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Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION
I serve too I’m a military child, paperwork’s all
finished and filed. Moving again but I’m not riled, it’s just
the way military life is styled. Dad’s got a job to do and so do
I, I’ll do my best and that’s no lie. While dad makes sure the
planes fly, I work hard to keep his spirits high. I understand
he can’t always be near; he may be gone for a day, week, or
year. I’ll be waiting; I’ll be here to welcome him with a great
big cheer. I’ll send him off with a kiss goodbye; I understand
that he may die. And so I try, I try to make sure he does not
see me cry. So when the world is wild and more work on my
dad is piled, I do my job to keep his home life mild. I serve
too; I’m a military child (Gloria, 3rd Grade, Rammstein Air
Base, Germany, Military Child Education Coalition, 2003).
Since the attacks of September 11, 2001 military personnel have faced longer and
more frequent deployments abroad than any other time in history (U.S. Department of
Veterans Affairs, 2005). United States military men and women sacrifice their lives to
defend our freedom. Their families sacrifice their personal comfort and experience
tremendous turmoil waiting for them to return safely. With every soldier deployed there
is a family member left behind. Often it is the children who are most affected by a
military deployment (Murray, 2002).
More than 2 million men and women have been called into action since 2001—
and almost 40 percent have been deployed more than once (National Center for Mental
Health Promotion and Youth Violence Prevention, 2010). Nationwide, there are 1.9
million children with a parent serving in the military and 220,000 of these children have a
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parent currently deployed (Department of Defense, 2011). These
military children make many sacrifices and from a young age, they
learn to be flexible. They relocate often, attending an average of six to nine schools
during their parent's military career. Leaving behind friends is common. Most
importantly, military children must learn to cope with the fact that one parent may be
away for months or even years at a time (National Center for Mental Health Promotion
and Youth Violence Prevention, 2010). During deployment, these military children are
separated from their mother or father for three to eighteen months. Research has shown
that military youth often express feelings of fear, worry, anxiety and loneliness during
parental deployments (Chandra, Lara-Cinisom, Jaycox, Tanielian, Burns, Ruder, & Han,
2009). For example, the authors Rotter and Beveja (1999) conducted a study in which
the goal was to show how children from military families function with respect to
academics, peer relations, general emotional difficulties, and overall problem behaviors.
The researchers found that the military children had more emotional difficulties
compared to national samples of non-military youth. These strong emotional difficulties
can last well throughout their formative years and may have a negative effect on their
future abilities: learning development, personal relationships, and psychiatric problems
(Rotter & Boveja, 1999).
Previous research suggests a clear correlation between parental deployment and
changes in adolescent behaviors such as acting out and poor academic performance.
Many youth have reported several signs consistent with lost interest in regular activities,
isolation, as well as changes in sleeping and eating patterns (National Military Family
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Association, 2009). A recent study from RAND Corporation (2008)
found that parental deployment is associated with higher levels of
adolescent depression, and higher levels of anxiety, concern, irritability and stress.
Illnesses such as depression and heart disease have been shown to be caused by stress
(Cohen & Hoberman, 1983).
The effects of prolonged war stress on military families and children are
beginning to be recognized. Many military youth receive pediatric healthcare, and family
practices across the United States are experiencing an increase in adverse psychosocial
behavior. The American Academy of Pediatrics (n.d.) writes that, “emotionally
connecting and engaging, youth-centered, and preventative support is crucial to helping
military youth during the stresses of wartime.”
Military agencies and support organizations have developed resources for families
that provide suggestions on progressing through the cycles of deployment with minimal
effects. For example, The National Military Family Association developed Operation
Purple Camp, a one week summer program for military youth who have a parent
deployed. Operation Purple Camps use a variety of means to empower military children
and their families to develop and maintain healthy and connected relationships, in spite of
their current military environment. In addition, military installations provide counseling
and deployment information programs to military personnel and spouses. Child and
Youth programs are offered on military installations for youth ages 5-12. Some programs
offered include: before and after school, summer camp and 4-H programs, karate and
dance classes as well as other recreational activities. The resources and programs
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established may be productive recreational and leisure activities,
however, they lack elements targeted specifically towards military
youth experiencing parental deployment.
In addition to youth programs, there is support for the families during the time of
deployment. Whether it is the Army's Family Readiness Group, the Air Force's Key
Spouse Program, the Navy's Ombudsman Program, or the Marine Corps's Key Volunteer
Network, group dynamics within the support system can affect the coping mechanism of
the family members (Nola, 2008). In 2005 a survey completed by the National Military
Family Association asked military families their overall thoughts on the utilization of
family support programs. One Marine Corps spouse stated, “These programs are the
backbone that supports our military families.” Another Marine Corps spouse added,
“While you don’t often use all of these programs at once, when I needed them – they
were there.” In this survey, military families stressed the overall importance of family
support programs. Additionally, the survey concluded one of the top three programs
being utilized was Children Youth and Teen programs.
While there are various resources and non-profit programs available to support
military families during parental deployment, there is no established continuous program
permanently established on military installations within the youth activities center. There
is a need to develop a program that Military Child and Youth Services administrators can
use to offer frequent and accessible deployment support programs in their youth
recreation centers.
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Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this project is to develop a recreational based
military youth services program to support active duty military youth (ages 5-12), while
one or both parents are deployed.
This project will be a resource for Navy military youth service program
administrators so they may be able to provide ongoing, accessible social activities for
military youth while a parent is deployed. The program activities will strive to help
youth develop social networks and develop bonds with other youth having deployed
parents, encourage communication efforts with deployed parents, and introduce life skills
that reduce stress and anxiety.
Scope of the Project
This project will be a recreational based program targeted specifically towards
Navy Child and Youth Programs to use as guidance in offering deployment support
programs, events, or activities for military youth ages 5-12. The project will be outlined
in a curriculum format targeting four areas that impact youth during parental deployment.
1. Fear of Loss
2. Communication
3. Changes in the household
4. Lack of peer support
Through activities, journaling, art, group discussions and team building games,
the program will highlight ways in which youth can bond with their peers experiencing
similar emotions. The curriculum will help teach children with a deployed parent to
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embrace and understand change, to improve communicating their
emotions, and to relieve the feelings of stress that come with fear.
Definitions of Key Terms
The following terms are used throughout the study. These definitions are an
introduction to the concepts and as guide for the reader.
Active Duty refers to a full-time occupation as part of a military force (DOD dictionary of
military terms, 2011).
At home caregiver refers to the parent that stays at home with the children while their
spouse is on military deployment.
CONUS is the acronym for Continental United States, and is used to differentiate military
bases in the United States versus bases overseas (DOD dictionary of military terms,
2011).
Deployment is the name given to the movement of an individual or military unit within
the United States, or to an overseas location to accomplish a task or mission. The mission
may be as routine as providing additional training or as dangerous as a war (DOD
dictionary of military terms, 2011).
Emotional Cycle of Deployment is a model created by the Department of Veterans Affairs
that divides deployment into five categories. Although families may respond somewhat
differently, each state is characterized by the time frame associated with it, as well as
specific emotional challenges: (National Military Family Association, 2005).
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Pre-Deployment
6-8 weeks prior to deployment
Deployment Phase
The phase in which the service member is gone.
Sustainment Phase
Ranges from one month post-deployment to one month
prior to return
Is typically one month prior to return to the actual physical
return of the service member.
Begins when the service member returns home.
Re-Deployment Phase
Post-Deployment
Phase
Navy Military Child and Youth Programs are services on military installations that offer
developmental child-care and youth recreational programs. These services are available
to all active duty military, activated reservists, and guardsmen.
Navy Military Child and Youth program administrators are supervisors or managers that
oversee military child and youth programs on a military installation.
Military Installation is a facility serving military forces (DOD dictionary of military
terms, 2011).
Military Personnel are men and women who serve in the United States Armed Forces
(DOD dictionary of military terms, 2011).
Military Youth are children of military personnel ages 5 to 12.
Service Member refers to a person who is serving in any branch of the armed forces
(DOD dictionary of military terms, 2011).
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Delimitations
The following delimitations were applied to restrict the scope of
the project: The project is geared towards military active duty youth ages 5-12 only, and
those who have a parent currently deployed. This project was developed for usage only
by Navy Child and Youth Program personnel who include youth directors, school age
care directors, and/or child and youth program directors. Suggestions for the program
were only taken by selected families on board Naval Air Station Jacksonville.
Limitations
The effectiveness of the program can be altered by the following factors:
1. There is a chance that some youth entered into your program may already be
getting counseling from civilian sources, which would skew the results positively
in the program's favor.
2.
How the program is actually implemented by the staff can differ from the original
intent.
3. There may be other factors besides parental military deployments that could be
negatively affecting the children participating in the program. This could include
child abuse, drug abuse, financial difficulties, poor school discipline, and any
other factors currently present prior to deployment. These factors would skew the
results of the effectiveness of the program negatively.
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Chapter 2
REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE
This chapter reviews the literature on military youth and the impact of
deployment on children. The first part of this chapter examines the emotional cycle of
deployment. This is followed by the impact deployment has on youth by looking at three
areas that affect youth the most: fear of losing a parent, changes in the household and
family routine, and a lack of peer support. Finally the benefits organized recreation and
play can have on youth are outlined. The chapter concludes with examples of resources
and programs available to support military youth (ages 5-12).
The Emotional Cycle of Deployment
During deployment a service member becomes geographically separated from his
or her family. Military youth with a deployed parent may experience various emotions
and express different behaviors during this time. Research suggest that there are the fives
stages of deployment. Being familiar with the stages of deployment is important because
varied coping strategies are needed during each of the five stages. It is critical for health
care providers, military leaders, soldiers and family members to anticipate these stages to
minimize family trauma (Fitzsimons, Krause-Parello, 2005).
The five stages of deployment are best known as The Emotional Cycle of
Deployment developed for military families as a model for understanding the phases and
transitions that accompany the deployment process (Pincus, House, Christenson, &
Adler, 2007). The five stages of deployment are: pre-deployment, deployment,
sustainment, re-deployment, and post-deployment. The descriptions below are based on
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a deployment lasting 6 months. During pro-longed deployments (7-18
months) the stages are the same but each stage may last a longer
period of time.
Pre-Deployment Stage
The pre-deployment phase begins at the time of notification of deployment to the
actual departure date of the military member (Pincus, et al., 2007). The service member
spends long hours training and works with her/her spouse to get household affairs in
order. During this time arguments between the service member and the spouse increase
due to anxiety and stress. Families may experience nervous tension that may affect the
activities of daily living for both the parents and the children. This stress can cause fear in
children that parents or caregivers are not well equipped to care of them, or that the
deployed parent may not return home safely (Fitzsimons & Krause-Parellow, 2009).
Youth may experience a range of emotions such as denial, fear and worry. They may also
act out their stress by having tantrums and demonstrate other negative behaviors (Hosek
et al., 2006).
Youth program professionals during this stage of deployment can assist the youth
by offering skill building classes so they feel prepared to take on additional
responsibilities at home such as babysitting, cooking, gardening and repair work.
Children should be encouraged to research locations where the parent could be deployed,
to feel a sense of connection. Program professionals could also develop educational
materials for parents and their children consisting of methods to recognize the various
adolescent behaviors and emotions caused by different stages of deployment, appropriate
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self-care, and methods of stress reduction. These materials should
include information on developmentally appropriate expectations
about adolescent’s behaviors (to differentiate between deployment and traditional
anxieties), reactions to stress, signs and symptoms of depression, and other mental health
issues for adolescents. Youth Program professionals should help build a social network to
emphasize the importance of building a support group with other youth that have a
deployed parent. (Huebner and Mancini, 2005).
Deployment Stage
The deployment stage occurs from the date of departure of the parent through
approximately the first month of deployment. During this time, a mixture of emotions for
both caregivers and children arise. Some military spouses have reported feeling
disoriented and overwhelmed, while others may feel relieved that they no longer have to
appear brave and strong. The at-home caregiver may feel anger at the service member
because of tasks at home left undone. The soldier's departure can create a "hole," which
can lead to feelings of numbness, sadness, being alone or abandonment. Youth also
struggle during this stage. Youth may also be overwhelmed by emotions such as anger,
sadness, loneliness, or may be in denial that the parent is actually gone. Youth sometimes
have a change in appetite or sleeping patterns, and the caregiver may begin to see a
decrease in academic performance (Pincus, et al,. 2007).
During the deployment stage youth program professionals should provide
programs that address coping with stress, and provide opportunities to recreate with other
youth with deployed parents such as weekend trips, dances or sporting events. Activities
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for the at-home parent and youth to participate together should be
programmed and parents should be encouraged to model self-care and
healthy coping strategies. Youth should also be able to share special events in their life
with the deployed parent, despite them being thousands of miles away. For example,
youth program professionals could offer programs where youth can start a scrapbook
about important events that occur while the parent is deployed and post it on a website so
the deployed parent can access it while he/she is away (Huebner and Mancini, 2005).
Sustainment Stage
The sustainment stage occurs during the first month of deployment through the
fifth month of deployment. During this phase the family begins to adjust to the service
member’s absence and develops new routines and ways of living. If the family is having
a hard time adjusting during this stage, it could have a huge negative impact on the child.
Communication with the service member may be difficult during this time, which may
cause conflict between the service member and the spouse (Waldrep, Cozza & Chun,
2004). Due to the changes in routine, children may be taken out of recreational activities
caused by lack of time or transportation, because the caregiver is too busy. Usually the
military child experiences large amounts of stress due to these changes along with
changes in the child’s behavior, academic performance, and interaction with peers
(Pincus, et al., 2007).
The changes you see in children during this phase is an increase in whining,
complaining, children may become aggressive or otherwise "act out" their feelings.
Children may focus on the Soldier-parent missing a key event like a birthday. During this
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phase it is important that youth talk about their feelings and need a
little more attention than usual.
Military youth professionals can help children during this time by providing help
with transportation to and from the youth center or base events. Military youth
professionals can help organize a carpool schedule or recruit other parents to help
transport children to programs. Youth centers should schedule programs and events and
times where it is most convenient to the majority of military children within their
community.
Redeployment Stage
The redeployment stage occurs the month before deployed military personnel are
schedule to arrive home. During this phase the spouse and youth may experience a wave
of emotions in anticipation of the service member’s homecoming. During this exciting
time youth may feel anxious, have bursts of energy, have difficulty making decisions, and
have a hard time concentrating on daily tasks (Fitzsimons and Krouse, 2009).
During the re-deployment phase, youth program professionals should keep
providing opportunities for youth to build social networks with other youth who have a
parent deployed, as well as provide opportunities for skill building and fun. Since the
redeployment phase may cause children to have bursts of energy as well as high levels of
stress, this is a great time to provide high active games and sports. These types of
activities will help relieve some stress within the child.
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Post-Deployment Stage
The post-deployment stage begins with the arrival home. Typically,
this stage lasts from three to six months. This stage starts with the "homecoming" of the
deployed soldier, which can be a breathtaking occasion with children rushing to the
returning parent. However, a child’s reunion with a parent varies on their age and
understanding of why the soldier was gone. School age children (5-12 years) may
demand a great deal of attention but feel loyal to the parent that remained behind and do
not respond to discipline from the returning soldier. Children may also fear the soldier's
return: "Wait till Mommy/Daddy gets home!" Some children may display significant
anxiety up to a year later triggered by the possibility of another separation. Typically, a
"honeymoon" period follows in which couples may reunite physically, but not necessarily
emotionally. Some spouses express a sense of awkwardness in addition to excitement.
Changes occur once again for the reunited family, which can cause tension and stress.
Spouses may report a lost sense of independence. There may be resentment at having
been "abandoned" for six months or more. Post-deployment is probably the most
important stage for both soldier and spouse. Maintaining open communication, lowering
expectations, and taking time to get to know each other again is crucial to the task of
successful reintegration of the soldier back into the family (MacDrimid, 2006).
