Letter to Families Regarding Tragedy at Lapu Lapu Day Celebration
Dear Families,
Saturday鈥檚 devastating incident at the Lapu Lapu celebrations in Vancouver are understandably upsetting for adults and children alike. It is often hard to know how to reassure our children when we ourselves are striving to process and make sense of these losses. Children may experience a wide range of emotions in response to what they hear or see; it is important to remember that they will look to the adults in their lives to help them feel safe and to make sense of the world.
As a parent or caregiver, you may feel unprepared to help your child understand and process these events. We are reaching out to share with you some strategies and resources that will help guide your conversations with your child with the understanding that people are going to be impacted in a variety of ways, based on age and development as well as their own involvement and connection to this terrible tragedy.
Limit exposure to news stories on traditional and social media channels
Consider how you access news and how that may impact children nearby. Young children may not know how to make sense of the news they are seeing and can quickly become overwhelmed. Encourage your older child to rely on reputable news sources, and where possible limit their consumption and exposure to upsetting coverage.
It is important to have conversations, and model with your own behaviours, the additional traumatic impact for victims and families when upsetting images are re-circulated. We are respectfully suggesting that individuals do not watch, repost or share videos of the tragedy.
Acknowledge feelings
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