The aftermath of gun violence has a devastating and life-long impact on those that are directly impacted. If you are in Toronto, Victim Support Services offers a number of different programs, many specifically designed for direct victims of violence. Gun violence can also deeply affect a whole community where it occurred—and in the aftermath, a community typically comes together in many different ways (CBC article). But if you are one of the many more people that are watching the news and talking to your friends and family about it, it can still have a very impactful and long-lasting effect on how safe you feel in your own community.
You and your family might be one of many that are having difficult conversations about violence and community safety.
We hope that some of the resources below can help get through those difficult conversations.
“How to talk to children about difficult news” via @APA
http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/talking-to-children.aspx
“Talking to your kids about the news” via @PBSparents
http://www.pbs.org/parents/talkingwithkids/news/
“How to Talk to Kids About Violence, Crime, and War” via @commonsense
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/blog/how-to-talk-to-kids-about-violence-crime-and-war
“Talking to kids about media violence” via @mediasmarts
http://mediasmarts.ca/tipsheet/talking-kids-about-media-violence-tip-sheet
“How to Talk to Kids about Shootings and Gun Violence” via @sciam
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-to-talk-to-kids-about-shootings-and-gun-violence/
“How to talk to your kids about violence” via @WPR
https://www.wpr.org/how-talk-your-kids-about-violence
“Mitigating the effects of gun violence on children and youth” via Future Child
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12194614