During the post-deployment phase youth program professionals should educate
youth about appropriate expectations for parent reunion as well as provide activities for
the returning parent and adolescent to do together (Huebner and Mancini, 2005). During
this phase it is also important that children realize that changes come along with the
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return of a parent. A parent may come back injured, depressed or
angry. Military youth professionals should allow time for youth to
participate in group discussion to share their frustrations and feelings. This phase is a
good time to focus on family togetherness. Youth centers can offer family game nights,
family movie nights or any other programs where families can spend time together.
The Emotional Deployment Cycle has not been tested; however professional
military psychiatrists who have had personal experiences with deployment developed it.
Recent studies and focus groups have found that a participant’s descriptions of stages
before and during deployment are very similar to those described in the Emotional Cycle
of Deployment (MacDermid, 2006). The absence of the service member can be stressful
for their children, however individual responses may vary depending on a variety of
factors such as age, maturity, gender, parent-child relationships, and coping skills of the
caregiver during separation (Educator’s Guide, 2007).
Parental Deployment and the Impact on Youth
Little research has been done about military deployment and its effects on
children, however it is slowly becoming an area of interest. The ongoing wars and the
rise of deployments, as well as an increase in the duration of deployments, have brought
much needed attention to the impact deployment has on military spouses and their
children. Some literature describes parent-child separation in military families, and
suggests that children typically exhibit critical reactions and are more likely to develop
long-term problems due to parental separation (Applewhite & Mays, 1996). As noted
previously, recent studies have connected parental deployment to several youth
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behavioral outcomes such as depression, negative social and
emotional behaviors, and poor academic performance (Ryan-Wenger,
2001). Although every child is different and may react to parental deployment in various
ways, multiple studies have shown that these negative behaviors may be due to fear of
loss, the inability to communicate emotions, changes in the household and lack of peer
support (Huebner, Mancini, Wilcox, Grass, & Grass, 2007). In the following paragraphs
these four areas will be discussed in further detail.
Fear of Loss
School age children have a cognitive understanding of what it means for a parent
to be deployed to a war zone. They understand there is a possibility of losing a parent
permanently, or of a parent returning home severely injured (Huebner, Mancini, Wilcox,
Grass, Grass, 2007).
With access to the television and the internet, today’s youth have a great deal of
exposure to the media, which often heightens their fear of losing their parent during
deployment. This is especially true if the parent’s departure is to a dangerous
environment (Mmari, Roche, Sudhinaraset, Blum, 2009). The visions of war, high death
toll numbers, and constant news coverage give military youth daily reminders of the
dangers involved with their parent’s situation. This constant reminder adds stress and
increases the anxiety military youth might be experiencing.
The constant worry distracts youth and makes it more difficult for them to
concentrate on homework or simple daily tasks because their mind may be elsewhere.
This fear of losing a parent may result in a decrease in school performance, depression,
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worry, and aggression. For example, when asked in a focus group
what the worst thing about having a parent deployed was, a young
boy answered, “The worst is when the phone rings because you don’t know who is
calling. They [military personnel] could be calling, telling you that he [father] got shot or
something” (Military Family Readiness Institute, 2007).
The fear of loss is not only restricted to a child fearing their parent may not return
home. A military child might feel an overall loss of parental presence during deployment,
meaning that key events in youth’s lives are missed. Youth may not have an additional
parent to help with homework, attend activities, and provide guidance. This may cause
confusion and a feeling of loneliness for youth and can lead to changes in the relationship
between the child and at-home parent. During a focus group conducted by Mmari, Roche,
Sudhinaraset, and Blum in 2008, a mother responded to questions regarding the absence
of her husband and the affects it had on her children:
…and it is a challenge for the kid because they are upset. You know my daughter
plays soccer and she did an awesome job, but her dad didn’t get to go to these games, he
didn’t get that thrill. Or better yet, we have a 5-year old that goes into the store and steals
gum. When I looked at him, he jumped and his gum fell out and he begged me not to say
anything to his dad. Well, I tell his dad everything, so I told his dad. The first thing that
came out of his mouth was, “well our other children never did that.” I’m like, “yes they
did, but you were not there” (Mother, Air Force Base).
When youth experience the feelings of fear, they may also have a hard time
communicating their fears or worries to a parent, teacher or peers.
Communication
In order to mitigate the stress of having a parent deployed, two kinds of
communication are important to military youth:
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1. Communication with the deployed parent and
2. Open communication with peers and family members
about their feelings.
It is important for youth to be able to communicate in some way with the parent
deployed. In 2005, the NMFA Survey results indicated that contact with the unit and its
family readiness/support group during the deployment phase correlates to families’
improved ability to deal with subsequent deployments. Communication among service
members, families, the command, and family support providers is essential in dealing
with both the separation of deployment, and the preparation for the reunion with the
service member (NMFA, 2005 p. 5). Communication with a parent on deployment can
sometimes be very difficult, especially if that parent is in a remote or dangerous area.
According to the NMFA publication (2005), 17% of respondents identified
communication with service member as the greatest challenge of deployment.
When the family knows little about what the service member is doing, or where
he or she is located, they may try to find any information they can by turning to the media
or online websites for more information. When families do this, they may be faced with
media speculation that emphasizes frightening commentary and images. When youth
observe this type of media, the fear they have for the safety of their parent may grow.
Communication with the deployed parent is important to the youth’s well being,
however youth in general lack the communication skills necessary to let others know how
they feel. Military youth may have extra difficulty communicating their feelings with
peers or the at-home parent, when they are surrounded by peers that do not have military
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parents. In a 2005 study researchers asked military youth who they
talked to when they were stressed. One youth answered, “I don’t talk
about my dad’s deployment. I don’t know. I just don’t like to talk about it. I don’t even
know why” while another youth responded, “I won’t talk to my family about it because
they just make it worse” (Huebner & Mancini, pg. 37). Having strong communication
between family members has the potential to reduce the overwhelming feelings that
change may bring (Murray, J. 2002).
Strong communication is essential during all phases of deployment. During
deployment many changes occur within the family; communication will help families
deal with the hardships of change.
Changes in household
When a parent is deployed there are many changes in the household, one being an
increase of responsibility for youth. In 2007, The National Military Family Association
interviewed military youth while attending summer camps. Findings suggested that
uncertain loss was significant for military families because family members are often
either physically or emotionally absent due to deployments. Both parents and youth
remaining at home during one parent’s deployment described considerable shifts in the
sorting of roles and responsibilities at home (Mmari, et al., 2009).
In a study conducted by The Department of Defense (2008), adolescents reported
that their responsibilities for housework and taking care of younger siblings increased,
and they felt it had a negative consequence on their well being. For older youth, some
have expressed that they feel like a co-parent for younger siblings due to having to act
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older and more mature. Having to act older may cause youth to hide
their emotions so as not to upset their siblings or parent at home.
Youth also reported having to take on extra chores, to help out around the house, usually
what the deployed parent previously did (Chandra, Lara-Cinisomo, Jaycox, Tanielian,
Burns, Ruder, & Ham, 2009). The extra responsibilities at home take away the child’s
time to play or engage in activities that help ease the child’s strong emotional feelings.
Missing extracurricular activities has also been noted as a change in the
household. During focus groups conducted by Ryan-Wenger (2001), youth expressed that
they often have to miss out on leisure and recreation activities typically done with the
parent who is away. Due to lack of transportation, scheduling conflicts or financial
burdens, several youth have reported that during deployment, they were unable to
participate in the usual extracurricular activities. The parent at home often struggles with
the time to take their children to their scheduled activities because they have double
responsibilities, especially if there are multiple children in the household (Morris & Age,
2009).
Changes in the household may also cause relationship changes between the parent
and child. In a study conducted by the Military Family Research Institute (2005), the
researchers found that changes in parent-child relationships caused emotional stress and
hardship for youth. Some youth responded to deployment based on how their parent at
home deals with this time away from their spouse. During deployments, the family
responsibilities often became entirely the responsibility of the at-home parent, and
“dealing with the children was one of their greatest challenges.” (NMFA, 2005, p. 13).
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Children and parents can influence each other in both positive and
negative ways (Huebner et al., 2007). In a study exploring
uncertainty and ambiguous loss in military youth completed by Huebner et al., (2007)
forty-one percent of the youth interviewed reported changes in their mother’s behavior
and emotions. One child said, “My mom acts different when my dad’s gone. It’s like
she’s not her normal self. She’s kind of liked stressed out and stuff and her stress out
affects me too” (p. 118). Children's reactions to deployments vary with age and
developmental stage, and levels of stress are similar to the stress level experienced by
their parents or caregiver. The National Military Family Association surveyed military
spouses in 2005. Stress levels were measured for the various points of the deployment
cycle. Fifteen percent experienced heightened stress levels upon notification of the
deployment, and eighteen percent upon the departure of the parent. During the
deployment or absence of the parent, sixty-two percent felt the greatest stress (Nola &
Gina, 2000). Youth stress levels followed suit to the at-home parent.
Low academic scores can also be a problem when there are drastic changes in the
household. The child may have less time for homework due to an increase in other
responsibilities. In some cases the parent serving may have been the parent who helped
with homework and enforced completion.
Changes in household routines can cause strong emotional feelings that affect
military youths’ ability to complete tasks and may take time away from the child’s
recreation and leisure time with other youth.
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Lack of Peer Support
Military families who do not live on a military base may not
have a large support group around them. When a child was asked, “how did you feel
when you found out your parent was being deployed?” he responded with “I was the only
kid in my neighborhood whose dad got sent to that. So no one really knew besides just
me and my sisters how we were feeling” (MFRI, 2007, p. 16). School Age youth in
military families primarily attend civilian public schools, especially if they are in the
United States. In many cases, these children are a distinct minority in their school.
Respondents in a focus group noted that the staff at their children’s schools may not
understand what these children experience when a family member is gone (NMFA, 2005,
p.13).
In a survey the National Military Family Association conducted in 2005,
researchers found that more direct resources are needed to support families. Even the
respondents who praised their family readiness volunteers and support groups noted the
need for more resources and “professionals” to support their efforts. “Given widelypublicized concerns over family relationships, children, and the mental health of the
returning service member, NMFA believes more professional support must be directed to
the unit level to assist families in meeting these challenges” (p. 15).
The Benefits of Recreation and Leisure Education for Military Youth
It is through play that children learn to get along with others and to sort out
conflicts. Play encourages independence, self-esteem, creativity; it gives children a much
needed “down time” and functions as a stress reliever. Play has the potential to make
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children happy and contributes to the overall emotional well-being of
a child (Gingsburg, 2007).
Leisure education for military youth
Providing military youth with leisure education could reinforce lifelong leisure
skills through recreation programs. “Leisure education is a process of teaching various
recreation and leisure-related skills, attitudes, and values” to enhance the quality of a
person’s life (Dattilo, 2008, pg. 9). Leisure Education can help military youth develop or
build important skills such as self-awareness, leisure awareness and social and
community connections. “Through leisure education, people gain the awareness,
appreciation, knowledge, and skills necessary for them to choose to be involved in
leisure” (Datillo, 2008, pg. 44).
Leisure education can be used for individuals to increase their levels of selfawareness. Self-awareness is an important aspect for this deployment support program.
Military youth must be aware of the feelings and emotions they are facing when a parent
is deployed. When they are aware of these emotions, they become aware of how they
manage or face these feelings. After military youth are aware of their coping strategies
they may see which strategies are more positive than others. This program can then help
the participants by building new or enhanced leisure skills to improve the quality of their
life.
Recreation to reduce stress brought on by feelings of fear
The body responds to fear by creating stress. This heightens the body’s ability to
use its “fight or flight” mechanism. Unfortunately, fear of the unknown is not “solved” by
24
“fight or flight”, and the stress builds up causing additional
physiological problems such as long term anxiety, muscle pain, and
depression. While a child can respond readily to a wasp trying to sting them, by running
away, they cannot escape from the fear of losing their parent. Recreation is a proven
highly effective method to reduce the symptoms of stress. Recreation releases
endorphins, causes the body to work harder, and eliminates the pent up negative energy
attributed to stress (fear). As a person exercises, their body becomes stronger and
increases its ability to withstand stress. Recreation causes the person to breathe harder,
sending more oxygen to the brain, creating a calming effect and the ability to think
logically about situation. An added benefit of recreation is the social ties that are formed
with others who recreate. Social interaction through a common activity often leads to
additional support when an individual is faced by a personal problem, and needs help.
Some recreational activities that can help reduce fear is team building games, high
ropes courses, horse back riding, and other high energy games.
Recreation to increase communication
Recreation is a method that can foster open communication between others.
Leisure can have a central role throughout people’s lives and may provide them with a
sense of community. One method is to set up regular “chat sessions” where the parent sits
down with their children on a pre-determined evening each week, with no distractions.
The “rule” is everything can be discussed, and no one’s feelings are to be dismissed. The
parent can start and talk about some of his/her fears, and how he/she has resolved them in
their mind. An example of a topic could be talking about a Skype session they had with
25
the deployed parent the night before: how did it make them feel, how
good it was to see the parent, and that they trust the deployed parent
to do everything in his/her power to come home safely. Emphasis should be placed on the
fact that these feelings are normal. Providing tasks for each child to perform in
preparation of the parent’s return would give the child a feeling of doing something to
make the parent’s return come faster (gather information about a vacation trip, clean and
organize a portion of the garage that has always been messy, etc). The deployed parent
should be made aware of these “tasks” to provide encouragement during their periods of
communication, or to insure that the “surprise” is duly appreciated.
Recreation to reduce stressful situations brought on by changes
Military families go through a number of changes when a parent deploys. These
changes can cause stress. As stated in the previous chapter, stress levels of military youth
were measured for the various points of the deployment cycle. Fifteen percent
experienced heightened stress levels upon notification of the deployment and eighteen
percent upon the departure of the service. During the deployment or absence of the
service member, sixty-two percent felt the greatest stress (Nola & Gina, 2000).
Recreation and leisure has been noted to reduce the feelings of stress. “Engaging
in several freely chosen leisure activities has been shown to buffer the impact of high
levels of life stress on psychological health” (Reich & Zuatra, 1981). Coleman, 1993
wrote that “ leisure participating counteracts the harmful effects of stress” after
conducting a study in which role leisure played on the impact of life stress and health.
26
There are many ways that youth relieve stress such as playing
high active games (tag, kickball, basketball or any other sport). Youth
can also relieve stress by reading a book, engaging in a hobby, or participating in group
activities. However, what is important is that that youth are able to recognize that they are
stressed and to be able to find the right activities that will help the individual child.
This deployment support program will not only provide the participants with a
wide range of stress reliever activities, but also provide opportunities for self-awareness
so that the child may begin to understand the feelings and emotions of stress.
Recreation as a tool to provide peer support
Recreation and leisure education can help military youth by developing skills and
abilities that facilitate their participation in social groups and the community.
Feelings of continuity are achieved when people sense there are
consistencies in their lives and interruptions are avoided. During leisure
individuals may maintain social networks as well as build friendships.
Particularly during periods of transition, leisure activity can offer a buffer
against discomfort and stress associated with the experience and leisure
can facilitate development of new friends (Datillo, 2008 pg. 42).
A good method to help military youth cope is to be involved in peer groups with other
children whose parents are, or have been, deployed. These groups can be centered around
activities that are fun, with specific time set aside to discuss their home lives, and how
they feel about their parent’s deployment. The emphasis on the “fun first” will break the
ice between members of this age group, whose skills in communicating with their peers
are hampered by normal adolescent fears of “fitting in” and “being made fun of.” A
counselor trained in youth communication should lead the group discussion and provide
guidance, to keep the thoughts flowing and provide skills to cope with their fears. Once
27
the group has had a chance to form, the counselor needs to provide
the vehicle by which they can keep in touch. A Facebook (FB) page is
one example (Jacksonville, FL’s “Jax Army”), where youth can keep track of upcoming
activities, post pictures of their deployed parents, and privately FB message those who
may have insight in a particular problem
Current Military Youth Support
Extracurricular activities have the potential to help military children. Placing a
child in an activity or support group, especially one that includes other military children
allows youth to share their feelings in a constructive way (Percha, 2010).
