People will be responding to these events in different ways and this is understandable as we are all unique and come with our own background and exeriences. We might also find that peoples feelings and experiences change day to day. Remember to be gentle with yourself and others, understand that you can and will see and experience things quite differently to even those closest to you. You might be startled or surprised by how some people respond. Below are some links with general information on how to respond, particularly with children but much of this is equally applicable to adults. A good general resource to keep in mind if people are really struggling or if you are just unsure what to do and need some advice is the Ministry of Healths number, 1737, you can either call or text this number.
1737 Poster: click on here to download a copy of a poster for the 1737 number. It would be great to print this off and put it up around your community. You could also put the information off it into your community Newsletters. People may not need this now but possibly will in the days ahead.
Info Sheet : Coping after a serious event : Click here for a download of a general information sheet on responding after such an event. This is great general information for Pastoral Workers, Youth leaders, Teachers or Parents. This document is produced by the Le Va group who produce wonderful resources to support families particularly for Pasifika communities but equally relevant for everyone.
Responding to Young People who have seen Shooter Video – Michael Hempseed – Click here
Tragically, a lot of young people’s experience of the shootings has been heightened by seeing footage of the online video either incidentally or out of curiosity. How should we respond?
Other similar resources
Following are some other resources that have been passed on to us from various school, government and youth support organisations.
Coping with Crisis Brochure Tri-foldable brochure for family or young people
Guidelines for dealing with the Christchurch Mosque Shooting – Michael Hempseed
Ministry of Health Documents