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or questions to:
Tom Pittman
Foundation President
at tompittman@cfnm.org

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CONTACT:  Peggy Linton, Community Foundation  449.5002

                      Crystal McNabb, Volunteer Coordinator  449.5002

SAFE SPACES FOR OUR CHILDREN

When, not IF, our next disaster strikes, our emergency shelters may be filled with families trying to cope with loss of home and personal belongings.  Volunteer Northwest Mississippi, a volunteer center through the Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi, is offering Safe Spaces training.  Safe Spaces are one of Save the Children’s key emergency response programs in the United States and around the world.  A Safe Space provides children with a safe, designated area where they can play, socialize, and express themselves through activities including art, songs, games, drama, dance and sports.

 Safe Space activities are supervised by caring, trained adults and designed to help children cooperate, build self-esteem and begin working through their emotions, thereby enhancing their resilience, or ability to “bounce back.”   Set up in evacuation shelters, disaster recovery centers and other locations where families congregate during disasters, Safe Spaces also enable parents to have time to register for emergency assistance and re-establish their lives. 

 Why are Safe Spaces important for children? 

Emergency evacuation shelters place children and their families in cramped quarters with strangers and lack learning materials, toys, safe places to play and activities for children. Caregivers who must stand in lengthy lines to apply for emergency assistance too often have no choice but to have their children wait in line with them.

 The structured, supervised activities offered in Safe Spaces can be comforting to children who are used to daily routines and can strengthen children’s resilience and help them begin to process what has happened. Safe Spaces can also provide a forum for sharing important safety information with children and parents, as well as information about the impact of crisis on children.

 How do Safe Spaces work?   

Save the Children works in partnership with sheltering and volunteer organizations to set up and identify staff for Safe Spaces immediately following disasters. Save the Children provides the materials and training for staff and volunteers, and can even pre-position Safe Space kits in high-risk areas. Safe Space training includes guidelines on: site selection, organization and set-up, management, creation of a program schedule and selection of age-appropriate, fun activities to support children’s resilience and recovery. Safe Space kit materials include items such as: jump ropes, books, toys, art and craft supplies, and board games. 

Who is Save the Children?    

Save the Children is the leading independent organization creating lasting change for children in need in the United States and around the world. For more information, visit savethechildren.org. Save the Children USA is a member of the International Save the Children Alliance, a global network of 28 independent Save the Children organizations working to ensure the well-being and protection of children in more than 120 countries.