The Department of Defense currently has programs in place to help support
military service members and their families. There are an overwhelming number of
organizations and resources to help military families through deployment. Programs may
differ between military branches however the goal and mission are the same; to support
military families. Some large support networks and organizations are as followed:
 Navy Fleet and Family Support Centers are located on all U.S. Navy bases. Part of
their mission statement is, “… to strengthen personal and family competencies to meet
the unique challenges of the military lifestyle” (FFSC). The programs offered by Family
Fleet and Support Centers (FFSC) are geared towards the service member and the family
as a whole. FFSC provides service members tools needed to get through deployment, by
providing information on stress management. These programs differ from base-to-base
and are free of charge to military families. These programs usually are in one-day
28
workshops. FFSC also has materials such as pamphlets and brochures
and the FFSC weblink for families to take home.
The FFSC provides counseling efforts, workshops and printed resources for
families however, unlike the deployment support program developed by the researcher,
they do not offer a recreational based programs.
 Operation: Military Children (OMK) is a non-profit organization that provides
resources to military youth. OMK was launched in 2005, is in partnership with the U.S.
Army, and works with communities to support the children and youth impacted by
deployment. National, State and Local Partners of Operation: Military Children provide
military youth access to youth programs and support services where military children
live. OMK Partners organize special events and provide transportation to sporting events
or other extracurricular activities.
OMK provides resources, grants, scholarships and access to some events but does
not offer a continuous recreation based program where has the deployment support
program developed by the researcher does.
 The National Military Family Association (NMFA) is another non-profit
organization in which their mission is “to fight for benefits and programs that strengthen
and protect uniformed services families and reflect the Nation’s respect for their service”
(NMFA). The NMFA developed Operation Camp Purple, which offers a free week of
summer fun for military children with parents who have been, are currently, or will be
deployed. The camp was founded to “empower military children and their families to
29
develop and maintain healthy and connected relationships, in spite of
the current military environment” and serves school age youth and
teens.
Operation Camp Purple provides an opportunity for military children to come
together in a recreational based setting for parental deployment support. These camps
however are only a week-long and they do not offer continuous support. The camp is also
not accessible to all military youth as it is in remote locations. The deployment support
program developed by the researcher does offer a continuous program and can be offered
on all Navy Installations.
 Military Child and Youth Services (CYS) are youth centers and programs onboard
military instillation that provides programs to meet the needs of children ages 6-12. CYS
provides programs such as before and after school care, summer camps, holiday camps,
open recreation, sport leagues and camps, as well as multiple Boys and Girls of America
programs and 4-H Clubs. They are conveniently located on or near military installations.
Additional support for families with children over the age of twelve can be found through
the youth and teen programs often sponsored by youth services and community centers.
CYS is a great resource and is a recreational based program for military children
on individual installations, however there is no specialized program developed to
specially target deployment support. The deployment support program developed by the
researcher will help CYP personnel develop and offer a recreational based program that
specifically supports those youth who have a parent deployed.
30
Support programs are important to military families and
youth. A strong support program and supportive community reduces
the stress and hardships a family faces during the emotional cycle of deployment.
“Stressors may vary with each deployment, and everyone copes differently. By
establishing family support groups, families were thought to be better equipped to handle
the challenges of the military lifestyle” (Nola & Gina, 2007).
Families may access any of these programs and retrieve information on
deployment, the stages of deployment, ways to communicate, etc; however, support for
youth is still lacking. There is a need for military children to be able to take part in
activities that help ease the transitions of each cycle of deployment. The deployment
support program developed by the researcher offers support for military youth where the
above programs are lacking. For example, the deployment support program offers various
methods of support that include recreation, counseling, journaling, art at the opportunity
to be surrounded by peers who are facing the same feelings and issues of deployment.
The deployment support program also offers continuous support where the programs
above are offered for a short time only.
Military installations that have School Age Care Programs on or near their base
have the opportunity to offer deployment programs for youth ages 5-12 but there is
currently no specialized program developed at this time. Implementation of a specialized
program is critical and can be done by taking the appropriate steps. The deployment
support program developed by the researcher makes it easy for a Navy Child and Youth
Program professionals to implement the deployment support program in their facility.
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Chapter 3
METHODOLOGY
The Youth Deployment Support Program will be geared towards Youth Program
Directors on United States Naval installations. This program is to be used as a guide for
implementing a recreational based deployment support group for children between the
ages 5-12. The project will target four areas that impact children during parental
deployment: Fear of loss, communication, lack of peer support, and change in family
routines. Additional steps were needed prior to the development of this program that
included program research and interviews with military youth program personnel,
military families and youth.
In the following paragraphs the researcher will discuss the steps taken in the preprogram development needed to move forward with the deployment support program.
This will be followed by an outline of the program format and a closing statement.
Pre-Program Development
Examinations of existing programs
To develop this project, the researcher examined the curriculum at current
military family and youth support organizations. These organizations, which were
highlighted in the previous chapter, included National Military Family Association
Operation Purple Camp, Operation Military Children, and Family Fleet and Support
Centers and Navy Child and Youth programs. By thoroughly examining the curriculum at
existing military and family youth organizations the researcher was able to identify the
strengths and weakness of each program which helped the researcher understand what
32
was most beneficial to youth. The researcher also examined research
that has been completed on each program. The researcher looked at
data such as grade and school performance prior to, and after the program, family input
regarding any changes in household stressors; and areas of the program that were not
successful or popular. Aspects of the program that were not successful were examined to
see if minor changes could enhance the delivery of the concept.
Some of the strengths in the programs researched were the activities where youth
were given time to talk about their feelings and were given an opportunity to experience a
day of a deployed soldier by dressing up in uniforms and participating in military drills.
Additional weakness’ the researcher found included the length of time being offered (too
short), remote location of the programs, the lack of positive role models and the number
of participants able to enroll.
The researcher then conducted interviews with Navy Child and Youth Program
personnel as well as military families. These interviews were conducted to gauge what
needs and wants are for program implementation.
Interviews with Child and Youth Program personnel
The researcher interviewed current staff members of Navy Child and Youth
programs. These staff members included the current Youth Activities Center program
director, School-Age Care Director, and a Youth Activities staff member employed by
the United Sates Naval Air Station in Jacksonville Florida (NAS JAX). Interviews were
also conducted with five Camp Adventure Youth Service camp counselors who have
spent multiple summers on numerous Navy installations around the world working in the
33
Youth Activities Center’s. These interviews were conducted by phone
call. Getting a feel for what the program personnel would like to see
in a deployment support program helped with the development and the format of this
program. The researcher asked the following questions:
1. What programs, if any, are currently in place to support youth during parental
deployment?
2. If there is a program in place, what are the components of the program?
3. If there is a program in place, what end results do you see regarding improvement in
child behavior, stress level, school performance and/or ability to form peer networks?
4. If there is no program in place, is there a need for one on your installation? If so,
why? If not, then why not?
Results
The researcher found through the interviews conducted with the program director
and other youth program professionals that although there are many resources for
families with young children such as summer camps, after school care and peer to peer
orientation for new youth, there is no on-going recreational deployment support program
for school age youth. The programs offered on Base through the Family Fleet and
Support Center consists of primarily counseling and there is nothing that takes on a more
recreational approach.
A staff member at the Youth Activities Center on NAS JAX said,
“I know our center does not really offer any deployment program during
the school year and I can't really think of anything that is offered in the
summer. Navy Headquarters does send someone here to talk to the
children about their parents being on deployment and they hand out
34
coloring books that deal with deployment. I would say
there is a huge need for a deployment program
especially because the majority of the children on base
have to deal with deployment at some point” (J.
Williamson, personal communication, September 28th, 2011)
A camp counselor for Camp Adventure Youth Services answered similar to the
one above. This counselor has worked in multiple Navy Child and Youth Programs and
responded by saying,
“ I don't recall any special programs at either of the Navy Bases I was on
for the summers. I have worked with people from Fleet and Family
Services at some Navy sites I have been at, they provide extra assistance
like behavioral therapists, and give advice to Child and Youth Program
staff members but there still no specific deployment support program. In
my experience, the campers with a parent deployed or about to be
deployed have the most difficulty making friends/relating to other campers
and they have the most behavioral issues” (T. Neeley, personal
communication, October 1, 2011).
The School Age Care Director at NAS JAX stated,
“The only steady program we have at the youth center that would apply to
dealing with children who have a parent deployed is our Military Family
Life Consultants. We have a consultant that comes in and observes the
children. They handpick children they think are having deployment issues
and they give them counseling as well as give the staff members ways to
deal with these children if they have negative behavior issues” (A.
Johnson, personal communication, July 21, 2011).
The comments provided by Child and Youth Program personnel gave the
researcher valuable information regarding the development of the deployment support
program. To gain even more essential information, the researcher also conducted
interviews with military families.
35
Interviews with military families
The researcher interviewed eight military families. The
researcher knew the families from previous work with the military. The interviews were
conducted via email. The researcher asked the following questions:
1.
Are there any support programs on base that are offered for children and do your
children attend the program? If they do not attend, why?
2.
If there is a program in place, what are the components of the program?
3.
What kind of support program would you like to see offered to your children?
Results
Through the interviews conducted with military families, the research concluded
that there is a lack of a deployment support program being offered. In addition, there is a
strong need to offer a deployment support program where there are opportunities for
recreation and play and to do so with other children going through parental deployment.
The researcher also concluded that there is a need for a program that is easily accessible
and that can provide role models.
A single mother of two, serving in the Navy responded to the question about why
her children were not enrolled in any deployment support program by saying:
“Honestly, I can say none of the programs offered appeal to my children.
While they are ok programs, for some who have the attention span, you
already know these boys are on the go at all times. If they would
incorporate like a Big Brother/Big Sister program where Sailors and
Marines are the volunteers that would be good for mine. An active
program that includes sports, field trips, something to keep them occupied
and teach them how to cope with the time parents are away. The thought
of sitting in another classroom after school is not appealing” (A. Santos,
personal communication, May 2, 2011).
36
A mother of two, when asked about what components of a
deployment support program would you like for your children
replied,
“My sons really missed having a strong male figure in their lives. They
were very fortunate because we've had an amazing military family, and
there were active duty men who saw the need and stepped in to spend
"guy time" with the boys. However, I certainly see that a lot of military
families don't have this kind of network. So, my first-and strongestsuggestion, would be for regularly organized activities with a group of
guys for the children who are missing a father” (M. Lewis, personal
communication, August 15, 2011).
A Naval Office and a father of three responded that although he loves that the
youth center on base has so many fun programs for his children, there is not one program
that specially helps children deal with deployment, “it is almost as if staff in the center
are afraid to mention the ‘D’ word to the children”. He continued by mentioning that he
would really like his children to attend Operation Purple Camp, but it is only offered
during the summer and not all children who apply get to go.
The researcher has previous experience with working with military children. For
five years the researcher was a Youth Activities Director on board a Naval Installation.
The researcher has seen first hand changes in youth behavior during parental deployment
such as isolation, anger, and signs of depression as well as the inability to communicate.
After months of reaching out to these children the researcher noticed that these children
not only felt alone, but also were afraid. They were afraid they their parent may not come
home, or may come home hurt.
37
The researcher saw a need for a deployment support program
for the youth attending the facility and although many resources in
print were available for families to read there was and still is a large lack in programming
efforts.
From the information collected, the researcher put together a program format that
will best be suited for the program which will include games, journaling, art, team
building and group discussion topics that are geared towards helping military children
reduce feelings of fear, communicate emotions, help deal with change and increase peer
support through recreation and fun.
Program Format
Following a welcome statement to the military youth program directors, the
program begins with a brief introduction identifying the need and reasoning behind a
Military Youth Deployment Support Program, and how the program is intended to help
military youth. Examples and suggestions for program registration, program
implementation, program timeline and program duration are then addressed.
The program highlights four components that may help military children deal
with parental deployment in a more positive way: Coping with fear, communication,
stress management, and dealing with changes within the household. Each section
includes a number of activities, games, journal topics, crafts, and group discussion points.
All activities and the program as a whole provides peer support for military youth. The
38
program manual also consists of a sample pre and post-test survey
and a focus group outline to help determine the benefits gained from
the program.
Flexibility in this program is important due to the ongoing departures and
homecomings of military deployments. Because flexibility is important, no time frame
will be included in the program format although timeline suggestions will be made.
Military deployment dates are staggered according to which squadron (for example) is
due for rotation back into “the field.” The Youth Centers will provide flexible entrance
opportunities for youth, allowing children with newly deployed parents to jump into a
program that is already in action. Each component of a support program will complement
the other so that children in their 1st month of deployment stress will benefit by
interacting with children in their 4th month of deployment stress.
The format of the program will be as followed:
Section 1: Welcome and Introduction
Section 2: Staffing and Staff Training
Section 3: Pre-program survey, program timeline and programming
Section 4: Using Resources
Section 5: Component Activities
Section 6: Post program survey and program conclusion
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Chapter 4
DEPLOYMENT SUPPORT PROGRAM
Section 1: Welcome and Introduction
Welcome to your resource guide to helping military children on board US Naval
Stations! The purpose of this manual is to help you, as a youth program professional,
develop an on-going recreational based services program to support active duty military
children (ages 5-12), while one or both parents are deployed. This program is outlined to
run two days a week for two hours a day for as long as you want to offer the program.
The activities recommended in this manual will help youth develop social networks and
develop bonds with other children whose parents are deployed, encourage
communication efforts with their parents and peers, introduce life skills that help ease
through household transitions and reduce feelings of stress and fear.
Inside this manual you will find program ideas, focus group discussion topics,
journaling topics, games, art, team building activities and tips for parents. You will also
find an example of a youth and parent survey and a focus group outline to assist you in
assessing the participants to see if there are positive changes that develop through
program implementation.
This manual targets four areas that impact youth during parental deployment:
1. Fear of losing a parent
2. Communication
3. Changes in the household
4. Lack of peer support
40
Through multiple activities two days a week for two hours a
day, the program will help youth bond with their peers experiencing
similar emotions, embrace and understand change within the household, improve
communicating their emotions and techniques to relieve the feelings of stress that come
with fear of losing a parent.
In the introduction, you will learn briefly why activities were chosen surrounding
the four topics: fear of losing a parent, communication, changes in the household and lack
of peer support. As a youth program administrator, you will have to gauge the age and
ability of your participants and alter games and activities to best fit the needs of the youth
you are serving.
As a military recreation professional it is important to be aware of the deployment
cycle and the challenges military children may face during this time. During deployment
a service member becomes geographically separated from his or her family. Research
tells us that military youth with a deployed parent may experience various emotions and
express different behaviors during the fives stages of deployment. Being familiar with the
emotional cycle of deployment (pre-deployment, deployment, sustaintment, redeployment, and post-deployment) is important because different coping strategies are
needed during each of the five stages.
The Emotional Cycle of Deployment was developed for military families as a
model for understanding the phases and transitions that accompany the deployment
process (Pincus, House, Christenson, & Adler, 2007). Regardless of the deployment
stage, the absence of the service member can be stressful for their children; however
41
individual responses may vary depending on a variety of factors such
as age, maturity, gender, parent-child relationships, and coping skills
of the caregiver during separation (Educator’s Guide, 2007).
Although every child is different and may react to parental deployment in various
ways, multiple studies have shown that these negative behaviors may be due to feelings
of fear, not being able to communicate these feelings, lack of peer support, and changes
in the household and/or family structure (Huebner, Mancini, Wilcox, Grass, & Grass,
2007). The four challenges will be highlighted more throughout the manual.
