Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Erica Jaros | Teenage dependents of District of Columbia National Guard service members participate...... read more read more
WASHINGTON, D.C. – During April, the Department of Defense officially celebrates Month of the Military Child because of the dedicated support military families and children provide to service members.
“Being a military child comes with its own struggles and sacrifices; they do not choose to serve our Nation, yet they are born into a life of service,” said Gen. Daniel R. Hokanson, Chief National Guard Bureau, in his message to the Guard. “They see their parents setting an example of hard work and devotion to a cause greater than themselves. They learn to be leaders in their communities.”
The District of Columbia National Guard Family Program Office is committed to their mission of educating and empowering service members and families. During April and throughout the year, the Family Program Office staff provide resources and training for service member’s families. They also understand the importance of recognizing and bringing national attention to the unique challenges these children face.
“The Month of the Military Child underscores the important role military children play in the armed forces community,” said Sylvia Lynch, D.C. National Guard child and youth program coordinator. “[It] is a time to applaud military families and their children for the daily sacrifice they are making and the challenge that they overcome being a military child and family.”
Lynch explained that military kids are faced with stress, but frequently exhibit resilience, courage and flexibility, emphasizing that “they know how to bounce back and overcome the challenge of being a military child.” It’s important for the D.C. Guard to provide programs to help military kids learn new skills and feel like part of the community.
One of the most recent skill building events included Cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR training for 12 D.C. National Guard youth on April 17. During the eight-hour class, youth learned how to recognize an emergency and provide CPR for adults and children, how to use an automated external defibrillator, how to assist someone who is choking, and how to administer basic first aid. The Family Program Office plans to offer future events such as babysitting training and resiliency training.
“We will do three sessions of resilience training for our youth so they will be able to bounce back and continue to focus on their education,” said Lynch.
Lynch is always looking for new ways for the D.C. National Guard to engage with youth.
“I have a group of youth that are junior reporters who have been covering different events … that are taking place here in our nation’s capital with our military force,” said Lynch. “We’re the first youth of the Guard that has junior reporters.”
The junior reporters have worked with public affairs service members during many events like the 4th of July and the Presidential Inauguration to learn about journalism and photography.
Lynch and the other staff at the Family Program Office strive to continue developing programs and events that support and empower the children of service members to learn from all their experiences and become leaders wherever they are in life.
Hokanson concluded his April message with words of encouragement for all military children.
“It’s not always easy being a military child, but you’re a very important part of our team,” he said. “We’ll keep trying to make the world safer and our Nation stronger, so you can have a brighter future. We can’t wait to see what you accomplish.”
| Date Taken: | 04.27.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 04.28.2021 13:56 |
| Story ID: | 395028 |
| Location: | WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, US |
| Web Views: | 49 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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