The pandemic has turned our lives upside down. Our family life, our work life, and our social life have all been drastically altered. On top of that, with racial tension coming to the forefront of the news, many communities are peacefully protesting in the streets.
So much of what we’ve known as normal is changing. This is especially true for our children. For them, school is a time for growing into who they will become as adults. It is a time for learning human interaction, compromise, and independent thought. But, stuck at home, isolated from interaction with others, some kids may be feeling frustrated or stifled, fearful, perhaps even depressed. These emotions can lead to inappropriate coping strategies such as alcohol, smoking, vaping or drugs.
CTAD is focused on helping our children make positive, productive choices. We bring together the people in our children’s lives — from teachers to parents, from school administrators to police officers, from counselors to physicians — to transform the environment around our youth so they feel protected, confident, and empowered to make good choices. We want the good choice to be the easy choice. Our strength lies in listening to and trying to understand the varying perspectives of our community, old or young, white or black, gay or straight, as we gather together to focus on our children.
We encourage you to join us in our efforts to protect our kids from the temptation of bad choices. Find your niche in our organization, from donating to our work, participating in learning opportunities, or joining our organization. There are lots of opportunities to explore. Help us provide our children the best future they can have.
Rev. Court Williams
CTAD President
Dr. Lisa Damour, psychologist and author of Untangled and Under Pressure, recommends these resources to parents who want to talk with tweens or teens about social justice and anti-racism.
