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This guest post is written by Jonathan Wilson.
Next March will be the 10th anniversary of the most costly disaster ever: the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster that struck Japan on March 11, 2011. I was leading volunteer relief efforts to help survivors, and after months of grueling clean-up work, we found there was a new danger. People were losing hope.
They had lost everything and were now moving out of evacuation centers into temporary housing. At last, they could have a little privacy, their own TV set to watch, and peace and quiet, but there was a problem. While they were in the evacuation centers, packed in with other survivors, they were never alone. But once they moved out, they found themselves isolated. The people living next to them now were strangers.
The world is going to have another anniversary in 2021 as we all come up to a year of living with COVID-19. In some ways, I see similarities between disasters and the pandemic. COVID-19 has effectively isolated us in our homes and is breaking down our communities. But we need to understand how important those connections and communities really are.
The last decade of responding to disasters, both natural and man-made, has taught me that human beings, and especially children, are incredibly resilient. Most children who go through a crisis event come through it well, and in fact, many are even made stronger in the process. The current consensus is that a variety of protective factors help children cope with traumatic experiences in a dynamic way. Children are surrounded by layers of these protective factors so that if one source of support is compromised, others can still continue functioning.
Families are at the core of supporting the child, with schools and teachers, peers, and the local community around them. At the same time, each of these supporting layers is also contributing to the child developing their own internal resources, growing stronger and able to handle more things on their own. Where this dynamic system is most critical, though, is when extreme events happen to vulnerable children. The most vulnerable children are those who are isolated. Without the multiple layers of protective factors, from family to community, children can be exposed to traumatic events they are not yet prepared to handle.
In Japan, we spent the next three years after the tsunami focusing our mental health efforts on rebuilding the community. We had volunteers load up vans with coffee, green tea, and rice crackers and regularly visited the temporary housing units all along the coast. At first, we had to go door-to-door, begging notoriously shy Japanese people to come out for our mobile cafe. But soon they started talking to each other and making plans to welcome us the next time.
One volunteer was told by an elderly tsunami survivor, “I was contemplating suicide, but you keep coming.” Rebuilding the community was so important because although volunteers could come for an occasional visit from the outside, what they really needed were connections with people who understood what they were going through and could be ongoing support. This is also what our children need the most, as we all recover from the disruption and loss of the COVID-19 pandemic. They need us to restore the layers of connections that make up a community.
The holidays are going to be different this year. Disasters always make holidays difficult. But as we seek to restore the protective layers around children, the activities that connect people are important. For many, the quarantines, lockdowns, and work or school from home have brought immediate families closer. But it has come at the cost of fewer opportunities to see grandparents and extended relatives. For others, the stress of losing family, jobs, and trying to cope with all of the changes of the pandemic has torn families apart, making children even more isolated.
Tips to Reconnect and Rebuild Community
- Think layers. What are all of the layers in your child or grandchild’s life? Which ones are they still connecting with, and which are they not? Try to facilitate reconnecting with relatives, teachers, friends, and cultural/religious supports.
- Quantity and not just quality. Part of the beauty of layers is that when one part breaks down, the others still function. While having one best friend is great, it can be tough when that friend is not around.
- Physical but not social distance. Children now are digital natives, so leverage technology to keep them from being isolated. Just because they can’t go there doesn’t mean they can’t be there.
Most children will make it through the pandemic better than we will. They are resilient! But the most important factors in that resilience are the multiple layers of support that they have from their family, schools, friends, and community.
Some children are more vulnerable due to greater stressors in their families, communities, or increased susceptibility. But every child can benefit from adding layers to the systems of relationships that support and protect them.
About the Author: Jonathan Edward Wilson, M.A., ICS, is the director of OpSAFE International. Since 2008, OpSAFE International has trained local volunteers to provide psychological first-aid for over 30,000 children who have been through disasters, conflicts, or displacement.
