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Local Chapter Success Stories
New York, New York:
in light of the devastating attacks of September 11, the American Red Cross in Greater New York has been working closely with public, parochial, and independent schools on implementing the Facing Fear: Helping Young People Deal With Terrorism and Tragic Events curriculum. The Board of Education in New York City immediately saw how this new supplement could be immediately applied to benefit their 600,000+ students and the students' families. They reviewed and approved the Facing Fear curriculum in a very short time, as did the school officials in the Diocese of Brooklyn and Queens and the Archdiocese of New York. Tens of thousands of copies of Facing Fear will be used in New York throughout 2002.
Arlington, Virginia:
Arlington County, Virginia, is the home of the Pentagon, another site where terrorists struck on September 11. The counselors in Arlington County Public Schools have begun using Facing Fear when they meet with students and their families, many of whom have been directly or indirectly affected by the attack. Counselors have found the content of Facing Fear to be helpful in providing postive ways for children to express their feelings, concerns, and emotions, and channel their energies into positive, constructive outcomes to benefit themselves, their families, their schools, and their community.
Montgomery County, Maryland:
a veteran teacher in Montgomery County Public Schools writes: I got a copy of Facing Fear from a neighbor who is with the Red Cross. I wasn't sure how my fifth graders would respond to it. They had heard so much about the terrorist attacks in the news that they didn't want to talk about it at all. I tried one lesson on feelings and emotions, then another lesson on preparing for the future. I then went on to other things. A letter I got from one of my student's parents a week later proved that my instincts to use the curriculum were correct. It says, "Recently Robert* brought home a letter from you saying that you were using some lessons to help him deal with his concerns since the terrible tragedies last September. You may not know that Robert has had trouble sleeping, and has been fighting with his sisters at home more than ever. Thank you -- for whatever you did, Robert has been more calm, easier to talk to, and has been sleeping better at night. Thank the Red Cross for what they did -- it's great!"
* name not the real name of the student.
Wilmington, Delaware:
A school nurse who also teaches elementary classes writes: "I received the Facing Fear K-2 curriculum yesterday. It is BEAUTIFUL! I am so amazed that you all put this together in such a short time period. I started teaching lessons from it and it was great! I cannot thank you enough for creating this tremendous project. As a school nurse, I see such a great need for this curriculum. I cannot wait to share it with my colleagues."
Seattle, Washington:
in response to a letter of inquiry sent by the Seattle/King County chapter to schools throughout King County, Washington, there have been more than 4,000 requests to receive and implement the Facing Fear curriculum. The chapter ordered and provided the curriculum to everyone who asked for it. The curriculum has received rave reviews from educators who have used it.
Send your stories
-- let us know how you have used Masters of Disaster or Facing Fear in your community.
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