Helping Children Deal with Bullying and Racism

Based on a request by Stop AAPI Hate, an advocacy group for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, the ANA Advocacy Committee compiled a comprehensive list of materials addressing parenting strategies for dealing with bullied youth and racism, along with coping with harassment and trauma. These resources are shared here.


COPING WITH HARASSMENT AND TRAUMA

After a traumatic event, many people experience symptoms of post-traumatic stress (e.g., sleeplessness, worrying, increased vigilance or alertness). If you are experiencing anxiety, shame, anger, helplessness, denial, and self-isolation after a racial trauma, it is important to seek support early to avoid feeling stuck in these symptom cycles alone.  Be kind to yourself and seek out resources for  healing.  Talk and spend time with supportive community members, including friends and family. If you want a confidential space, consider reaching out to therapists in your area. If you are in extreme emotional distress or feeling suicidal, seek out appropriate crisis resources as listed further down below.  The following resources can help identify ways to feel safer, share and work through traumatic experiences, and find ways to heal (e.g. meditation). We also included a resource to help combat racism in real time. 


Signs of Trauma: For Children and Adults: 

https://thiswayup.org.au/how-do-you-feel/traumatised/


Online Resources:

General web page with resources for Asian Americans and advancing justice:

https://www.advancingjustice-aajc.org/covid19

How to respond to street harassment: 

https://www.ihollaback.org/responding-to-harassers/

How to respond to online harassment:

Responding to Online Harassment, Do’s and Don’t

HeartMob: a safe, supportive online space for individuals who have experienced harassment

https://iheartmob.org/

Insight Timer Guided Meditations (available in: English, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, Mandarin):

https://insighttimer.com/peaceonpurpose?_branch_match_id=779823800421895884&utm_campaign=app-share&utm_medium=Publisher

How to cope with racism and microaggressions:

How to contain the virus of racism during coronavirus outbreak

Coping with Race-Related Stress:

https://counselingcenter.illinois.edu/brochures/coping-race-related-stress

Toolkit related to supporting Asians experiencing trauma. In addition, Asian Americans Advancing Justice in collaboration with Hollaback! is hosting a number of bystander intervention workshops

https://www.showingupforracialjustice.org/ 

A website dedicated to providing support to folks experiencing PTSD from various events: 

Gift From Within – PTSD Resources for Survivors and Caregivers


Books: 


Culturally Affirming Therapy:


Bystander Intervention:

Hollaback! Free, 1-hour experiential trainings on responding to witnessed bias/harassment and developing resiliency during COVID-19

Webinars (free, donations encouraged) on empowering communities to learn bystander intervention, maintain personal safety, and use your voice in the face of harassment during the pandemic:

https://www.impactbayarea.org/online_classes


COPING WITH PHYSICAL ASSAULT

Physical trauma is frightening. Immediately following physical assault, one may react in various ways such as in shock, denial, or with other emotions. It is often healing to allow yourself to talk to other survivors in your community, ask for support from loved ones, and take time for yourself to process what occurred. If you are feeling alone, finding yourself unable to cope with your post-trauma symptoms, or finding that you are unable to return to work and responsibilities, consider reaching out to a mental health professional for support and treatment. The following resources provide knowledge on post-traumatic experiences, coping mechanisms, and supportive actions one can take in the face of physical assault/trauma.


Toolkit related to supporting Asians experiencing trauma. In addition, Asian Americans Advancing Justice in collaboration with Hollaback! is hosting a number of bystander intervention workshops: https://www.showingupforracialjustice.org/ 
A website dedicated to providing support to those experiencing PTSD from various events: 

Gift From Within – PTSD Resources for Survivors and Caregivers

Resources and Support for Those Coping with Abuse in the family During COVID-19 “Stay at Home” Directive

Managing Distress after a Violent Attack

Coping after a Traumatic Event
Signs of Trauma in Children and Adults: https://thiswayup.org.au/how-do-you-feel/traumatised/



Concussion/Traumatic Brain Injury from Physical Assault:

Coping with Traumatic Brain Injury and how to help a child cope:

Coping With Traumatic Brain Injury

Traumatic Brain Injury – Causes, Types, Diagnosis, Symptoms and Treatment:

Traumatic Brain Injury:  A Guide For Patients 

Concussions and Neuropsychologists:

Concussions and How a Neuropsychologist Helps



HOW TO PARENT THOSE WHO ARE BULLIED (AGE APPROPRIATE)

Racial prejudice and xenophobia during the current pandemic has especially risen against Asian and Asian Americans in America. Several reports show an increase in bullying of Asian American children during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is important to know the warning signs in victims and perpetrators of bullying, empathize with your children and their experiences, develop solutions with your children, and collaborate with adult authority figures. The following resources provide parents tools for understanding and interrupting racism, and helping children learn how to deal with bullies. 

Help Your Child Deal with Bullies 

AAPA Bullying Prevention, Intervention, and Resource Guide for Parents (2020) by: Sumie Okazaki, Munyi Shea, Ulash Thakore-Dunlap, & Cixin Wang (available in English, Korean, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, & Vietnamese)

Webinar video on supporting Asian/Asian American Children and Youth during COVID-19 from child development experts: https://youtu.be/AMxFIr9jBkE

AAPA Asian American Bullying Fact Sheet (2012) by: Nellie Tran & Sumie Okazaki 

https://aapaonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/AAPA-bullying-factsheet1.pdf

Resources by the Society of Developmental Research for Asian American children: https://www.srcd.org/event/supporting-asianasian-american-children-and-youth-during-covid-19-pandemic/additional-resources

Protect Your People From the Effects of Oppression https://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/culture/cultural-competence/healing-from-interalized-oppression/main

In the Face of Xenophobia: A toolkit guide with comprehensive lessons about the history of South Asian migration to the United States, manifestations of exclusion, examples of bullying in and outside of schools, and tools for countering xenophobia: https://saalt.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/InTheFaceOfXenophobia-Final-11.4.2013.pdf

Countering COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Stigma and Racism: Tips for Parents and Caregivers

https://www.nctsn.org/resources/all-nctsn-resources


Additional knowledge on the impact of racism:

Trent, M., Dooley, D.G., & Douge, J. (2019). The impact of racism on child and adolescent health. Pediatrics, 144(2), e201965: https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/144/2/e20191765?fbclid=IwAR1DhLDj5Wi0RKnezacipG0SPbiQ29ANrrrUQ2va2K2rqvECOJxStHeyFS8

Blogs and research findings by a non-profit organization that conducts applied research nationally with policymakers and practitioners on child development, trauma, poverty, and race inequity: https://www.childtrends.org/


HOW API PARENTS CAN TALK ABOUT RACE

Talking about race with children and others can be challenging.  Awareness, knowledge, and the proper tools can help. Asian/Asian Americans have a unique role and experience with racism in America. It is very important to begin with awareness of your own knowledge about race, your power and privilege, and your experiences with racism. Allow yourself to have open discussions with others in the process and be open to learning from your child as you teach and parent them. The following resources provide knowledge about race and racism in America, tools for parenting about race, and books/readings for children about race and racism.


Articles and Websites

Countering COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Stigma and Racism: Tips for Parents and Caregivers

On the model minority myth and racial justice:

https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/what-is-the-model-minority-myth

Ten tips for talking to kids about race:

10 Tips for Teaching and Talking to Kids about Race

A book designed to help parents teach children to honor differences in themselves and others, while rejecting prejudice and intolerance: Beyond the Golden Rule: A Parent’s Guide to Preventing and Responding to Prejudice

Resources and 20-minute podcast episode on talking to children about race:

Talking Race With Young children

How Can We Broach Hard Conversations With Kids, From Race To COVID-19?

How to Talk to Kids about Race and Racism

Three Lessons from Zootopia to Discuss with Kids

Why All Parents Should Talk With Their Kids About Social Identity

Toolkit related to supporting Asians experiencing trauma. In addition, Asian Americans Advancing Justice in collaboration with Hollaback! is hosting a number of bystander intervention workshops.

https://www.showingupforracialjustice.org/ 

Reading lists and more on anti-racism and anti-blackness for Asian Americans:

Resources for the Asian American Community on Anti-Blackness

Anti-stigma toolkit (King County)

How to reduce social stigma when talking about COVID-19:

A guide to preventing and addressing social stigma

What is stigma and how to reduce it by CDC: Reducing Stigma


Books:


Organizations

   Social media pages: FaceBook –  https://www.facebook.com/theconsciouskid/, 

       Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/theconsciouskid/?hl=en )

       Twitter – https://twitter.com/consciouskidlib

  • https://www.imreadymovement.org/: AAPI Women Lead and #ImReady Movement aims to strengthen the progressive political and social platforms of Asian and Pacific Islander communities in the US through the leadership of self-identified AAPI women and girls.  Our goal is to challenge and help end the intersections of violence against and within our communities. We do this work in solidarity with other communities of color.


