See Us, Support Us
SEE US, SUPPORT US (SUSU), is a month of national awareness raising and activities to increase support for children of incarcerated parents. In 2020, SUSU focused on supporting children’s educational success and wellbeing from early childhood through college. Throughout the month of October, we shared resources, tips, and stories on how to increase visibility and support for children of incarcerated parents, of all ages, in schools.
Follow See Us, Support Us in October to:
► Learn tips for supporting young people’s learning and development, creating affirming spaces, and involving incarcerated parents in educational planning.
► Understand and gain tools to respond to young people’s unique concerns related to having an incarcerated parent during COVID-19.
► Reimagine school safety without police and learn about efforts to safeguard children at the time of a parent’s arrest.
► Hear from young people about how best to support and collaborate with them.
Engage in See Us, Support Us
Why is the arrest experience so harsh that a child has to believe it was imaginary sometimes in order to get through it and its aftermath. The pain and outrage I feel is why I want to advocate for child-sensitive arrest protocols, data collection, and training.
I didn’t wanna forget him ever… he was my dad. And what if I never get a chance to visit him again...So just in case, I sat there taking pictures in my mind and storing them in this little section I have where all the thoughts about him were.
For many system-impacted children, education can be the lifeline that helps them succeed in the face of parental incarceration. It can give purpose, belonging and self-esteem. Though it took me a while, education was my lifeline too.