Leisure Education for military youth
Providing military youth with leisure education could reinforce lifelong leisure
skills through recreation programs. According to Datillo (2008), “leisure education is a
process of teaching various recreation and leisure-related skills, attitudes, and values” to
enhance the quality of a person’s life” (pg. 9). Leisure Education can help military youth
develop or build important skills such as self-awareness, leisure awareness and social and
community connections. “Through leisure education, people gain the awareness,
appreciation, knowledge, and skills necessary for them to choose to be involved in
leisure” (Datillo, 2008, pg. 44). Leisure education can help develop self-awareness,
which is an important aspect for this deployment support program.
Military youth must be aware of the feelings and emotions they are facing when a
parent is deployed. When they are aware of these emotions, they begin to become aware
of how they manage using a variety of coping strategies. If military youth can become
aware of their coping strategies they may see which strategies are more effective then
42
others. This program can then help the participants by offering leisure
skills that may help them learn new coping strategies or help them
become aware of the ones already being used.
a) Why Games?
There is no question that military youth face some challenges. How will
recreation help? It is through play that children learn to get along with others and sort out
conflicts. Play encourages independence, self-esteem and creativity; it provides children a
much needed “down time” and can function as a stress reliever. Play has the potential to
make children happy and contributes to the overall emotional well-being of a child
(Gingsburg, 2007).
There are many benefits of recreation and leisure for they have been noted to
reduce the feelings of stress. According to Reich and Zuatra (1981), “engaging in several
freely chosen leisure activities has been shown to buffer the impact of high levels of life
stress on psychological health”. Recreation fosters open communication with others.
Leisure can have a central role throughout people’s lives and may provide individuals
with a sense of community. Extracurricular activities have the potential to help military
children. Placing a child in an activity or support group, especially one that includes other
military children, allows youth to share their feelings in a constructive way (Percha,
2010).
The benefits of recreation for military youth are endless. Further research on
leisure education and its benefits are highly recommended for youth program
administrators and staff. A list of resources is available for you at the end of the manual.
43
This curriculum will include a variety of activities such as
games, art, journaling, group discussion topics and team building
exercises. Below are some reasons why these activities will help military youth with
parental deployment.
b) Why Art?
Art is incorporated into this program for many reasons. Art is therapeutic and
can allow the child to express confusing emotions nonverbally. Art therapy is a growing
profession but you don’t need to be an art therapist to reap its benefits! According to the
American Art Therapy Association, art for children can provide children with an easier
way to express themselves. Children tend to be naturally artistic and creative. A young
child is likely to be more comfortable initially expressing him/herself with some crayons
and markers, than he/she is going to be at expressing emotions and feelings through
words (Wright, 2010).
c) Why Journaling?
Journaling allows youth to explore and learn about themselves in a personal way.
Journaling increases mental and physical health and is a very effective way to turn angry
and confused feelings into clear meditative thoughts (Robertson, 2009).
d) Why Group Discussions?
Group discussions give children the time to share their thoughts and feelings.
After each activity and/or after time spent together, a staff member should lead a group
discussion so that each child is able to talk about his or her feelings about the activity.
44
Group discussion encourages children to think about what happened
during the activity and to draw life lessons that they can then apply in
other contexts.
c) Why Teambuilding?
Through teambuilding activities, youth learn how to cooperate, share, work
together and listen to other children’ ideas. They will also learn about teamwork and
patience. Team building can help improve a child’s way of communicating with other
children or parents, help decrease their level of shyness, and help the child to be open to
other people and their surroundings.
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Section 2: Staffing
Although some activities have been listed for you, the real
work is in your job and the job of the staff. Ultimately, how this program is implemented
depends on you! As the administer of a Navy Child and Youth Program, you already
have experienced and well trained staff members. There is no need to hire additional staff
to run this program, although selecting the right staff members to be involved is
important.
It is essential that the professionals running this program are educated about the
unique situation of adolescents with deployed parents, the significance of the deployment
cycle and how adolescent reactions vary depending on the deployment stage. The five
stages of deployment are best known as The Emotional Cycle of Deployment developed
for military families as a model for understanding the phases and transitions that
accompany the deployment process (Pincus, House, Christenson, & Adler, 2007). The
five stages of deployment are: pre-deployment, deployment, sustainment, re-deployment,
and post-deployment. Additional training may be needed for those individuals who will
be involved in the military youth deployment support program.
Staff Training
As personnel of the Navy Child and Youth Programs, staff members are required
to meet a standard level of training as stated in the Navy Child and Youth Operating
Procedures (OPNAVINST 1700.9E). Along with the required training, staff involved in
this program should be trained and have a general understanding in the following areas:
46
1. Emotional Cycle of Deployment
2. Facilitating group discussions
3. Facilitating team building activities
4. Facilitating journal exercises
Staff training on the phases of deployment
Staff members involved in this program should be familiar with the different
phases of deployment outlined below. When training staff, the focus should be familiar
with the range of emotions youth show through each phase of the emotional cycle of
deployment (pre-deployment, deployment, sustainment, re-deployment, and post
deployment).
The pre-deployment phase begins at the time of notification of deployment to the
actual departure date of the military member. Families may experience nervous tension
that may affect the activities of daily living for both the parents and the children. Youth
may experience a range of emotions such as denial, fear and worry. They may also act
out their stress by having tantrums and demonstrate other negative behaviors (Hosek et
al., 2006). Youth program professionals during this stage of deployment can assist the
youth by offering skill building classes so they feel prepared to take on additional
responsibilities at home such as babysitting, cooking, gardening and repair work.
Children should be encouraged to research locations where the parent could be deployed,
to feel a sense of connection. Program professionals could also develop educational
materials for parents and their children consisting of methods to recognize the various
47
adolescent behaviors and emotions caused by different stages of
deployment, appropriate self-care, and methods of stress reduction.
These materials should include information on developmentally appropriate expectations
about adolescents behaviors reactions to stress, signs and symptoms of depression, and
other mental health issues for adolescents.
The deployment stage occurs from the date of departure of the parent through
approximately the first month of deployment. During this time, a mixture of emotions for
both caregivers and children arise. Youth may be overwhelmed by emotions such as
anger, sadness, loneliness, or may be in denial that the parent is actually gone. Youth
sometimes have a change in appetite or sleeping patterns, and the caregiver may begin to
see a decrease in academic performance (Pincus, et al,. 2007).
During the deployment stage youth program professionals should provide
programs that address coping with stress, and provide opportunities to recreate with other
youth with deployed parents such as weekend trips, dances or sporting events. Activities
for the at-home parent and youth to participate together should be programmed and
parents should be encouraged to model self-care and healthy coping strategies. Youth
should also be able to share special events in their life with the deployed parent, despite
them being thousands of miles away. For example, youth program professionals could
offer programs where youth can start a scrapbook about important events that occur while
the parent is deployed and post it on a website so the deployed parent can access it while
he/she is away (Huebner and Mancini, 2005).
48
The sustainment stage occurs during the first month of
deployment through the fifth month of deployment. Due to the
changes in routine, children may be taken out of recreational activities caused by lack of
time or transportation, because the caregiver is too busy. Usually the military child
experiences large amounts of stress due to these changes along with changes in the
child’s behavior, academic performance, and interaction with peers (Pincus, et al., 2007).
The changes you see in children during this phase is an increase in whining, complaining,
children may become aggressive or otherwise "act out" their feelings. Children may focus
on the Soldier-parent missing a key event like a birthday. During this phase it is
important that youth talk about their feelings and need a little more attention than usual.
Military youth professionals can help children during this time by providing help
with transportation to and from the youth center or base events. Military youth
professionals can help organize a carpool schedule or recruit other parents to help
transport children to programs. Youth centers should schedule programs and events and
times where it is most convenient to the majority of military children within their
community.
The redeployment stage occurs the month before deployed military personnel are
schedule to arrive home. During this phase the spouse and youth may experience a wave
of emotions in anticipation of the service member’s homecoming. During this exciting
time youth may feel anxious, have bursts of energy, have difficulty making decisions, and
have a hard time concentrating on daily tasks (Fitzsimons and Krouse, 2009).
49
During the re-deployment phase, youth program professionals
should keep providing opportunities for youth to build peer networks
with other youth who have a parent deployed, as well as provide opportunities for skill
building and fun. Since the redeployment phase may cause children to have bursts of
energy as well as high levels of stress, this is a great time to provide high active games
and sports. These types of activities will help relieve some stress within the child.
The post-deployment stage begins with the arrival home. Typically, this stage
lasts from three to six months. This stage starts with the "homecoming" of the deployed
soldier, which can be a breathtaking occasion with children rushing to the returning
parent. Changes occur once again for the reunited family, which can cause tension and
stress.
During the post-deployment phase youth program professionals should educate
youth about appropriate expectations for parent reunion as well as provide activities for
the returning parent and adolescent to do together (Huebner and Mancini, 2005). During
this phase it is also important that children realize that changes come along with the
return of a parent. A parent may come back injured, depressed or angry. Military youth
professionals should allow time for youth to participate in group discussion to share their
frustrations and feelings. This phase is a good time to focus on family togetherness.
Youth centers can offer family game nights, family movie nights or any other programs
where families can spend time together.
Group discussions facilitation
50
In this program a staff member’s role is very important when
it comes to discussion and reflection time! A staff member’s role in
facilitating a group discussion should be to:
•
Ask questions
•
Listen carefully to the children’s ideas, without judging them;
•
Encourage children to express themselves;
•
Ensure that each child can speak and be listened to;
Based off Sherry Biscope (2002) Tips for running focus groups with youth,
review the below considerations for facilitating your group discussion during your
deployment support program.
Step 1: Planning the group discussion
1. Scheduling – Keep the focus group under 45 minutes for youth. Keep discussions
under 1.5 hours for parents.
2. Setting and Refreshments – Hold sessions in a comfortable and welcoming room,
or other setting with adequate air flow and lighting. Configure chairs so that all
members can see each other. Provide nametags for participants as well as
refreshments and food.
3. Ground Rules – It’s important that all members participate as much as possible, yet
the session must move along while generating useful information.
4. Agenda – Consider using the following agenda.
a. Welcome
b. Review agenda or timeline of focus group
51
c. Explain goal of the discussion
d. Review of ground rules
e. Introductions
f. Questions and answers
g. Wrap up.
5. Record keeping- Plan to record the session with either an audio or audio-video
recorder. Don’t rely on your memory. If this isn’t practical, involve a co-facilitator
who is there to take notes.
Step 2: Facilitating the group discussion
1. Introduce yourself and the co-facilitator.
3. Explain how you are going to record the responses.
4. Follow the agenda.
5. Word each question carefully before the question is addressed by the group. Allow
the group a few minutes for each member to carefully record their answers. Then,
facilitate discussion around the answers to each question, one at a time.
6. After each question is answered, carefully reflect back a summary of what you
heard.
7. Ensure participation. If one or two people are dominating the meeting, then call on
others. Consider using a round- table approach, including going in one direction
around the table, giving each person a minute to answer the question.
Step 3: After the focus group
1. Make any notes on your written notes, e.g., to clarify any scratching, ensure pages
52
are numbered, fill out any notes that don’t make sense, etc.
2.
Write down any observations made during the session. For
example, where did the session occur and when, what was the nature of participation
in the group? Were there any surprises during the session?
Asking the questions
1. Avoid long discussions.
2. Ensure that no one dominates the discussion by directing questions to or asking for
comments from specific people, rather than always asking for an open response and
waiting for someone to respond.
3. Respect all answers and comments, and encourage all group members to respect
one another, even if they disagree. It may be useful to have the group members set
rules for the discussions that everyone can agree on.
4. Encourage members to keep their comments and answers brief so that everyone has
a chance to join in.
Example: “I’ll be asking you several questions about the experiences of military
children over the next hour or so. I want you to know that there are no “right” or “wrong”
answers, and it’s okay to have different opinions. I want you to share your point of view,
even if it is different from what others are saying, and I want you all listen to each others’
opinions. Please don’t make fun of what other people say or argue with them.”
Example questions for your first group discussion
1. What’s it like being a military kid?
53
2. Do military children feel they are appreciated and understood?
Is their voice heard? Why or why not?
3. What are some of the hard things that military children face in life? What kinds of
problems do they experience?
Group discussion can open children up and will help the participants develop
strong bonds between with each other. A great way to enhance the bonds formed is to
offer teambuilding exercises.
Teambuilding facilitation
At the end of each activity, children are given the chance to reflect on their
experiences and relate them to daily life. This reflection transforms the experience of
teambuilding into a process for bringing about long-term, positive changes.
One of the most important things for a facilitator to remember is that facilitating a group
is different from instructing them. As you watch your group, you will notice things that
are obvious to you about why the group is—or is not—successful. Resist the temptation
to tell the group what you observed. Your role is to lead the group into its own
exploration of itself. In fact, you may find that the issues you felt were obvious and
important don’t come up at all. That’s okay, as long as the group is gaining insight
through its own experience.
Teambuilding activities and games are just plain fun but it is very important to
follow up with a discussion after each activity! Some good questions to ask the
participants after participating in a team building activity include:
•
What worked well and why?
54
•
What did not work well and why?
•
Was the group successful in this activity? Why or why
not? How could we
be more successful if we tried it again?
•
What would you do different if you could try it again?
•
How can you use what you learned in this activity and apply it at home?
At
school?
•
Was your role in this activity a typical role for you?
•
In this activity, you said you felt _________. Do you ever feel that way at
work/school/home? How do you deal with those feelings there?
•
What strengths did you bring to this group activity?
•
What was something you needed from the group in this activity? How can
you use this learning at home/work/school? What are some obstacles to
implementing what you have learned? How can you overcome these
obstacles?
•
What helped you accomplish your goals? What will you need from others
to
implement your plan elsewhere?
•
If you were to develop a toolbox for school/home/work, what would be in
there?
•
Now that you have tackled challenges in activities, what issues will you
tackle at home/work/school?
Facilitating team building activities as well as all the other activities listed in this
manual will reflect the outcomes of this program, therefore it is important to have the
55
right staff members involved in the planning and implementation of
the deployment support program.
Journal facilitation
When introducing the journaling for the first time, allow time for some group
discussion. Ask how a journal can be helpful with some of the problems faced during
parental deployment. Explain to the child that the journal’s purpose is two-fold, “it is a
private communication with yourself and could be a personal communication with your
parent-if you decide what you care to share”. Discuss with children how this type of
sharing is especially important to a parent who is away.
Journaling helps children convey thoughts and feelings to others; and, to record
daily family interactions, community news and school happenings. Present each child
with a notebook pen and a box of supplies such as markers, glue, glitter, paint, ect.
Allow him/her to personalize the cover by cutting/pasting designs, logos, or drawing so
that each cover is unique and represents the child.
Depending on the age of your participants, you may want to substitute a “sketch”
diary where youth can draw pictures instead of writing. You could also pair up young
children with older children to help write their journal. Within this manual some
journaling topics are given to you but you can certainly expand the questions. You may
want to alter the questions to be age appropriate or think of some on your own. The goal
56
is to get the children to think about their feelings and this will help
open up communication with others.
The deployment support program touches on many issues that are affecting
military youth. Emotions may rise and it is important that you have calm and
understanding staff members. Select staff by which the children feel comfortable. Staff
members involved should have the ability to generate a strong bond with the children in
the program.
It is suggested that the Child and Youth Programs Training and Curriculum
Specialist on your installation is asked to help with staff training.
57
Section 3: pre-program survey, program
timeline, programming
Pre-program survey
It is important to be able to determine the extent to which each and every
participant met the objectives of the deployment support program. Pre- and post-tests can
document the services of a program, measure outcomes, and demonstrate success. Preand post-tests are useful in providing real-time feedback of your programs efforts and to
help you decide whether or not to make changes in the implementation of activities
throughout the program year. Before you start programming, it is encouraged that you
hold a short interest meeting with parents and youth in the base community. The interest
meeting will give you a general idea of how many participants you will have and what
their needs are.
Figure 1 is an example of a pre-program youth survey. The child should fill this
out while registering for the program. Younger children will need help filling this survey
out.
