, Hair, and more!
Sage Horizons LLC and Soaring Phoenix Corporation
Sage Horizons, LLC and Soaring Phoenix Corporation are concerned with both the direct impacts of systemic racism on the health and well-being of Black and Brown families, as well as the intersections of racism with other forms of marginalization, like having low incomes, low proficiencies in education (like reading and math) and experiencing homelessness. Through funding from the Regional ACEs Collaborative, these sister organizations have partnered to provide a robust 12-week healing-centered enrichment program. This youth program is designed to counteract the harms of structural and systemic racism and improve the mental health, wellbeing, and education equity outcomes for youth in Salem County experiencing homelessness. Activities are slated to begin during the first quarter of next year and will include: martial arts and meditation, chess, healthy nutrition, and exercise, foreign (French) language and cultural discovery, and poetry and journaling.
A Collective Responsibility
During adversity and in times of peace, children rely on the support and care of adults and caregivers. However, resilience in children doesn't develop by itself. It requires a conscious and proactive effort. This means creating Positive Childhood Experiences (PCES), adopting trauma-informed care practices, establishing safe and stable environments, providing consistent emotional support, and fostering transparent and open communication channels. It means meeting them where they are at, in that very moment you are with them. It's the community's responsibility to act in this regard. The Office of Resilience and the Regional Aces Collaborative partnership is an excellent example of what can be achieved by working together. They have funded fifty projects across the state of New Jersey to recognize and promote the resilience of children. By doing this, we invest in their ability to cope with and overcome the significant challenges posed by trauma, including those caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. With a steadfast commitment to cultivating resilience, emotional well-being, and adaptability, we have the power to shape the future for our children and transform the trajectory of generations to come.
References
Feeding America. (2023). U.S. Hunger Relief Organization | Feeding America. Feedingamerica.org. https://www.feedingamerica.org
Hawks, J. L. (2023). Editorial: The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Racial Disparities in Pediatric Mental Health. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 62(4), 398-399. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2022.12.015
Khan, Y. S., Jouda, M., Albobali, Y., Osman Abouelseoud, M., Souid, A., AlMeraisi, M. J., & Alabdulla, M. (2022). COVID-19 pandemic fears and obsessive-compulsive symptoms in adolescents with pre-existing mental disorders: An exploratory cross-sectional study.Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 27(1), 89-103. https://doi.org/10.1177/13591045211017606
Wirthmiller, T. B., Neu, B. U., Schmitz, F. M., & Wohlfarth, B. (2023). NEPTUNE. On the seven seas of resilience. Medical Education Online, 28(1), 2246782. https://doi.org/10.1080/10872981.2023.2246782
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