Talking to children about elections

Greetings!   I spent a great deal of time yesterday reflecting on what transpired over the last 16 months in our election cycle. As I struggled with the glaring division and animosity displayed throughout our country, I became increasingly focused on the importance of my job and the mission of NNSP. Never has there been a greater need for community engagement and partnership programs in our schools. What could be more important than helping our students develop empathy, learn to ask respectful questions and become comfortable working with others who are different than they are? The work you are doing in your school is crucial to helping us become a national community that can listen humbly, participate in meaningful conversations and respectfully advocate for change.  I am grateful to be involved in this work and even more so, I am grateful for all that you do with your students, our emerging citizens. I've attached below a couple of resources I found helpful on how to talk about the election with your students as well as a truly inspirational TED Talk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie titled "The Danger of a Single Story".  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Thank you for all that you do for our children.  I hope that today finds you inspired by the value of your work and the need to continue to expand community engagement and partnership programs to all schools across the country. With gratitude, Blake Kohn Executive Director National Network of Schools in Partnership

Talking to Kids About the Elections  Jen Cort Educational Consultant  Teaching Tolerance, Election Resources Southern Poverty Law Center What Do We Tell the Children? Huffington Post

The danger of a single story  Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Award winning author and MacArthur Foundation Fellow TED Talks