The crisis narrative that we are reading about youth mental health is shaping how we understand the issue and how young people see themselves. But there are four big problems with this crisis narrative: it paralyzes us; it advances already damaging stereotypes; it can backfire; and it makes us deal with the problem retroactively instead of proactively.
“I am hopeful in this moment, that there is a peaceful conclusion to what’s happening now and that folks can begin to focus on how we are going to move forward and try to repair many of the breaches and rips that have occurred,” said Elizabeth Clay Roy of the deep divisions we are experiencing in our country.
These tips from Mónica Guzmán, bridge builder and author of I Never Thought of It That Way, may come in handy this holiday season.
Over the past 18 months, Reach Out and Read has trained over 10,000 pediatric primary care clinicians on ways to promote positive interactions between children and parents/caregivers through early literacy.