58
59
Figure 1
MILITARY YOUTH DEPLOYMENT SUPPORT PROGRAM
PRE-PROGRAM SURVEY
You r Name: ______________________________ __ Date: ________________________ __
Unless indicated, please CHEC K ONLY O NE BOX per item.
Fear of loss
Never
Sometimes
All the
time
Never
Sometimes
All the
time
Never
Sometimes
All the
time
Never
Sometimes
All the
time
a. I feel scared when my parent deploys.
b. I have a hard time concentrating because I
feel afraid when my parent deploys.
c. I worry when my parent deploys.
d. I feel like I can talk about my fears to
someone.
Communicati on
a. When a parent is deployed, I have adults I can
talk to?
b. It makes me feel better to talk about my
parentΥs deployment.
c. I have friends I can talk to about my parent
deployment.
Changes in the household
a. Things change in my house when I have a
parent deployed.
b. I take on more responsibili ties when a parent
is deployed.
c. I get frustrated with the changes at home
when a parent is deployed.
Peer suppo rt
a. I have friends who have a parent deployed
too.
b. I feel like I can talk to my friends about my
parent being gone
c. There are other kids I can talk to who know
what I am going through.
d. My friends at school understand what
deployment is.
60
Program Timeline
The lesson plan and monthly calendar examples are based off
the program running two days a week for two hours each day. The dates and times are not
specific and administrators are encouraged to determine when the program will be
offered based on when most youth are likely to attend.
Due to the ongoing departures and homecomings of military deployments,
flexibility is important. Military deployment dates are staggered according to which
squadron (for example) is due for rotation back into “the field.” Your youth center should
provide flexible entrance opportunities for youth, allowing children with newly deployed
parents to jump into a program that is already in action. Each component of a support
program will complement the other so that children in their 1st month of deployment
stress will benefit by interacting with children in their 4th month of deployment stress.
The activities are not sequential meaning that a child does not need to do one
before the other. Children can enter and exit the program at any time.
In the activity section of the manual four components are highlighted that will
help military youth with the four target areas that impact military children. All
components will help increase peer support networks. The components are:
Component 1: Fear of loosing a parent: Activities to help reduce the “feelings of
fear” brought on by fear of loosing a parent during deployment.
Component 2: Communication: Activities to help and encourage children to better
communicate with the deployed parent, family members and peers.
61
Component 3: Changes in the household: Activities to help
ease the stress of changes brought on by parental
deployment.
Component 4: Stress Management: Techniques to reduce feelings of stress
brought on by fear, lack of communication, changes in the household, and lack of
peer support networks.
It is recommended that when programming monthly calendars and lesson plans,
components be mixed up weekly. For example, focus on communication one week and
focus on fear the next week. Mixing up the components weekly will help ensure
participants entering the programming at a later date that they will benefit from a wide
variety of activities.
Figure 2 is an example of the first month of a program. The monthly calendar is
based on a program running Monday’s and Wednesday’s for two hours each day. Each
week focuses on a component. All games, art and journaling activities are centered
around that component. On the monthly calendar provided, you will see that week one is
an introductory week, week two focuses on communication, week three is centered on
stress and week four-fear.
62
Figure 2
Week
1
Introduction
2
Component 2:
Communication
3
Component 4:
Stress
4
Compone nt 1:
Fear
Program Calendar- Month One
Monday
Wednesday
Notes
Topic:
Communication
Name game
Discussion topicWho do you talk to?
Art- Timeline project
Teambuilding- Who
is your guide?
1. Bring in counselor from
Family Support Center to talk
to parents.
2. Hand out resources to
parents on day 1
3. Help youth realize the
importance of sharing feelings
with family and friend and to
learn strategies for
communicating complex
feelings.
Team BuildingTelephone
Discussion TopicCommunication
(Different forms)
Game- Charades
Discussion TopicCommunicate ( What
is helpful?)
Art: Comment Box
Journal: My thoughts
Team buildingMirror Image
1. Allow time for participants
to add to timeline .
2. Introduce scrapbook
activity. Encourage
participants to start gathering
pictures.
Team BuildingHuman Bingo
Discussion topicStress (what does
it feel like?)
Game: Stress
Check and
Breathing
Discussion TopicStress (How do you
deal?)
Art-finding stress
relief through nature
Game- Burst the
balloon
Journal entry 1: My
favorite things to do
are
1. Family Fleet and Support
Center counselor to help guide
discussion topic.
2. Introduce Journal and
purpose of journaling. Hand
out supplies
Disc ussion topicFear- What is fear?
Team Building Human knot
Art:Angry face
painting
Begin scrapbook
project
Discussion topicFear
Game-Trust Walk
Journal: 3 things I am
afraid of
1. Introduce computer lab and
open hours to email or chat
with deployed parent.
2. Remind participants to
bring in pictures for
scra pbook.
Welcome party for
participants and
parents.
-Focus group
(youth and parent
separate)
-Pre-test (parents
and youth)
63
Each meeting should have the same schedule and flow of
activities to keep a routine established for the participants. After you
establish which component the week will focus on, every meeting should begin with a
game or teambuilding activity followed by a group discussion topic. Following the group
discussion an art project is to be done and then the two-hour program can be ended after a
journaling activity or another game.
Figure 3 is an example of a weekly lesson plan based off the monthly calendar
above. The sample lesson plan gives a daily overview, activities broken down by time
and materials needed. Once again, all activities should be based on the component being
covered for the week. The pre-program surveys and interest meeting should help
determine what components should be focused on first in your program. This type of
programming will help ensure all different types of activities are included in a week.
64
Figure 3
Mili tary Youth Deployment Support Program
Lesson Plan
Week 1
Monday Overview:
Welcome party for
participants and parents.
-Focus group (youth and
parent separate)
-Pre-program survey
Materials Needed
1. Pens and Pencil s
2. Name tag craft
3. Markers
4. String
5. Whiteboards for focus
groups
6. Whiteboard markers
7. Cookies and punch
8. Napkins
9. Cups
10. Pre-program survey
Wednesday Overview:
Youth Only . Name game,
Comm unication Art and
discussion topic- Who do you
talk to?
Art- Tim eli ne project
Materials Needed
1. Pens and Pencil s
2. Name tag craft
3. Markers
4. 3 cones
5. Scrapbook materials
Welcome party (20 mi n)
 Set out name tag craft (Flag) and refreshments
 Have staff walk around and introduce
themselves
 Introductions: Play name game
Pre-program survey (15 mi n)
 After welcome party distribute pre-program
survey to parents and youth. Have parents and
youth work on surveys together.
 Have extra pencil s and pens
 Tell participants where to turn in surveys
 Encourage parents and youth explore the youth
center after finishing
Focus Group (30 mi n for youth, 45 mi n for parents)
 Staff lead youth focus group, Director lead
parent focus group
 Discuss focus group ground rules
 Provide art project for youth ( whil e parent focus
group is finishing up.
Name Game and introductions (15 mi n)
 Name, Age, who is deployed?
Game- Emotional Relay (15 mi n) pg. 10
 Set up cones
 Explain game and rules
Discussion Topic- Comm unication
o do you talk
to?Σ (30 mi n) pg. 16
 Review focus group guideli nes
 Remind youth there are no right or wrong
answers
 At end of focus group introduce chat sessionsΣ
to start at home (pg. 12)
Art-Introduce Scrapbook project (30 mi n) (pg. 13)
 Make album cover
65
Section 4: Resources
It is important that you utilize all your resources to benefit the
deployment support program. If your program is located on base, you have a number of
resources available to you. This program recommends that you use the services located
on the installation as resources in addition to parental help.
Involving Parents
Some youth respond to deployment based on how their parent at home deals with
the time away from their spouse. During deployments, the family responsibilities often
become entirely the responsibility of the at-home parent, and sometime dealing with their
children is one of their greatest challenges (NMFA, 2005, p. 13). Children and parents
can influence each other in both positive and negative ways (Huebner et al., 2007).
Children’s reactions to deployments vary with age and the developmental stage. The
levels of stress of a child is similar to the stress level experienced by their parents or
caregiver. The National Military Family Association surveyed military spouses in 2005.
Stress levels were measured for the various points of the deployment cycle. Fifteen
percent experienced heightened stress levels upon notification of the deployment, and
eighteen percent upon the departure of the parent. During the deployment or absence of
the parent, sixty-two percent felt the greatest stress (Nola & Gina, 2000). Youth stress
levels followed suit to the at-home parent.
Parent involvement in this program is important! It is essential to the successful
outcome of the program that the parent at home builds upon the activities that are done in
66
the program. Parents must have an understanding of what their child
is doing in the deployment support program will help open up
communication at home. You can do this by having parent gatherings and providing them
with as much information as possible about the activities you will be conducting.
Monthly emails or a monthly newsletter will help provide parents with the latest
information about activities being done with their children. Encourage parents to
participate in some of the programming by programming monthly “parent and me”
activities.
Providing parents with information regarding the components the deployment
support program is working on may encourage the parents to focus on those components
at home as well. During parent gatherings or in monthly newsletters, it is recommended
that you provide the parents with helpful tips to use at home.
Tips to give to parents
If your youth development team and the parents work hand in hand, the child will
benefit greatly. The Military Family Research Institute provided suggestions for families
to do at home to ease the negative effects of deployment. Some suggestions of parental
tips are listed below and are organized by component.
1) Component 1: Fear- Help parents to encourage youth to voice their concerns but
also provide them with opportunities to have fun (Huebner & Mancini, 2005)
2) Component 1: Fear-Help parents recognize that children are dealing with issues of
loss when a parent is deployed.
67
3) Component 1: Fear- Encourage the parent to have family
meetings to discuss feelings of fear.
4) Component 1: Fear-Remind parents that they should be realistic about which
information children can handle regarding the deployed parent.
5) Component 2: Changes- Develop a checklist of possible responsibilities that could
change when deployment occurs such as household chores, lawn care, cooking,
ect.
6) Component 2: Changes- Remind parents that the deployment situation requires
increased support when it comes to homework and school activities (Huebner &
Mancini, 2005).
7) Component 2: Changes- Encourage parents to provide opportunities for the
children to learn new skills that can help them contribute to the family (Huebner
& Mancini, 2005).
8) Component 2: Changes- Encourage parents to find role models that can act as
mentors (Huebner & Mancini, 2005).
9) Component 3: Changes- Encourage parents to maintain developmentally
appropriate expectations and roles while the military service member is deployed.
10) Component 3: Changes-Encourage parents to provide activities and time for
regular play at home.
68
11) Component 2: Communication-Encourage parents to model
self-care and healthy coping strategies for their child/children
12) Component 2: Communication- Encourage parents to provide different ways for
youth to keep connected with deployed parents. Let them know that more
personal, interactive ways are preferred (Huebner & Mancini, 2005).
13) Component 4: Stress-Encourage parents to recognize the range of emotions that
youth experience during a deployment, and to help them express emotions in
healthy ways.
14) Component 4: Stress- Teach parents to monitor their adolescent for isolation,
depression and other potentially serious mental health issues (Huebner &
Mancini, 2005).
15) Component 4: Stress-Help parents encourage youth to socialize with other youth
having deployed parents.
16) Component 4: Stress-Encourage parents to learn the signals their child sends
when troubled. This knowledge will help parents improve the support they can
provide to their child.
Collaboration between the Youth Activities Center and parents will benefit the
participants greatly. In addition to parents, there are other useful resources to look into to
help the success of the military child deployment support program.
69
Using base resources
On board most installations, you as a youth program director
have wonderful resources at your fingertips. Working closely with these resources will
benefit the youth in your program tremendously. If on a Naval Installation, contact the
Navy Fleet and Family Support Center (FFSC) to assist you with your deployment
support program. Below are some ideas for your program and the FFSC to collaborate.
1) Invite a deployment specialist to join your program weekly to observe and/or help
lead discussion topics.
2) Invite a deployment specialist to speak at parent meetings monthly.
3) Ask your Family Fleet and Support Center for activity ideas.
4) Ask for help with how to handle a child who is having an extraordinary hard time.
5) Provide your participants parents with informational brochures from the Fleet and
Family Support Center on deployment.
Another way to use your on base resources is to use the military personnel on
base. Military personnel can act as a role model/mentor to youth who have a parent
deployed. Ask military personnel to volunteer at your program by helping with the
following:
1) Military personnel can assist with games, art and any other activities
2) Military members can assist with group discussion. Youth participants can ask
them questions about what deployment is like.
70
3) Ask your military volunteers to help set up “a day on
deployment” activity. This kind of activity will help youth
gain a better understanding of the jobs and responsibilities of their deployed
parent.
Now that you have held an interest meeting with parents and youth, registered
participants and contacted your base resources, you are ready to develop your military
youth deployment support program. Section five will provide you with component
activities, art, journaling, discussion topics and teambuilding exercises.
71
Section 5: Component Activities
This section provides ten activity ideas, ten journaling topics,
ten art projects and ten group discussion questions for all program components to help
you start and build up your program. It is suggested that you seek additional activities
then those listed in this section. Be creative and have fun!
Component 1: Fear
School age children have an understanding of what it means for a parent to be
deployed to a war zone. They understand there is a possibility of losing a parent
permanently, or of a parent returning home severely injured (Huebner, Mancini, Wilcox,
Grass, Grass, 2007). This fear of losing a parent may result in a decrease in school
performance, depression, worry, and aggression. Some recreational activities that can
help reduce fear is team building games, high ropes courses, horse back riding, and other
high energy games.
Using art to reduce feelings of fear
1) Feelings of fear drawing: Ask the participants to use art supplies (crayons,
markers, paint) that represent the feeling of “fear”.
2) Fear collage: Have the participants look through magazines and newspapers and
cut out words, phrases and pictures that represent feelings of fear or items that
they are afraid of. Provide construction paper and glue so that participants may
create a fear collage.
72
3) Afraid face: Have participants paint a picture of their “afraid
face”. Let participants use different materials to complete the
face such as yarn, confetti and felt.
4) Transform your worry: A simple drawing of something such as “worry” can be
used to help the child transform what is worrisome into something less
troublesome or frightening. For example, the leader might say, “What colors,
shapes, or lines would help that worry ‘feel better?’ Try drawing that color or
shape on the same page as your worry in a way that could help your worry feel
better.” Or, “If you had a special pretend friend who could help you with your
fear, what would he or she look like? Imagine a special person or even a magic
animal that would help you feel better”
(Malchiodi, 2003).
5) Magic book: This activity helps to empower children to find their own solutions
to worries and fears. “Imagine you have a magic book that knows the answers to
your problems and worries. When you talk to your magic book it is always a good
listener and if you are patient, it always comes up with an answer. Ask the child to
color it anyway he or she wants and then suggest, “Try asking your magic book a
question about a problem you are having.” If a child gets stuck on this part of the
activity, I might ask the child to draw the problem or worry he or she is having
(Malchiodi, 2003).
6) My “safe box”: Create a “safe box” in which participants can put a variety of
objects and photos that help them to feel protected and lower their feelings of
worry. A shoebox can be used as a container to be decorated with magazine and
73
photo images that the child enjoys looking at and finds
comforting; special objects such as toys, and personal
photographs can be placed inside the box. Creating a “safe place” in the form of a
collage is a variation of this activity (Malchiodi, 2003).
7) Memory box: Any small box can be used as a symbolic container for “memories”
objects made of clay that represent people or events, small drawings of good
times with the deployed parent, photos of family, or small mementos that remind
the child of positive experiences (Malchiodi, 2003).
8) Fearless animals masks: Ask the participants to identify animals that are strong
and appear to be fearless. Ask the children how they can be like these animals
through deployment? Provide participants with materials to create a mask of an
animal of their choice.
9) Clay figures: Provide participants with molding clay. Have the children mold
something out of clay that makes them feel strong. It could be an animal, a heart,
a cross, their parent, anything they want. After drying, use paint to decorate this
object. Encourage children to place object in their safe box or in a place that they
can look at it when they are experiencing feelings of fear.
10) My parent is a hero: After a brief discussion of the good things military parents
are doing (fighting for our freedom, helping others, ect) have the participants
create a posters about their parent being a hero. Participants can use paint, fabric,
newspaper, magazines, glitter and more to create their posters.
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Activities and games to reduce the feelings of fear
1) Read: There are some great children books that you can read
to your participants about the feelings of fear. Below are a few!
a) Anna Dewdney (2009). Llama Llama Misses Mama. Viking Juvenile
b) Audrey Penn (1993). The Kissing Hand. Washington, DC: Child Welfare
League of America.
c) Robin Kramer (1992). Will You Come Back for Me? Chicago, IL: Albert
Whitman.
d) Dorothy Corey (1999). You Go Away. Chicago, IL.
e) Jan Brett (1986). Fritz and the Beautiful Horses. Boston, MA: Houghton
Mifflin
f) William Steig (1986). Brave Irene. New York, NY: Farrar, Straus, Giroux.
g) Dr. Suess (1984). The Butter Battle Book. New York, NY: Random
House.
2) My Fear Zapper (http://www.myfearzapper.com/): a website for children which
helps children overcome normal childhood fears, instead of simply providing
comfort. Although military children experience additional fears from non-military
children, this website can help children see how to overcome fears.
3) Ropes/challenge course: For the older participants in your program, a challenge
course is a great way to help children overcome fear and gain self-confidence.
Challenge courses can be used as team and community building activities because
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they help to define a program’s identity and to create
teamwork and unity between the participants.
4) Boot camp: Introduce the children to military life with a reproduction of basic
training. The children can discover the hard work, determination and teamwork
required to be part of the Navy and gain a stronger appreciation for their deployed
parent. Ensure the children are dressed appropriately for physical activity. If
possible, supply the children with sweats to wear and later take home as a
souvenir of the experience. Teach the children CPR or basic first aid, complete an
obstacle course and perform strength training activities like pushups, chin-ups and
jogging.
5) Bubbles: The art of blowing bubbles is taking deep breaths, which, is an excellent
way to reduce anxiety caused by fear. Deep diaphragmatic breathing lowers the
heart rate, expands the lungs and relaxes the body, which in turn calms the mind
(Engelman, 2011). Let children go outside to blow bubbles.
6) Play dough: Play dough is a great tactile activity that can relieve tension and
center the mind. Play dough is easy to make and makes a great activity for
children. Combine ½ cup salt, ½ cup water, 1-cup flour and food dye (any color).
Let the participants make their own batch and keep at the center or take home.
7) Fear factor challenges: Fun and silly fear factor games can help children realize
that facing fear can be fun and rewarding.
a) Blood chugging – Take a red juice, like strawberry juice, and make it
look bloodlike by adding extra red food coloring. Increase the gross-
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out factor by making it congeal with a little bit of
gelatin – just don’t let it set completely.
b) Kitty litter – A box of white cake mix and some food coloring can help
you churn out a kitty litter cake. Use the food coloring to turn the
batter gray and then bake according to package directions. When
cooled, reduce the cakes to kitty litter like crumbs – you can even
create “clumps” with a little bit of sugary syrup. Pick up a cheap litter
tray and tray liner from the store and serve the litter up to your guests
in the tray.
c) Worms – Fill a bowl of pudding with gummy worms. Blindfold
children and have them dig out a worm and eat it. Of course, for the
full effect, don’t let them know they’re gummy worms!
8) Fear ladder: Have participants make a list of all the things they fear while their
parent is on deployment. Build a fear ladder by drawing a ladder on construction
paper. Have children arrange the items on their list from the least scary to the
scariest. The least scary should be at the bottom. Help children work their way up
the ladder by discussing fears and thinking of ideas together to overcome them.
9) Pick Up Sticks: The commercially available Pick-Up-Sticks game is a fun way for
children to express their feeling. Traditionally the players take turns removing the
sticks without moving any others. A turn is ended when the player accidentally
moves one of the other sticks. The player who has the most sticks at the end of the
game wins. After the participants play once, add a new rule. Each time players
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remove a stick, they must tell about a time when they had the
feeling associated with the color of the stick. Pick each color
to represent a different feeling or emotion.
10) Photography: Let the participants take photograph of objects or people that
represent “overcoming fear”. Have children go through magazines or look online
for ideas. Team up participants. Have participants Photoshop and edit photos
before they are printed. Have each group present on why they chose the picture
they did and what the photo means to them.
Journaling topics
1) Write three things that make you afraid and why these things give you feelings of
fear.
2) Write five things that you do when you are afraid. Do you cry? Do you get angry?
3) Write five things that you can do to help you not be afraid. What makes you feel
better?
4) What helps you feel safe?
5) What are five great things in your life? Why are they great? How do these great
things make you feel?
6) What was the scariest thing you have ever done?
7) Write about a time you had to do something you really did not want to do? How
did you feel after you did it?
8) Write about a time where you were brave.
9) Write a poem about fear.
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10) When you are feeling afraid, are there adults you feel
comfortable talking to? Who are these adults and what do they
do to make you feel less afraid?
Group discussion topics
1) What do you think fear is? What does fear feel like?
2) What are the things you fear when your parent is deployed?
3) What are things that help you feel less afraid?
4) What is something your parent’s can do to help you feel less afraid?
5) What worries you the most when your parent is deployed?
6) What worries you the least when your parent is deployed?
7) Do you think about your fear all the time? Does it distract you from other things
like school?
8) How do you get over fear? Is getting over fear possible?
9) Do you think non-military children experience fear too? What are some things
they may fear? Do they have similar fears to you?
10) Do you have a place where you feel safe? Do you do an activity that makes you
feel safe? What is it?
Component 2: Communication
In order to mitigate the stress of having a parent deployed, two kinds of
communication are important to military youth:
1. Communicating with the deployed parent and
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2. Being able to communicate openly with peers and family
members about their feelings
Communication is important but youth also need to learn what to communicate. It
is important that youth become aware of what emotions they are feelings and different
ways to express them. It is essential when using any group activities to completely
explain/define the concepts being discussed prior to the activity. After the activity,
continue the discussion and refer back to the explanations given earlier. It is important for
the participants to know that there are many ways to communicate. Encourage all types
of communication in your program.
Using art to encourage communication
1) Scrapbooking: A military parent misses many events in a child’s life during the
time of deployment. Have students make a scrapbook about each event the parent
missed. This is a great long-term project. The child will be excited to return to the
program week after week to work on it.
2) Wish jar: Make this craft from empty coffee cans or large jars with lids or boxes,
including shoeboxes. The child expresses his/her desires and wishes through
decorating the wish bank with drawings, pictures from magazines, stickers, glitter
and other items. Cut a slit in the top of the lid or box so the child can insert notes,
drawings or anything towards the wish. Encourage the wish to be intangible, like
the deployment parent returning home safely, the paper note may be inserted into
the bank to represent a coin going into a wishing well.
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3) Puppets: Children’s therapy often incorporates puppets and
dolls because play is a child’s natural language. It allows the
child to communicate difficult subjects and events without complex verbal skills.
Brown sacks, crayons, paint, yarn and glue create hand puppets. After the puppets
and dolls are made, children may put on a puppet show to showcase emotions or
life events such as when the deployment parent left or the homecoming that is
about to come.
4) Homemade postcards: Have participants make their own postcards to send to their
deployed parent! Use cardstock or find thin cardboard. Cut it into the shape of a
postcard. You can either glue a photo on or create your own design.
5) Comment box: Sometimes it may be hard for a child to communicate verbally. A
comment box can be placed in the home; the child has the freedom to write down
anything he/she is feeling. The comment box is a symbol of a “safe zone”. No
anger or judgment should come from anything put into the comment box.
Encourage families to go through the comment box at a designated time each
week and discuss any topics or ideas that were put in. Making a comment box out
of an old tissue box is a great art project!
6) The World Wide Web: Let the children be creative by designing a website to help
keep in touch with their parent deployed. Children can post pictures, use graphics
and post daily “blogs”.
7) Mini films: Let the participants make a short film about being a military kid.
Encourage children to complete a script, pick characters and make costumes.
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8) Music: Allow children to search for songs about
communicating feelings. Give them ideas of where to go on
the Internet and have them listen to a couople of sample songs for ideas.
Encourage participants to find a song that “speaks” to them. Allow them to play it
for all participants and share why they chose that particular song.
9) Telephone box: Provide supplies for children to make and decorate a small box to
place next to the telephone at home. Encourage children to place a small note in
the box every time they think of something they want to share with their deployed
parent the next time phone communication is available.
10) Stepping stone: Have participants gather small objects that would represent their
family. This can be done over an extended period of time. To make the steppingstone, mix up a small portion of cement. Pour the cement into the disposable foil
tray like a cake pan. While the cement is wet, write with a disposable knife the
year and family name. Place the special objects into the cement. Let the cement
dry for 24 hours or until it is completely dry. Take the cement out of the
disposable foil tray.
Games and Activities to improve communication
1) Charades: Choose a category that will encompass the items you are trying to
convey to the other team nonverbally. Decide on an item within the category that
your team is going to silently act out. Time how long it takes the other team to
figure out what your team is trying to convey. When the item is guessed or a
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designated time period has elapsed, the opposing team mimes
an item. Teams compete until one team successfully guesses
five items correctly.
2) Balloon charades: Write or type nouns (people, places, or things) on thin strips
of paper. Fold them in half twice. Stick the folded strips in the mouth of a
balloon. Blow up the balloons and tie the ends. Place the balloons in the middle
of a group and have one child choose a balloon. The child will then pop the
balloon and act out the noun on the paper. The child who correctly guesses the
charade will be the next performer.
3) Mood watching: Give each participant an emotion written on a piece of paper.
Inform them that they must do their best to physically convey their emotion
without speaking. Participants should observe one another and try to write down
the emotion conveyed by each person in the room. Reading emotions effectively
can be useful in all life situations.
4) Nonverbal actions: participants brainstorm ways that people communicate
nonverbally. Lists may include hand gestures, facial expressions, eye contact and
how a person carries themselves. The attire a person wears is an extension of him
or herself and may also communicate how the feel about themselves or influence
how others perceive him/her. Expand the activity by dividing participants into
groups and giving them photos of people with various gestures and attire. Let
groups discuss their perceptions of what the people are thinking and how they
perceive them.
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5) Facial expressions: Go online and collect several headshot
photos. The photos should reflect a variety of emotions such
as anger, joy, sadness or confusion. Show the photos on screen one at a time and
ask the participants to write one word that reflects the emotion of that person and
an appropriate short caption for the photo. Example: “Confusion: I am not sure
when my mom is coming home”, “Joy: I am so happy you are finally here!”
Discuss the responses and the universality of facial expressions and how they are
interpreted.
6) Body movements: Write several scenarios describing interaction between two
people. Example: “Sally is upset because her little brother talked to dad on Skype
longer” or “Joshua is sad because mom missed his soccer game.” Give each
person in the group a partner. Designate one as A and one as B. Have them draw a
scenario out of a “hat” and act out the scene for the group without using any
words. Ask the group to determine what the partners are trying to portray with
their body movements. Discuss the various audience responses and the fact that
body movements can often be misinterpreted and so there is a need to seek more
information.
7) Chat sessions: Encourage child and parent at home to set up regular “chat
sessions” where the parent sits down with their children on a pre-determined
evening each week, with no distractions. The “rule” is everything can be
discussed, and no one’s feelings are to be dismissed. The parent can start and talk
about some of his/her fears, and how he/she has resolved them in their mind. An
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example of a topic could be talking about a Skype session
they had with the deployed parent the night before: how did it
make them feel, how good it was to see the parent, and that they trust the
deployed parent to do everything in his/her power to come home safely. Emphasis
should be placed on the fact that these feelings are normal.
8) Emotional relay: You will need 3 cones or bases. The first team finished wins!
Establish stations with the cones or markers. Divide the group into teams of four
to six people. Give each group three emotions that they will need to demonstrate
or act out. Be sure they are relatively simple for younger children. When the
leader signals, the first person on each team runs to the first station, runs around
the cone and demonstrates the first emotion: they then run back to the starting line
and around the second cone where they demonstrate the second emotion; then
they run back to the starting line and around the third cone where they
demonstrate the third emotion and then run back to the starting line where they
tag the next player who does the same. The team must guess each emotion before
the next player can begin. The first team with all the players finished wins (Camp
Adventure, n.d).
9) Emotion card games: Print out facial expressions from the computer (laminate for
longer use).
a. Explaining facial expressions: In this simple game, players take turns
picking a card from the deck and inventing a reason for the facial
expression displayed. For example, if the player picks a card with a
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woman showing disgust, the player might say “She
just stepped in dog poop” (Dewar, 2009)
b. Collaborative, improvisational storytelling: To play this game, put the
cards face down on the table. Then players decide together on some
story elements must appear in the story (e.g., a forest, a house, and a
banana). The goal is for the players to take turns making up the
narrative, building on each other’s ideas and (eventually) making use
of all the required story elements. To begin, first player picks a card,
and starts the narrative. The participant can take the story into any
direction they like, but they must incorporate the emotion depicted on
the card. After a minute or two, the next player picks a card and
continues the narrative. Players continue to take turns until they have
used all the required story elements and reached a satisfying
conclusion (Dewar, 2009)
10) Emotion party: this game is for ages 10 and up. Explanation: The host of a party
and the guests acquire the emotional state of whoever enters the party. How to
Play: One person begins, as the host, with a neutral emotion. The first guest
knocks or rings the bell (saying “knock-knock” or “ding-dong”), and enters in
highly charged emotional state. Emotions that work well with this exercise
include, excitement, fear, anger, jealousy, joy, sadness, etc. As soon as the host
picks up on the emotion, she “catches” it, and interacts with the guest. The next
guest enters with a different emotion, and the host and guest “catch” it. Things get
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more chaotic as more guests enter, as each new guest causes a
different emotion to permeate the party. Once the first guest
has entered, the participants can interact with different people until they notice a
change in the emotion, and then they must adapt that emotion. The participants
should not watch the new guests for the emotional state; rather, they should let the
emotion “travel” to them as it will. To make things really tricky, two guests could
enter at the same time with different emotions. The participants will be really
wired after this game, so plan accordingly to use that energy.
Journaling to encourage communication
1) Time line: Each child is provided with a long piece of butcher paper. The child
draws a line horizontally across all of the paper. At the beginning write the
month; keep writing the names of all the months across the line left to right
making sure there is the same amount of space between each month. The child
can make a timeline for a whole year, for the length of a deployment, or you can
do it month to month. Whenever something interesting happens the child can
make a mark by the correct month and write the date and the interesting
information. You can even tape photos or draw a picture of an event or special
time.
2) Name game: Write down the name of the person who is deployed on a piece of
paper like this (one letter per line) “D-A-D”. Then write down something that
describes the person starting with the letter on each line. Use bright colored
markers or pens for a special touch. Let the participants take it home or hang it up
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in your deployment support group room!
3) If my mom/dad were here I would….
4) What I miss the most about my mom/dad is…
5) My best friend and I like to do/talk about….
6) I feel ________ when my parent misses _________.
7) If you could see your parent one more time before they left, what would you say?
What would they say to you?
8) What is silence to you? Do you like silence or are you afraid of silence?
9) Write a letter to your mom, dad or friend.
10) Compose a song about what you are feeling today.
Group discussions topics about communication
1) How did you feel when you first found out your parent was deploying? Did you
express these feelings to anyone?
2) Who do you go to when you are upset? Friends? Family, Adults?
3) Think about the people who are helpful to you? What do they do to help you?
4) Is it easy or hard to talk about your feelings? What other ways could you express
your feelings?
5) How much do you talk with friends about your parent being deployed?
6) Does the help you get by talking to others help?
7) How do you stay in contact with your parent when he/she is deployed?
8) When you talk to your parent who is deployed? What do you talk about?
