This site brings together a number of resources for parents, librarians and teachers to use in fostering a non-violent culture beginning with our children.

Advice to Arab-American Parents: Helping Children Cope - American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. Children are seeing frightening images of destruction and death. They are seeing Arabs and Muslims being arrested and blamed for one of the worst tragedies in American history. They are hearing angry calls for military attacks against Arab and Muslim countries. Daily routines have been disrupted. How should parents respond and explain what it happening?

Arkansas School Shooting Focuses New Attention on Youth Gun Culture. New Violence Policy Center document set details of the marketing and recruitment efforts by National Rifle Association and gun industry.

Ceasefire. Every day in this country,[USA] fifteen children are killed by firearms. More than 135,000 children carry a gun to school every day. In 1994, gun deaths were the third leading cause of death for children aged 5-14. If current trends continue, injuries by firearms will become the leading cause of death to children by the year 2003. Cease Fire, Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization, is dedicated to saving lives by reducing the number of handgun-related deaths and injuries in this country.

Children and Responding to National Disaster: Information for Teachers - The National Association of School Psychologists. This handout from the National Association of School Psychologists may be used by other organizations without receiving specific permission as long as it is reprinted or posted to websites verbatim, credits NASP, and includes links to the NASP website.

Children in Southern Sudan Overcome War's Nightmare. This is a paper on the terrible tragedy of children faced with survival during a series of civil wars. Many were helped by Doctors Without Borders and still have hope for their futures.

Children of War. A newsletter that may have ceased publication (latest issue is October 1997) but the content is useful to read.

Common Sense About Kids and Guns. This is a public education organization dedicated to providing all adults with the necessary information to empower them to protect their children.

Coping with Death and Grief - Connect for Kids. When tragedy strikes a family or community, helping children cope and regain a sense of safety is often the most important—and most difficult—responsibility for adults.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Children are able to cope better with a traumatic event if parents, friends, family, teachers and other adults support and help them with their experiences.

Global Children's Organization. This organization provides a summer camp program for children from Northen Ireland and from Bosnia and Croatia. The summer camp, staffed by students from US and Germany is on Badija Island in Croatia.

Helping Children and Adolescents Cope with Violence and Disasters - National Institute of Mental Health The National Institute of Mental Health and other Federal agencies are working to address the issue of assisting children and adolescents who have been victims of or witnesses to violent and/or catastrophic events. The purpose of this fact sheet is to tell what is known about the impact of violence and disasters on children and adolescents and suggest steps to minimize long-term emotional harm.

Helping Children Understand the Terrorist Attacks Useful links compiled by the US Department of Education of help for parents, teachers, and young people.

How to Talk to Kids About Violence - Parenting Press In the discussion of national violence, that is where parents must begin--with open communication and with acceptance of feelings.

Impact of Armed Conflict on Children. Report of Graça Machel, Expert of the Secretary-General of the United Nations. In the past decade alone, an estimated 2 million children have been killed in armed conflict. Three times as many have been seriously injured or permanently disabled. Countless others have been forced to witness or even to take part in horrifying acts of violence.

Join Together Online: The Impact. This is a moving photographic study of the impact of guns and violence.

New Violence Policy Center (VPC) Study Labels NRA's Eddie Eagle "Gun Safety" Program "Joe Camel With Feathers." This Study details how the NRA's effort to hook kids on guns follows the trail blazed by tobacco industry. It reveals for the first time gun and tobacco industry funding of NRA.

School Officials Urged to Prevent Harrassment of Muslim and Arab-American Students In his letter US Sec. of Education Rod Paige urged school officials to make sure that assemblies, classroom discussions and other school activities held to honor victims of the tragedies do not inadvertently foster the targeting of Muslim or Arab-American students for harassment.

Teaching Students About Terrorism and Related Resources In light of recent events, AskERIC has compiled a list of resources for educators and parents to help students cope with and discuss this tragedy.

Toys Are For Fun Y'all. This Taffy site is an excellent exploration of the issue of violent toys. The Mission of the Dallas Peace Center, based on the vision of reconciliation, is to promote research, education and action for peace and justice. Taffy is sponsored by the Mennonite Church as a part of the work of the Dallas Peace Center.

Violence Prevention Program Homepage. This site is presented by Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) and offers a number of useful links.

Violent Language. This site, a part of the Physicians for Social Responsibility, provides a long list of examples of the use of violent and war-related expressions -- which increasingly serve to make violence an accepted part of our lives and language. How often do you use these phrases in your everyday speech?

War Child. In the last decade alone 1.5 million children have died in wars. Four million have been disabled and a further 10 million traumatised. The severe psychological wounds that war inflicts on children can scar them for life, crippling the very generations that must one day re-build their devastated countries. For the future peace of the world we must do everything in our power to help these war children.

To return to the Gender and Culture Syllabus

Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey