On 26 August the Danish Agency for Societal Security published seven pieces of advice for adults who have to talk to children about war, disasters, accidents and the climate. It was written with Save the Children, the Red Cross and the children’s rights organisation Børns Vilkår. Ask and listen. Take the feelings seriously. Match the conversation to the child’s age. Help sort fact from rumour and scare stories. Hold on to everyday routines. Point to hope and to what the child can actually do. Stay calm yourself.
The agency’s director says the threat picture fills both the media and the conversations at home, and that children meet it at school and on social media. Household preparedness in Denmark has so far meant water, batteries and iodine tablets. Here the state puts the conversation itself into the emergency kit — and pays for it to appear in the Facebook feed, where a good deal of the worry starts.
So…:
What are you preparing people for — and what words are you giving them for it?
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