Tips for cultivating young change makers
When my sons were in kindergarten, word got out in class about Donald Trump and his family.
“His son shot an elephant,” Gege and Didi reported solemnly. And for that offense, they disliked the Trump family. Since President Trump has taken office, my husband and I have had many conversations with the twins about what’s happening in this country, about the injustice and terror of immigrant children caged up, about racism and inequality.
I spoke with several Bay Area authors about how they’re teaching children about the present moment, and how to keep up the fight.
Shanthi Sekaran, author of “Lucky Boy,” said that her eldest son, who is 10, is attuned to national news, listens to NPR, and she senses that he’s anxious about the state of the world, picking up on the tension and bad news every day. They talk frankly, to process the stress and helplessness he may feel.
He hates attending protests and public demonstrations, Sekaran has learned, but she strives to give her two sons a sense of hope, “a proactive mind-set with which to greet the problems we see in the world.”
To that end, their family has been hosting an annual, informal, all-ages soccer game — and collecting upward of $700 for the International Rescue Committee. “An event like that conveys to my kids that anyone can contribute to a larger effort — you don’t have to be a politician or a community organizer or a hard-core activist,” she said.
Sekaran, along with author Lauren Markham, are hosting a fundraiser at Highwire Coffee Roasters in Berkeley from 7 to 10 p.m. on Aug. 24 to raise money for RAICES, which supports families separated at the border.
Caroline Paul and Lauren Tamaki’s “You Are Mighty” is packed with tips and tactics and inspiring stories on how kids can respond to the ills of the world: making a protest sign, boycotting, performing guerrilla theater, starting a petition or changing daily habits.
“Kids don’t have the long view, but they don’t need the long view,” Paul said. “It’s about the small victories. We’re writing a petition, ‘look how many signatures you got, it’s on the internet.’ It’s all about the milestones, and that’s what you celebrate.”
Kate Schatz and Miriam Klein Stahl’s new book “Rad Girls Can” provides stories of brave girls and young women, including a Syrian refugee who pulled a sinking boat to shore before going on to swim in the Olympics; the inventor of an anti-cyberbullying app, and others who expressed themselves through art or sport.
“The state of the world is overwhelming for adults. To give the message to children ‘change everything’ can be confusing,” said Schatz, the mother of a 9year-old girl and 5-year-old boy. She tries to connect small moments and gestures to larger ideas — how to be kind or stand up to someone at school — to be an ally. Her daughter is old enough now that she decides whether she’ll come on a march, or what she’ll put on her sign, and in order to take an action, she has to know and be able to explain why — say, when she joined her classmates at a school walkout to protest gun violence in the wake of the Parkland, Fla., shooting.
It’s never too early to start talking to the kids about what’s happening to the world, so long as the discussion is age appropriate, she said. “Toddlers are obsessed with right and wrong, and fairness. If you shield them from everything, you’re just contributing to the problem.”
Lydia Kiesling, whose children are young — a 3-year-old and a 9-month-old — carefully chooses books, trying to make a difference.
“We read three bedtime stories every night, and it’s important to me that the books in the kids’ room reflect the diversity of our country and world and, particularly as the kids get older, provide openings to discuss racism, xenophobia and colonialism in a more pointed way,” said Kiesling, whose first novel is the forthcoming “The Golden State.”
Her family’s favorites include “City Shapes,” “Last Stop on Market Street,” “Bee-bim Bop!” “How Mamas Love Their Babies,” “Ada Twist, Scientist” and “When We Were Alone.” “I’m grateful for books that open the door for difficult conversations,” she said.
Robert Liu-Trujillo, a teacher, muralist and author of “Furqan’s First Flat Top,” says the younger generation has an understanding of gay rights, marriage equality, police brutality and more through the spread of information on social media, and can create their own books, films, and other content. “I’m hopeful it’s replacing outdated views.”
“If you shield (kids) from everything, you’re just contributing to the problem.” Author Kate Schatz