‘We are dedicated to keeping Miami’s youth safe and engaged this summer’ | Opinion
As if the coronavirus pandemic weren’t enough, the racially charged events plaguing our community, and the nation, will bring an expanded set of summer safety concerns to our youth and families of all colors. Beyond the known summertime accidents and injuries, our children and teens are facing increased risk of issues of mental health, physical health and well-being. Without a doubt, greater awareness community wide, meaningful conversation and purpose-driven action are critically needed.
Consider: This summer, as parents and caretakers are returning to work, our youths likely will have less supervision because of school closings and limited access to summer camps. The increased use of computers, mobile devices and videoconferencing technologies, which often happens without adequate supervision, will make children more vulnerable to online sex predators. Isolation at home with adults in high-stress situations, including economic distress and decreased access to food, likely will increase child abuse and trauma. Children will have less protection from sexual abuse and sex trafficking, since most cases are identified at schools and camps — now closed.
Add to this the real pain of racism, which is particularly traumatic for black families in our community who live it every day.
While Big Brothers Big Sisters of Miami and Kristi House have different missions, as their CEOs, we share the same commitment to raising awareness of these issues. We both are proactively implementing innovative practices to tackle these problems head-on and help keep children and families safe this summer.
As a youth-mentoring organization, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Miami has taken a leading role in bringing the community together. Approximately seven out of every 10 youth it serves are black or brown, and the majority of its mentors are not. This not only provides an incredible opportunity to build mutual relationships of trust and respect, but also to increase the number of mentors of color who can personally relate to the daily challenges our youth face. In addition to expanding its podcast and webinar series to create community conversations and purposeful action, BBBS will offer several virtual activities and initiatives, including:
Online tutoring, resume-writing workshops, digital technology boot camps, health and wellness classes, and music classes. Our youth need constructive ways to express themselves, and these activities will create those outcomes through poetry, music and other creative outlets.
An e-mentoring program to enable our Bigs (adult mentors) to continue mentoring their Littles (mentees) in the era of social distancing. Not only will this let current Bigs and Littles to stay connected, it will also help make new connections through a virtual matching system. This is crucial as children will likely spend more time than usual alone this summer and having mentors to connect with can help redirect negative behaviors and keep kids safe and on a better path.
Recruiting more teachers as Bigs via a new partnership with United Teachers of Dade.
Giving away approximately $1 million at a June 23 virtual graduation for Littles graduating from high school.
Similarly, Kristi House has expanded its offerings to enable greater digital interactions with youths and families in need. As Miami-Dade County’s only Children’s Advocacy Center, Kristi House is leveraging a new set of resources to continue coordinating child-victims’ legal, medical, and social-services needs. Part of the problem, particularly as it pertains to issues such as child abuse and sex trafficking, is that most people don’t like to think about these things or even recognize that they exist throughout all socioeconomic levels of our community right here in Miami. It can happen to anyone. There are no barriers.
This summer, the organization is making a greater push to inform families and the broader community about these issues by further using direct marketing and social media:
For children who have experienced trauma, the organization is providing a combination of virtual and in-person mental-health therapy as approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Therapists and other caregivers, who have been working throughout the pandemic, will continue providing round-the-clock services via Zoom and other HIPAA-compliant videoconferencing platforms.
Children at high risk who need special attention will receive socially distanced in-person therapy.
Our newest team member — Pedro, a therapy dog that’s a Labrador retriever mix — will make virtual appearances and socially distanced visits that help bring peace and smiles to clients and families.
With summer around the corner, time is of the essence. Data and history confirm beyond any doubt that these issues will pose significant threat to the health, safety and wellbeing of our kids. Let’s all do our part to help protect the community. Go to www.bbbsmiami.org and www.kristihouse.org for more information on how to help and how to get help.
There’s only one way we will tackle this, and that’s together.
Amanda Altman is CEO of Kristi House. Gale Nelson is CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Miami.
