We Are Failing Our Kids

The pandemic took anything that was challenging already in schools and poured gasoline on it.  Rather than punish kids or try to cure the problem, our job is to help them get through it.  The number one thing a kid needs while dealing with trauma or toxic stress is a loving, caring, reliable adult, per Harrison Bailey III, principal of Liberty High School in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.  Too many kids, which, consequently, are our future workforce, have been castaway, kicked out of their home, or virtually disregarded due to lack of parent involvement, lack of a healthy relationship (refer to OCF August 22 blog #7), lack of one on one dialog (quality time), or lack of “how was your day?”.  These disparities have led to dropping out of school, excessive drug use, new family/gang formation, and suicide.  I’m not just pointing a finger at the parent…we all can share a bit of guilt from big business to family members.  A child does not care how much you know until the child knows how much you care.  As a society, we are failing our kids!

We need to take a holistic approach toward understanding, supporting and expressing interest in the social, cultural and emotional development of our youth.  Caring relationships restore connections and re-regulate stressed brains.   One approach, but not the panacea, towards fostering that relationship is Public/Private Partnership (P/PP). The word public alone denotes community participation, openness and without restriction.  Its antonym, private, echoes exclusivity, business and corporate involvement.  This play on words encompasses all organizations within its title without favoring one over another.  A (P/PP) therefore, is a conglomerate of organizations (usually education, human services and business) that contract with one another formally or informally to pool resources to deliver a project or a service to an ailing community.  In this case our kids are in dire need of all hands-on deck to rescue a pleading generation.  Whatever happened to “It take a village…”.

P/PP can improve the performance and self-esteem of children, develop their talents, and strengthen their relationships with peers and adults.  It can also provide mentoring experience and remediation of drug abuse, teen pregnancy, dropping out of society among other things.  Many schools, businesses and human services agencies are adopting policies and practices which reach beyond their traditional activities and reflect more holistic visions of what children and adults need to succeed.  The Social Justice Humanatis Academy in San Fernando, California is a prime example of this practice by integrating external services and parent involvement directly into the school.

When students returned to the Social Justice Humanitas Academy campus in August 2021, many could barely focus on their high school assignments. They walked out of class. They refused to do work. Drug use and the number of students hospitalized because of suicidal thoughts were on an alarming incline.

Healthcare, mental health services, tutoring, pediatric care and other social supports converge on campus. Teachers and staff strive to make learning more culturally relevant and to foster a climate in which students have a sense of belonging and parents are a part of decision-making.

Social Justice Humanitas Academy in San Fernando is a community school that integrates academics, health and social services, youth development and community engagement to meet students’ needs.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

New York City Community Schools Initiative is another public entity, among others throughout the country, to take a holistic approach toward embracing and rescuing our kids from falling through the cracks.  

NYC-CS is a strategy to organize resources in schools and share leadership among stakeholders so that academics, health and wellness, youth development, and family engagement are integrated into the fabric of each school. New York City is implementing this strategy at a scale unmatched nationally.

We need an “All Us We” commitment to our most prime possession: our children.  Let’s offer them our experiences, our knowledge; let’s LISTEN to them; let’s allow them to make mistakes yet be a cushion for them if/when they fall; let’s assist in guiding their short and long-range goals, and become an ally or staunch supporter of their decision making.  Remember, one entity cannot do it alone.