9) After you have talked to your parent who is deployed? How do you feel?
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10) How does communication with your deployed parent change
they return home?
Component 3: Changes in the household
When a parent is deployed there are many changes in the household, one being an
increase of responsibility for youth. In a study conducted by The Department of
Defense (2008), adolescents reported that their responsibilities for housework and
taking care of younger siblings increased, and they felt it had a negative consequence
on their well-being. The extra responsibilities at home take away the child’s time to
play or engage in activities that help ease the child’s strong emotional feelings.
Changes in the household may also cause changes with the parent and child
relationship. In a study conducted by the Military Family Research Institute (2005),
the researchers found that changes in parent-child relationships caused emotional
stress and hardship for youth. Some youth responded to deployment based on how
their parent at home deals with this time away from their spouse.
Art to help with changes in the household
1) Chore wheel: Have children use markers to divide paper plates into eight pie
wedges. Have participants write eight chores such as washing the dishes, doing
yard work, emptying the trash, dusting, and folding laundry or filling and
emptying the dishwasher. Then cut a 6.5 cm rectangle from poster board (for each
plate). Clip the tips to make a pointing arrow and use a hole-punch to make a hole
in the straight end of the arrows. Attach the arrow to the center of the paper plate
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with a metal paper fastener so the arrow spins.
2) Time capsule: Have children decorate a small box. When
something important in the child’s life happens, encourage the participant to write
it down and put it in the event box. When the child’s parent returns, the child and
parent can go through the box and the child can recap all the events the parent has
missed.
3) A list of wants: Have the children make and decorate a list of “wants”. The wants
should include what they need help with during parental deployment. For
example, the child wants they at home parent to help them with homework for an
hour, or to guarantee a ride to soccer practice. The list could also include that they
want all children in the family to have the same number of chores, ect.
4) Family portrait: Have participants paint a portrait of their whole family together
doing something special.
5) Picture book: Have participants make a picture book of what activities they want
to do with their parent when he or she return home. Some examples of activities
would be helping with homework, going for walks or the park, riding bikes, doing
the dishes together, ect.
6) Boys and Girls Club Photography: One of the many advantages of being on board
a Naval Base is that the youth program is affiliated with the Boys and Girls Club.
Use the Boys and Girls Club Photography program to help children cope with
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changes at home. Not only are children learning techniques of
photo taking, but they can take amazing memories to share
with their parent when they return. Have them add their photographs to their
scrapbook they are making in the program.
7) Personalized schedule: Provide participants with poster board and art supplies.
Allow children to make a daily, weekly or monthly schedule to take home with
them. The schedule will help children stay organized and remind the stay at home
parent that structure and normalcy is important during parental deployment.
8) Make a contract: Have participants make an old fashioned contract on a scroll.
To make a scroll fade paper by dipping it in coffee and then letting it dry. After
the paper is dry have participants write up their contract. In the contract
participants can write what they can do to help around the house during parental
deployment. Participants can also write what they need help with from the parent
at home. After writing is complete find two skinny sticks like chop sticks and tape
them to the top and bottom of the paper and roll the paper on both ends. Tie a
loose string around the entire scroll to hold it in place. Have participants take
home the contract for signatures.
9) Act it out: Encourage participants to tell a story about the daily life at home while
a parent is on deployment. Encourage participants to use humor, sorrow, anger
any other emotions they are feeling. Allow children to get into groups and come
up with a skit. Allow plenty of time for each group to perform.
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10) Write a book: Have participants write a “how to” book about
being a military kid. Participants should include ways of
dealing with changes in the household during parental deployment. Have
participants include pictures. Laminate the front and back cover and have children
dedicate the book to a special person.
Activities and games to help with changes in the household
Provide opportunities for youth to learn new skills that can help them contribute
to the family. It is important that youth are given the opportunity to learn new skills that
will help them in taking on new tasks at home. Encourage them to become a positive and
contributing member to their family. Military youth 4-H programs are great for this area
of deployment support!
1) Babysitting classes: Provide a babysitting class for your older participants. By
participating in such a class, participants will learn how to be a good leader and
role model, make good decisions and solve problems, able to handle emergencies
all while keeping the children they are sitting for safe. Completion of the class may
give the participants pride in watching their younger siblings more often during
parental deployment.
2) Personalized calendar: Making a custom calendar will help the participants in the
program keep track of activities, important dates and help track with mom or dad
will be returning home. Children can decorate each month differently with their
own personal drawings or pictures from home. Encourage children to sit down with
a parent at home to fill in important dates such as birthdays and anniversaries.
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3) Cleaning and cooking mini-sessions: Providing sessions on how
to measure, make lunches or other simple meals is a great way
to introduce children to cooking and making healthy choices. After these minisession, children may feel more obliged to help out in the kitchen.
4) 4-H Gardening: Use the 4-H gardening curriculum to teach participants about lawn
care and watering plants and flowers. After participation in such a program,
participants may become excited to help out with outside chores (National 4-H
Council, 2011).
5) 4-H Step Up To Leadership: This 4-H curriculum teaches children and teens about
leadership and the activities offered gives them ways lead in many ways – at home,
in clubs, youth groups, school & the community (National 4-H Council, 2011).
6) 4-H Pet Ownership: Participants can learn how to help take care of family pets.
Taking care of a family pet is a great way to help around the house when a parent is
deployed (National 4-H Council, 2011).
7) Care packages: Have the children prepare care packages for their deployed family
members. This activity can make military children feel closer to the deployed
family member. During this activity, encourage the children to talk about feelings,
memories and fears, and ask any questions they have about the military,
deployment and war. Items for a care package can include letters, photographs,
artwork, blankets, toiletries, clothes and snacks.
8) Woodworking: Teach participants basic skills for planning, measuring, and the use
of basic carpentry tools. Making things from scratch has the potential to improve
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children self-reliance. This may also give the child excitement
about starting a project with the parent at home, which will
generate quality time together and improve communication efforts between parent
and child.
9) Make a board game: Show participants a range of board games. Discuss the
components that make up a board game (rules, age limits, how to play, makers, ect).
Have children make up their own board game to bring home and play with their
family. Their board game can be about anything. Provide participants with supplies
such as card board, markers, paint, paper, pens, ect.
10) Read: There are some books to read to children about changes during parental
deployment. After reading the story, engage participants in a short discussion about
the book or quick art project. Below are a few book ideas:
a) Jan West Shrock (2008). Give A Goat.

Follow up with a discussion about how participants can “give” what
they can at home during parental deployment
b) Eve Bunting (year). My Red Balloon.

Have participants make a paper mache a red balloon of their own.
c) Sportelli-Rehak, Angela (2004) Uncle Sam’s Children: When Duty Calls.
d) Mary Redman (2008). The Wishing Tree.

Have participants create their own wishing tree.
e) Mindy Pelton (year). When My Dad’s at Sea.
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
Have participants make a chain to count down the
days until their parent return’s home.
Journaling to help with changes in the household
1) The proudest I ever felt was….
2) I am really good at helping with the…
3) My mom/dad needs help with…
4) When I have to help so much around the house I feel…
5) Write about your favorite family tradition.
6) What do you like best about your home?
7) Write a poem about change.
8) What do you think makes a happy family?
9) What changes the most when your parent is deployed?
10) What changes at home when your parent returns home from deployment?
Group discussion topics
1) What is the worst thing about having a parent deployed?
2) There are many changes that go along with being a kid. What kind of stress do
you go through in your life right now? How do these change during deployment?
3) How does your life change when a parent is deployed?
4) Do you see changes in your “at-home” parent when your other parent is
deployed?
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5) Do the changes in your parent at home affect you? Negative
affects or positive affects?
6) What are some things you like to do in your spare time? What stops you from
doing these things when a parent is deployed?
7) What are the good things about having a parent deployed?
8) Does the help you get from others change when your parent is deployed? Or is it
pretty much the same all the time?
9) Would you want others to help you more when you have a parent deployed? Who
would you want to help more? What kind of help would they give you?
10) When your parent returns home, that can cause change too. Have you experienced
your parent returning from deployment? What was it like?
Component 4: Stress management
Military youth may feel symptoms of stress while a parent is deployed. These
feelings of stress may be brought on by many different factors. A child may be suffering
from symptoms of stress due to feelings of fear brought on by their parents absence, by
increase responsibility at home, by lack of peer support, or even because the at home
parent is suffering from stress. As a youth services provider you may be able to recognize
if a child is experiencing stress in their life.
Recreation and leisure has been noted to reduce the feelings of stress. “Engaging
in several freely chosen leisure activities has been shown to buffer the impact of high
levels of life stress on psychological health” (Reich & Zuatra, 1981). Coleman, 1993
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wrote that “leisure participating counteracts the harmful effects of
stress” after conducting a study in which role leisure played on the
impact of life stress and health.
There are many ways that youth can relive stress such as playing high active
games (tag, kickball, basketball or any other sport). Youth can also relieve stress by
reading a book, engaging in a hobby, or participating in group activities. However, what
is important is that that youth are able to recognize that they are stressed and to be able to
find the right activities for each individual. You can lead activities and exercises that may
reduce stress levels but if you want to really help a child, first teach them the signs of
stress and help them discover ways to help reduce those feelings. Start by explaining
what “stress” is. After the participants have a good grasp on what stress is and how it
makes them feel, start introducing some stress management techniques.
It is important that youth know there are a number of strategies for handling
stress, and some are more appropriate than others for specific situations. Tell your
participants that they should keep in mind that they may need to use several different
strategies or a combination of multiple strategies before finding the right solution. Talk to
your participants and let them know that handing stress can be as easy as the following:

Learn to control anger.

Learn to relax, take slow, deep breaths.

Go outside and get a breath of fresh air.

Exercise.

Eat healthy.
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
Write – Get a journal and begin documenting your feelings.

Hang out with your friends.

Say no to drugs, alcohol and tobacco.

Listen to music.

Draw.

Spend time with a pet.
Using art to reduce Stress
1) Drawing game: This drawing game allows a child to express his or her frustration
or emotion through a creative outlet. To begin, explain to the participants that you
are going to have a drawing conversation. Have the children select a crayon, then
choose a different color so you will know who is speaking. This conversation will
exist only on paper. Draw an object like a stick figure. Signal to the participants
that it’s their turn to continue the drawing without using words. Keep taking turns
drawing until you feel the picture is complete. Discuss the picture with the child,
asking open-ended questions to start a conversation such as “tell me about your
picture”, “who is your conversation with?” Or “Tell me about the words you are
using in your conversation”. Although a detailed conversation can be beneficial,
the quiet process of drawing is where the relaxation happens.
2) Nature crafts: Getting out in nature is a great way to reduce stress. Here are some
fun nature craft ideas!
a. Nature walk bracelet: Cut a piece of wide masking or colorful
electrical tape to fit around the wrist, plus ½ inch more. Wrap tape
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around child’s wrist, tacky side up, overlapping
ends to secure. Press collected items onto tape.
Later, with sticky side up, fold both ends under a few times. Lay
plastic wrap over sticky part of bracelet, and trim excess. With a small
hole punch or needle, make a hole through ends; tie a 5-inch piece of
string through each hole.
b. Rock wind chime: Go hunting for 12 small rocks. Clean the rocks and
let them dry. Cut 3 pieces or ribbon about 24-inches long. They do not
have to all be exactly the same length. Start off by wrapping the ribbon
around one rock, leaving about a 2-inch tail. Use glue to secure the
ribbon to the rock. Move up the ribbon about 2 more inches, and wrap
it around another rock. Glue it to secure. Add two more rocks to this
first ribbon the same way. Now do the same to the other two pieces of
ribbon you cut. Wrap one end of each rock covered ribbon around the
stick and use glue to secure them in place. Space them evenly along
the stick. Cut a piece of ribbon about 8-inches long. This will be the
hanger. Wrap each end around the stick, towards each end, and glue
them in place. Finally, for a finishing touch, cut 3 pieces of ribbon and
tie them into bows and glue them onto the stick to cover there the other
ribbons are glued on. Once all of the glue is dry, you can hang and
enjoy your wind chime.
c. Pressed flowers: First press the flowers you find. Once your flowers
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are ready, cut a piece of wax paper to the size you
want your picture. Carefully arrange your flowers
on the wax paper into the design you want – be careful, they might be
fragile! Cut a piece of clear Contact paper about the same size as your
wax paper. Peel off the paper backing and carefully cover the flowers
and wax paper with it. Gently press to make sure the Contact paper
adheres to every thing. You can now frame your picture with a piece
of construction paper or a real frame if you like. You can also use it as
a cover for a card, a book, or whatever else you can dream up. Using
this method, you should have your summer blooms well after summer
is gone!
3) Art therapy: Participants can sketch pictures that describe their feelings related to
things in their life that are causing stress (mom being away, dad at home is angry,
sister is sad, ect). This could be a way children process their emotions, reducing
some of the stress they carry (Frost, 2011).
4) Sketch abstract pictures: Have children sketch pictures that express feelings
related to past stressful experiences. This may act as a way of processing their
emotions and healing (Frost, 2011).
5) Dream sketch diary: Have participants sketch scenes from their dreams that they
would like to remember or have a better understanding of. If they cannot
remember any dreams, have them make it up (Frost, 2011).
6) Sensory activities: Sensory activities have a calming effect on a child when they
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experience symptoms of stress. Play dough is a popular
childhood material that provides a sensory experience.
Making play dough is an easy craft then your participants can give the play dough
to squeeze, pound and manipulate. A stress ball offers a similar experience for
children because they can squeeze the squishy ball. Finger painting and playing
with water are two other possible sensory activities to reduce stress (Frost, 2011).
7) Paper Mache masks: Make a paste with 1 part flour to 1 part water. Mix together
the concoction to form a paste like consistency but still runny and not quite as
thick as paste. Inflate a balloon and cover the balloon with newspaper dipped in
paper mache. Once the paper mache is dry, pop the balloon. Have participants
paint the mask using details for eyes, nose and mouths. Allow the children to
make any mask they want that represents their vision of stress, fear, worry,
sadness or joy.
8) Making a choice sign: The participants can learn to do a “stress check,” and make
a choice to adjust the situation. Even young children can use a simple mental
signal like a big red stop sign when they feel early stress or frustration symptoms.
They can ask, “What can I do right now to stop this situation or make it better?”
This teaches them to recognize danger signs and make a choice, rather than just
giving in to something negative (Boehlke, 2011). Have participants use different
art supplies to create a symbol of their choice sign.
9) Origami: Origami engages both the mind and hands to produce a calming effect.
The art of origami involves folding and creasing paper.
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10) Where in the world is my parent?: Give participants the
opportunity to explore the country their parent is deployed in.
Let the children research online and print out pictures of interesting facts about
their parent’s location. Have the participants make a poster of that country and
share it with other participants in the group. This will help the child know where
their parent is and ease tension they have of the unknown.
Activities and games to reduce stress
1) Controlled breathing: Any kid old enough to count to four can do a controlled
breathing exercise to lower his or her stress level. A child can concentrate on
slowing down his or her breathing by counting slowly to four as they breathe in,
then doing the same thing as they let the air out. This can be continued for several
minutes until the stress starts to melt away (Boehlke, 2011).
2) Little teapot: “I’m a Little Teapot” is a creative way to regulate the breath to
increase oxygen levels and relaxation. The goal of this game is to exhale twice as
long as you inhale. Tell the participants to pretend that they are teapots and they
get to show everyone their steam. Have the children sit in a chair with their back
straight and chin held up so that the imaginary lid doesn’t fall off. Encourage
them to breathe naturally. With each breath, tell the children to make a hissing
sound. This is the sound of the steam escaping from the teapot. Tell them to do
this slowly and loudly so that the steam floats way across the room (Boehlke,
2011). This game will help children learn to breath in a way that will relax the
body.
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3) Body mime: Body miming can encourage relaxation and
calmness. Have the participants stand in front of you and then
call out specific objects for them to mime. For example, if you say, “Be round like
a ball,” they must roll up into the shape of a ball. You can also have children
partner up to form objects and letters together as a team.
