|
“When Alabama Families Go to War: Recognizing and Responding to the
Needs of Military Kids” Forum is April 15 in Montgomery
Auburn, March 19, 2004---Alabama
deploys more National Guard and Reservists than any other state.
Today, more than 8,000 men and women in the Alabama National Guard and
Reserves are serving their country.
In almost every community in the
state, there are friends and neighbors who have left behind their jobs
for military service. Many of these citizens have also left behind
families and children. The mom who usually checks homework, buys
school clothes and celebrates home runs may now be flying a helicopter
in Kabul. The dad who wipes away teenage tears, arranges dentist
appointments and hears about first dates may be diffusing a bomb in
Basra.
Family members who would normally
encourage and assist kids during the most difficult times of their
lives may be out of the picture for months or even years. It’s tough
on the parents, but it’s tougher on the kids.
Alabama 4-H, in conjunction with the
U.S. Department of Agriculture Cooperative State Research, Education
and Extension Service and the Alabama Cooperative Extension System,
will host a public forum April 15 at 1:30 p.m. at the Alabama State
Capitol Auditorium.
The forum, “When Alabama Families Go
to War: Recognizing and Responding to the Needs of Military Kids,”
will bring together youth agencies, government and military
representatives and representatives of educational institutions to
discuss how Alabamians can best meet the needs of the children of
National Guard members and Reservists who are serving in Iraq and
other countries. Key issues to be discussed include:
- What are the
unique and pressing issues that face Alabama’s military youth?
- What resources
are available to support them?
- How can 4-H,
the educational establishment, faith-based groups, youth
organizations and other allied groups work together to support them?
- What
strategies, partnerships and approaches can be followed to be most
effective?
According to Chuck Hill, an Alabama
Cooperative Extension System 4-H youth development specialist and 4-H
state military liaison, the forum provides not only an opportunity to
identify specific needs of these children, especially those in small
or rural communities, and put together resources to meet those needs
but also is a way to connect with young people who can share their
experiences as children of deployed Guard and Reserve parents.
4-H already has some programs
established for youth living on military bases, which may provide a
good foundation for dialog and future programming for these particular
group of young people.
The forum is free and open to the
public. For more information, contact Chuck Hill, 212 Duncan Hall,
Auburn University, AL, 36849, or e-mail him at chill@aces.edu.
Source: Chuck Hill, 4-H Youth
Development Specialist, Alabama Cooperative Extension System, (334)
844-2276.
Article
in MS Word
Article
in Text
|
