How to Help
I think there are multiple ways a community will respond to mass shootings, but a lot of them share likenesses. The priority is to express their remembrance, support, and respect for the victims and their families. Just as Columbine did when rebuilding their school. The school’s remodel included multiple paintings and photos in remembrance of the victims including a butterfly mural on the floor for Rachel Scott. Another response is changing their security protocols in order to improve response time or learn to better detect the warning signs beforehand. My town has a mini organization where families can sign up to be a part of helping another family/individual during a hard time such as the loss of a family member or a family member became ill. And those who sign up can bring them home-cooked meals, do their shopping for them, or even just give them a ride somewhere if needed. I feel as though this is a great example of the type of response a community needs after living through a tragedy. It can show support to the survivors and their families.
When a community as a whole encounters something as horrible as a mass shooting, it will be a long and difficult recovery because everybody is hurt. This is why I think a big part of a community being able to heal is the help that comes from strangers. To everyone who hears about a tragedy, I feel as though we should be the ones responsible to help a community recover. Because, as said before, everybody in that community is hurt and raw after a mass shooting. Things like food drives, donations, free counseling services are all little ways to help heal a community. Expressing acts of remembrance for the victims in our own communities in our schools, or places of worship, or anywhere appropriate is another sign of support for the hurt community. Especially now where we can share our sorrows and movements through social media so it will reach the eyes and ears of that community. Any little opportunity a person can take to show respect and support for these communities, I feel is one they should always take.
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ReplyDeleteHelping those who have been affected by mass shootings does not always have to be financial. It can as little as hosting group discussions to talk about everyone's feelings and state of mind or lending a helping hand. Our communities play an important role because they can give individuals and families a sense of belonging. It can also provide support to those who faced several struggles and other chaos in their life. The first step to helping someone who has been hurt physically or emotionally is giving them time to heal; to gather their thoughts and accept what has happened to them.
This post brought up a lot of good points!! One of the most important things is to remember the victims of these tragic events. Places of mass shootings should definitely be remodeled because it will bring back bad memories for the people invited. Columbine rebuilt their entry way and library because it would bring back bad memories for the students. Security protocols are essential after a tragedy because we want to make sure that mass shootings do not happen anymore. Some security protocols that schools have added are metal detectors, bullet proof windows, and a lot of other things. I think that what your town is doing to help family members with the loss of a family member is a great idea. People are in mourning and can't do certain things, so it is a great idea to help them out to send them meals and do their shopping for them. There are a ton of different things that communities can do to help out survivors of mass shootings. Donations are a very good idea. After the MSD shooting different schools throughout the United States started selling shirts that said "MSD STRONG". All of the proceeds went to victims and survivors of the shooting which I thought was such a great idea.
ReplyDeleteThis was a great post with many good points. I agree that a memorial or creating a space of remembrance for the victims is very beneficial to the communities. Columbine specifically created multiple memorials to victims, and I think they help the community grow and move forward after these tragic shootings. I like that you brought up the mini organization within your town. Systems where strangers do these kind acts for one another could be another layer of support for those directly affected by these shootings. The main goal is for everyone to heal and systems like that could allow community members to help one another and heal as a whole.
ReplyDeleteThe program you have back in your community sounds like a great idea that other communities should start doing. When families are going through rough times due to the loss of a loved one, illness, or other reasons, it is rare for someone outside their circle to help them out. This program could really be beneficial to people that may not have a lot of family to aid a helping hand. Even small gestures like you said, making home cooked meals, giving them rides places or going shopping for them in the long run means a lot more than you may think.
ReplyDeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading this post! One part that stuck out to me is that you mentioned that we as strangers can reach out. I think this is a huge action to do in order to help these people because then they will see that there are people from the outside trying to help. Another thing that you mention is free counseling, this would be huge in a community after a mass shooting because these people are going to hurt and possibly be scared to talk to anyone but if a trained professional comes in these people may open up a little bit and become more comfortable about this topic. I feel that the news also can play a role by not showing up on these victim’s doorsteps the same day of the incident asking them questions because these people are going to need time to heal/recover.