Talking to Children About Black History Month
February is nationally recognized as Black History Month in which we recognize and celebrate the stories and accomplishments of African Americans throughout U.S. history. This month is the perfect opportunity to begin talking to younger children about the contributions of Black people in the U.S., as well as about their fight for justice and equity. You're encouraged to use the resources below to spark a conversation with your child. 

Project SUN's Racial Equity Initiative Continues
Addressing equity is paramount to establishing a children's mental health system of care that meets the needs of all youth and their families. This past October and November, Project SUN held My Piece in the Puzzle, a program that consisted of four weekly 2-hour sessions to prepare individuals who were willing to make a long-term commitment to navigating difficult conversations aimed at racial healing. 

This year, Project SUN will hold another My Piece in the Puzzle program to offer this same training to new individuals. Additionally, participants who complete My Piece in the Puzzle training are eligible to apply to be a Project SUN Racial Healing Ambassador. Our trained ambassadors will be equipped to facilitate My Piece in the Puzzle for future groups and organizations as well as foster other racial healing activities in our community. Racial Healing Ambassadors will help plan and facilitate future My Piece in the Puzzle programs and will help facilitate future roundtable discussions with community leaders to create action plans for promoting racial equity in Kankakee County.

If you would like more information about upcoming racial equity activities reach out to Debra Baron, Director of Project SUN, at debra@cfkrv.org. 

Teen dating violence is a serious problem in the U.S.  This issue is especially important to be aware of due to the negative effects it has on the emotional development and future relationships of the teenagers who experience it. 

In order to combat teen dating violence, you should encourage the teenagers you care for and work with to be aware of the following signs of an abusive relationship. 

In addition to being aware of the teen dating violence signs above, teenagers should also know what to do if they find themselves in this situation. Teenagers experiencing teen dating violence should:

Read more about teen dating violence here.
 

National Eating Disorder Week takes place during the week of February 21 - February 27, 2022. It is an annual campaign created to educate the public about the realities of this serious condition. Its mission is to provide hope, support, and visibility to individuals and families affected by it.

Individuals of all ages can suffer from an eating disorder. Eating disorders take many forms including anorexia nervosa, binge-eating, avoidant-restrictive food intake, bulimia nervosa, and variations of these. 

Parents and caregivers should especially be aware of eating disorder signs in children and teens since this is the typical age at which these disorders begin to develop. Some behavioral symptoms to watch for are:

Learn more about National Eating Disorder Week here.
Learn more about eating disorders here.

Project SUN monthly newsletters are intended to inform family members and those working with families. You are all valuable members of the Strong and Unified Network (SUN) being built to support the children's mental, emotional, and behavioral health system of care in Kankakee County. You are encouraged to invite others to become involved in these efforts to help children flourish. Please share this newsletter with those who may find this information useful. Suggest they visit projectsunkankakee.org and sign-up to receive their own copy and become a member of the Network.