Scripts for Discussions with Asian American Immigrant Parents

Talking to your Asian immigrant family about race: Guided scripts for talking to your AAPI immigrant family about race (available in: English, Traditional Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Hindi, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Thai, Arabic)

How to talk to your Asian immigrant parents about racism: An article that sums up how to talk about race with Asian immigrant families. 

A short guide for speaking with South Asian parents about ongoing protests and systemic racism: Tips on Starting Family Discussions About Racism


Podcasts

Coronavirus: Wisdom from a Social Justice Len: https://irresistible.org/podcast/corona

When Xenophobia Spreads Like a Virus: https://www.npr.org/2020/03/02/811363404/when-xenophobia-spreads-like-a-virus


Cultural pride and resources: Online Artwork and Stories

https://www.colorlines.com/articles/heartbreaking-comic-shows-exactly-why-we-need-asian-black-solidarity-against-police by Kayan Cheung-Miaw:  “Dear Brother” is a comic about the relationship between an Asian American sister and brother as the brother grows from fun-loving youth to a hardened police officer involved in the shooting of an unarmed Black trans youth. The comic highlights the importance of Asian-Black solidarity (available in: English & Traditional Chinese)

 AAFCZine_CareintheTimeofCoronavirus.pdf:  A zine that offers a way to make meaning of the coronavirus crisis through long-standing practices of care that come out of Asian American histories and politics

An organization that seeks to eradicate South Asian gender biased customs, traditions, and practices:

https://www.pinkladoo.org/home

https://www.instagram.com/pinkladoo/?hl=en


HOW TO DEAL WITH COVID-19 STRESSORS, INCLUDING RACISM


General online Resources for coping with COVID-19 stress:

For healthcare workers during the pandemic (how to deal with stress during and after):

Managing Healthcare Workers’ Stress Associated with the COVID-19 Virus Outbreak

On accessing healthcare for immigrant families without insurance:

COVID-19 and Public Charge: What Immigrant Communities Need to Know

Resources for older adults during the pandemic: OVID-19 Community Resources by Diverse Elders Coalition

HeartMob: a safe, supportive online space for individuals who have experienced harassment
https://iheartmob.org/

Coping with Race-Related Stress: https://counselingcenter.illinois.edu/brochures/coping-race-related-stress

Short film on Racism Against Asian community – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5vI27zeM_s

How to Deal With Suddenly Spending 24/7 With Your Partner and Family


Mental Health Resources 

Therapists shared advice they give Asian American clients facing discrimination during the pandemic: 

Self-Care Tips For Asian Americans Dealing With Racism Amid Coronavirus

COVID-19 + Mental Health: Resources for Youth, Young Adults, Families, Colleges, Educators, Employers and their Supporters

9 Resources for Coping with Coronavirus Anxiety

Free online support groups near you with the National Alliance on Mental Illness Affiliates

COVID-19 & Your Mental Health: A Comprehensive Resource Guide

Tips for coping with stress at home and actions to take if you or your family members are experiencing violence


Meditation and Mindfulness for Coping

Insight Timer Guided Meditations (available in: English, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, Mandarin): https://insighttimer.com/peaceonpurpose?_branch_match_id=779823800421895884&utm_campaign=app-share&utm_medium=Publisher

List of several mindfulness resources addressing different ways to deal with and navigate through the pandemic crisis: https://jackkornfield.com/pandemic-resources/

Website that aims to help folks manage emotional reactions, getting support, achieving calmness, and providing space to ask questions to a psychologist. There are audio tracks of meditations and educational resources that are added daily.

https://www.virusanxiety.com/

Stress tolerance skills may help you tolerate and manage your emotional crisis through a variety of body, mind and emotional exercises such as paced breathing, push away techniques, “mind vacation.” These skills also practice and utilize all your senses for self-soothing.

https://www.sunrisertc.com/distress-tolerance-skills/


How to talk about race with Asian immigrant family members

Talking to your Asian immigrant family about race: Guided scripts for talking to your AAPI immigrant family about race (available in: English, Traditional Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Hindi, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Thai, Arabic)

How to talk to your Asian immigrant parents about racism: An article that sums up how to talk about race with Asian immigrant families. 


Healing through art

 AAFCZine_CareintheTimeofCoronavirus.pdf:  A zine that offers a way to make meaning of the coronavirus crisis through long-standing practices of care that come out of Asian American histories and politics


Culturally Affirming Therapy