The dark veil left by COVID - 19 is slowly being lifted. I do not believe anything will really look the same as we regain our "sight". Much has changed. Schools remain closed. Headlines highlight how organizations are currently developing their own new normal. It is an unprecended time for many learning to navigate to remain productive and viable.
Much has changed in some households from CoVid -19 causing fallout to the very nucleus of families - and the long term effects this public health crisis will have on children and adults is concerning to say the least. Many people - children, women, men, and the elderly - have experienced profound adversity and trauma due to the devasting blow this Coronavirus has had on their household ecosystem. An article I recently read indicates that: "... as the COVID - 19 crisis continues, the current mental health crisis facing youth in the United States will only worsen." Pediatric research: COVID - 19 will lead to more childhood trauma...The Columbus Dispatch (2020). Another article headlined: "Coronavirus fallout: As residents stay home due to COVID-19 crisis, officials fear rise in domestic violence and sexual assualt." MassLive (2020). In it (and I am grateful to read this), it states that Massachusetts is expanding the state's 24/7 confidential violence hotline, Safelink, amidst the coronavirus public health crisis to prepare for the anticipated rise in calls, as the population adjusts to the new normal.Also stated, in the Hubrei province of China, reports of domestic violence have roughly doubled. In France, Italy and Spain reports of domestic violence spiked about two weeks in to lockdowns. From The New England Journal of Medicine (2020) "We are living through an unprecedented biopsychosocial crisis." The New York Times' Amanda Taub says, "Add another public health crisis to the toll of the new coronavirus : Mounting data suggests that domestic abuse is acting like an opportunistic infection, flourishing in the conditions created by the pandemic." 'A New Covid-19 Crisis: Domestic Abuse Rises Worldwide (2020). Although I am not surprised by this. I am saddened by the truth that trauma adversity strikes higher during these more vulnerable times. This reality spurs me to find a way to support our community. Cooper's Crossroad Farming For Resilience (FFR) program is needed now more than ever, to help ameliorate the fallout of those who are experiencing trauma within our community. Corner posts of the curriculum include working on courage, boundries, gratitude, generosity, forgiveness and compassion. The experiential lessons come quickly through the horses, leading to enhanced social/emotional growth. Soon FFR will be able to move into action, in a new normal kind of way. Stay healthy, and reach for happy. All my best, Christina