Helping children lead healthy lives should be everyone’s goal
It is a shame we must consider the trauma that children in Connecticut must face when they witness violence.
This includes slayings, domestic violence and, yes, verbal assaults,
It is a shame because children should not have to be exposed to violence as they learn to navigate the already complicated world we live in.
Such exposure to violence increases the risks of substance abuse, mental health problems and criminal behavior into adulthood, according to mental health and criminal justice experts, The Courant’s Jesse Leavenworth has reported.
But New Britain State’s Attorney Brian Preleski has developed a program through which he hopes to help children maintain their resilience and to thrive.
That’s a step that should be applauded.
It’s dubbed the State’s Attorney’s Violence Eradication and Disruption, or SAVED. Through the program — targeting New Britain, Bristol, Newington and Wethersfield — the intent is to identify children upon whom trauma has made an impact and help them, primarily through counseling.
As Preleski has noted, “The consistent thread I see is that kids tend to be resilient if you give them the resources to cope.”
Assisting in sharing those resources and techniques will be the Rev. John Walker, who not only is senior pastor of St. James Missionary Baptist Church in New Britain, but has the added experience of being a retired police officer, and he will be joined by inspectors in the prosecutor’s office, police, school and other leaders.
The need for this type of program is clear: Preleski and Walker have said that children can react to exposure to violence in different ways, including by shutting down, and by engaging in violence.
But children can be helped to avoid those negative outcomes, according to the organizers.
Walker, for example, said he must build rapport and gain trust through communication.
“These kids want to make sure that someone hears them,” he has said.
And there’s more. Through the program, relatives such as parents, grandparents and others can learn about how trauma affects children and what can be done to end cycles of violence, substance abuse and criminal justice involvement, organizers told Leavenworth.
It sounds like Preleski and Walker have given a lot of thought to the elements of this program and who to include.
In the “it takes a village” tradition, including families, clergy, schools, experts and community members in this effort could mean all the more support for children who need it.
New Britain Mayor Erin E. Stewart noted at the program’s launch that, “It’s a multifaceted impact that requires a holistic approach to healing.”
Preleski has said that the new program is forward-looking and prevention-focused and that the hope is to expand and continue it.
If the program is successful, other communities should consider adopting a similar system.
Connecticut’s children did not create the circumstances that brought the need for a program such as SAVED.
But helping children to heal and lead healthy, productive lives should be everybody’s goal.