4) Yoga poses: Teaching the participants basic yoga postures can help ease tension
and stress. These postures don’t need to be complex. Positions such as seated
forward bend, triangle and tree pose can be easily taught and performed to
students of all ages. Better yet, grab a yoga DVD for children and all do it
together!
5) Outdoor games: Exercise is a good way to relieve stress, and playing outdoor
games helps children both relieve stress and get the physical activity they need.
Games like hopscotch, hide-and-seek and kick the can involve physical activity as
well as a mental challenge, helping children let go of stressful thoughts and get
moving. Here are some suggestions of great outdoor games to relieve stress!
6) Back-to-back tag: This fun game can be played to let out some energy as well as
create a stronger sense of community between the participants. Two people hold
hands start off as being “it.” They can try to tag any other player but they can only
use their free hands. When they tag someone, that person joins onto them by
holding hands. Remember, other players can only be tagged with one of the two
free hands. Players are safe from being tagged if they find another player and
stand back to back with them. They can stand back to back and be safe for only 10
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seconds before they can be tagged. The game continues until
everyone is tagged (Ultimate camp resources, 2011).
7) Command relay: Command relay will help develop teamwork and trust within the
group. This game will also show the participants a fun way to let out stress. This
relay is run as a three-legged race. Divide the people into two teams of pairs. Tie
couples’ ankles together with rope. Each pair, balancing a cushion on their heads,
pass under the six –foot pole, which’s held horizontally three feet above the
ground. They pass the bicycle tire over their bodies from head to toes and knock
over the bowling pins with their noses. One of the couple blows up a balloon and
holds it on the chair, while his partner sits on it until it breaks. Couples hop back
to the starting line to touch off the next pair (Ultimate camp resources, 2011).
8) Minute jogging: This game is something the children can do at home when they
feel stressed. Have the children stand up and close their eyes. Then tell them to
start jogging in place and to stop when they think that one-minute has passed by,
then sit down. Once they get good at this have them try for 30 seconds or for two
minutes to make different challenges (Ultimate camp resources, 2011).
9) Kaos: Being a military child is chaotic and this game will help the children use all
that chaotic energy in a fun way. This game is a mixture of everyone’s-it-tag,
octopus and dodgeball. The children will love it as it is extremely high energy,
and can go on forever. Designate a playing area in which the campers must
remain. The goal of the game is to get all other players out and be the last one
standing. Players can eliminate each other in a number of different ways: The first
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is simply by tagging them. If two players tag each other at the
same time, they must shake hands and part ways, with neither
of them being out. A number of dodgeballs will also be thrown into to mix once
the game begins. Players can eliminate each other either by throwing the ball and
hitting opponents below the waist, or by catching a ball that is thrown at them
without a bounce. A player hit by a ball in the legs is out no matter how many
bounces it has taken. Players who are out simply sit down wherever they were
tagged. They are able to rejoin the game and eliminate others either by tagging
them as they run by, or by getting their hands on a ball and throwing it at and
hitting a player who is still standing. If a ball rolls out of the boundaries, a camper
can retrieve it simply by asking a counselor in charge if they can go get it. The
first player to ask politely is able to get the ball as long as they are still standing.
This game will not usually end, and as such at some point whoever is running it
can either end it or instate the rule that no one who goes out can get back in again.
They can also call out “Everybody up!” at their own discretion (Ultimate camp
resources, 2011).
10) Ship shore: This is not only a silly way to act as sailors on a mission but a fun
game that uses a lot of energy which eases the feelings of stress. There is one
person that is IT (a.k.a. Simon). IT stands at the front of the group and calls out
commands that the rest of the campers must do. If a camper does the wrong
action, or if it is an action that requires them to get into groups and there is a
person without a group, then they are out. Some of the actions are: “ship”- all
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campers move towards the ship (one side of the playing field).
“Shore”- all campers move towards the shore (the opposite
side of the playing field). “Man overboard”- two person action. One person gets
down on hands and knees. The other person puts one foot on the back of the
person on the ground and shades their eyes like they are looking into the distance
for someone. “Crows nest” three person action. Three campers get together with
their backs towards each other and lock arms. “Captain’s coming”- each person
must salute. Campers can’t move from “captains coming” until IT calls at ease”.
If a player moves, they are out. “At ease”-all campers put their hands at their sides
and can continue when the next action is called. “Hit the deck”-all campers lay
down on their bellies. “Three men in a boat”-three campers get together in a line
and squat. They must act like they are rowing a boat while they sing “Row Row
Row Your Boat”. “Octopus”- campers must lay on their backs with their arms and
feet waving in the air (Ultimate camp resources, 2011).
Journaling Topics
1) My favorite things to do are…
2) When I am feeling down I like to….
3) The time I felt the angriest was when…
4) I am most happy when….
5) My ideal vacation would be…
6) What would make your life easier when your parent is deployed?
7) Write down as many things you can think of to stay fit and healthy.
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8) Imagine yourself in a place you like to be (not necessarily
someplace you like to go). What do you like about it? What
are the most intriguing/appealing aspects? Now, think of a place you do not like
being. What makes you not like being there?
9) Describe the most important thing in your life. Describe the 2nd and 3rd most
important things. Then the 4th and 5th most important things.
10) Write a poem about stress.
Group Discussion Topics
1) What are the feelings/emotions you feel when you are stressed?
2) When you feel upset, angry or sad, what do you do to make yourself feel better?
3) Now that we know what “stress” feels like…do you think your mom and dad get
stressed? How do to they act? How does it make you feel?
4) What are some things you think cause stress in your life?
5) If you feel like you are getting upset or stressed, what are some things you can do
to calm down?
6) What do you do to help you feel less stressed? Who do you talk to?
7) Has your behavior changed since your parent has been deployed?
8) How are you doing in school since your parent has been deployed?
9) Do you see changes in your parent at home since your other parent has been
deployed?
10) What would make your life easier when your parent is deployed?
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Team building to increase peer support network
Through teambuilding activities youth learn how to cooperate,
to share, to work together and to listen to other children’ ideas. Include some
teambuilding activities in your program to enhance peer support networks. Add a fun
teambuilding activity to your program at least once a week.
1) Fear in a hat: This is a teambuilding exercise that promotes unity and group
cohesion. Individuals write their personal fears (anonymously) on sheets of paper,
which is then collected in a hat and read aloud. Each person tries to describe his
or her understanding of the person’s fear. This leads to good discussion centered
around the fears (Ultimate camp resource, 2011).
2) Trust run: divide the group into two lines facing each other with arms
outstretched and staggered with the person opposite. The runner begins several
yards away and runs at a fast pace at the line. The folks in the line must drop their
arms as the person passes. The idea is for the runner not to flinch or slow down
while the lines try to move arms at the last minute (Ultimate camp resource,
2011).
3) Who’s my guide?: Divide the group in half. One half is blindfolded. The other half
chooses a partner who is blindfolded, but may not talk to them. They take their
blindfolded person on a trust walk by allowing them to hold their arm. Only the
blindfolded person may talk – the guide must stay silent. At the end of the walk,
the guide returns to their group. The blindfolded person then removes the
blindfold and the roles are reversed. Before taking off blindfolds, they separate.
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At the end of the game each person tries to identify their guide
and say how they knew. This game generates trust and helps
face fear of the unknown (Ultimate camp resource, 2011).
4) Mirror image: This activity involves children in pairs, with one child mirroring
the actions and movements of the other. Body movement exercises can be
confronting and rewarding. By reflecting body movements of another, several
subtle but complex processes are activated, heightening self and other awareness
(Ultimate camp resource, 2011).
5) I am afraid of: Have everyone sit in a circle. Have children hold their hands and
all ten fingers out on the floor in front of them. As you go around the circle, each
student will tell something that fear or worry about. For example, they might say,
“I am afraid I my mom will come home hurt”. If the other players have that same
fear, they must remove a finger. This can show the participants that other
children have the same fears and worries in hopes that the child does not feel
isolated or alone (Ultimate camp resource, 2011).
6) Human knot: Have the group make a large circle. (This game also works well as a
race between several circles in larger groups.) Have everyone put their left hand
in the middle, and hold hands with someone in the circle, not directly next to
them. Repeat with the right hand, and be sure to hold hands with a different
person, who is not directly next to them. You can use 1-foot “buddy ropes” to
reduce arm-twisting if you like. Then the group must use teamwork to unravel
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themselves into a circle again without coming disconnected
(Ultimate camp resource, 2011).
7) All together: Ask the group to find a partner and pair up. The pairs sit on the
ground with their backs to each other. The partners then reach behind their backs
to link arms with each other. When the leader says, “Go,” the partners attempt to
stand up without separating. The leader can specify that the partners can’t talk to
make the activity harder.
8) Hula hoop pass: Have the group form a circle holding hands. Ask two people to
let go of their grip long enough for them to place their hands through a hula-hoop
before rejoining them. The team task is to pass the hula-hoop around the circle in
a specified direction until it returns to the starting point. Another way to play is
two use two hoops and have them go around the circle in opposite directions
(Ultimate camp resource, 2011).
9) Wireless communication: Put a rope down as a starting line. Ask the group to
select their best listener. Bring that person forward 20’ and blindfold them. Tell
them they cannot speak from then on until the game is over. Also tell them not to
move unless told to do so. Ask the group to select their best communicator. Bring
them forward 10’ and turn them so they face the group, who should all be
standing on the starting line, the communicator may not turn around to look
behind them. However, they are allowed to speak. Tell the group on the starting
line they may not say anything the game is over. Now produce some props- a
chair, a hoop, a hat, a glass, a jug of water, etc. Produce a set of written
110
instructions, e.g. “Direct the listener to put on the hat, sit on
the chair and pour themselves a cup of water, then drink it!”
Give these instructions to the group on the starting line. Without speaking, the
group has to make the communicator understand the directions so they can tell the
listener what to do (Ultimate camp resource, 2011).
10) I’ll be your guide: This activity teaches students to communicate well with one
another by both giving good verbal directions and listening well to directions. An
obstacle course needs to be set up. Students need to be in partners in which one
student is blindfolded, while the other is the guide. The guide must verbally give
directions for the blindfolded partner to get to the opposite side of the obstacle
course. This is a lot harder than you might think (Ultimate camp resource, 2011).
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Section 6: Post program survey, and
program conclusion
Post program survey
The post program survey is used like a post-test. The post program survey will
give you information on the effectiveness of your program. A post program survey
should be given to all participants exiting your program for any reason. Figure 1.2 is an
example of a post program survey for children in your program. Younger children may
need assistance in filling it out.
112
Figure 4
MILITARY YOUTH DEPLOYMENT SUPPORT PROGRAM
POST-PROGRAM SURVEY
You r Name: ______________________________ ____________ Date: __________________________
Unless indicated, pleas e CHEC K ONLY O NE BOX per item.
Fear of loss
Yes
Somewhat
No
Comm unicati on
a. When a parent is deployed, I feel comf ortable
talking to adults about my feelings.
b. It makes me feel better to talk about my
parentΥs deployment.
c. I have friends I can talk to about my parents
deployment.
Yes
Somewhat
No
Changes in the household
a. I feel I can deal with changes in the
household during my parents deployment.
b. I am willing and able to take on more
household responsibili ties.
c. I get frustrated with the changes at home
when a parent is deployed.
Yes
Somewhat
No
a. I understand that my feelings of f ear when
my parent deploys is normal.
b. I have learned ways to control my feeli ngs of
fear when my parent deploys.
d. I feel li ke I can talk about my fears to
someone.
Peer suppo rt
Yes
Somewhat
No
a. I have friends who have a parent deployed
too.
b. I feel li ke I can talk to my friends about my
parent being gone
c. There are other kids I can talk to who know
what I am going through.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR COMPLETING THIS SURVEY.
113
Program Conclusion
Extracurricular activities have the potential to help military
children. A child who is in an activity or support group, especially one that includes other
military children, allows youth to share their feelings in a constructive way and will
greatly benefit the child while going through the difficult time of parental deployment
(Percha, 2010).
The purpose of this manual was to help you, as a Navy Child and Youth Progams
professional, develop an on-going recreational based services program to support active
duty military children on board the Naval installation while one or both parents are
deployed. The manual was outlined in a curriculum format targeting four areas that
impact youth during parental deployment; fear of loss, communication, changes in the
household and lack of peer support.
The researcher examined the curriculum at current military family and youth
support organizations. These organizations, which were highlighted in the previous
chapter, included National Military Family Association Operation Purple Camp,
Operation Military Children, and Family Fleet and Support Centers and Navy Child and
Youth programs. By thoroughly examining the curriculum at existing military and family
youth organizations the researcher was able to identify the strengths and weakness of
each program which helped the researcher understand what was most beneficial to youth.
The researcher also examined research that has been completed on each program. The
researcher looked at data such as grade and school performance prior to, and after the
114
program, family input regarding any changes in household stressors;
and areas of the program that were not successful or popular.
Through activities, journaling, art, group discussions and team building, the
program manual highlighted ways in which youth can bond with their peers experiencing
similar emotions. By providing this recreational based deployment support program, your
center will help children with a deployed parent improve communicating their emotions,
learn how to embrace and understand change, and develop ways to relieve the feelings of
stress that come with fear while having fun!
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Chapter 5
SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Summary
The purpose of this project was to examine the difficulties Navy military children
face while experiencing parental deployment and to develop a recreational based military
youth services program to support active duty military youth (ages 5-12), while one or
both parents are deployed.
Through research it was established that nationwide, there are 1.9 million children
with a parent serving in the military and 220,000 of these children have a parent currently
deployed (Department of Defense, 2011). During these military deployments, military
children make many sacrifices and must learn to cope with the fact that one parent will be
away for months or even years at a time. The literature examined showed that military
youth often express feelings of fear, worry, anxiety and loneliness during parental
deployments and it was noted that there is a connection between parental deployment to
several youth behavioral outcomes such as depression, negative social and emotional
behaviors, and poor academic performance (Ryan-Wenger, 2001).
The literature examined also concluded that extracurricular activities, such as the
deployment support program created in this project, has the potential to help military
children. Placing a child in an activity or support group, especially one that includes other
military children, allows youth to share their feelings in a constructive way (Percha,
2010).
116
Military installations that have School Age Care Programs on
or near their base have the opportunity to offer deployment programs
for youth ages 5-12 but there is currently no specialized program developed at this time.
Through examination of current and past deployment support programs, interviews with
military families and Child and Youth Program staff, the researcher concluded that an on
going, recreational based program is needed at Naval Installations.
To create a recreational based deployment support program for youth, the
researcher examined curriculum on current military family and youth support
organizations, which included National Military Family Association Operation Purple
Camp, Operation Military Children, Family Fleet and Support Centers and Navy Child
and Youth programs. The researcher was able to identify the strengths and weakness of
each program to better understand what was most beneficial to youth as well as examined
research and data that had been completed on each program. The researcher looked at
data such as grade and school performance prior to, and after the program, family input
regarding any changes in household stressors; and areas of the program that were not
successful or popular. Through these examinations the researcher saw a need to develop a
program that Military Child and Youth Services administrators can use to offer frequent
and accessible deployment support programs in their youth recreation centers.
The Youth Deployment Support Program created is geared towards Youth
Program Directors on United States Naval Installations. This program is to be used as a
guide for implementing a recreational based deployment support group for children
between the ages 5-12. The program created is outlined to run two days a week for two
117
hours a day. Activities were recommended in the manual that will
help youth develop social networks and develop bonds with other
children whose parents are deployed, encourage communication efforts with their parents
and peers and introduce life skills that help ease through household transitions and reduce
feelings of stress and fear. The manual provides youth program administrators with
games, art, journaling topics and group discussion starters. The manual also provides
reasoning behind using recreation as a method for support, staff training ideas, pre and
post program surveys, ways to utilize available resources and sample lesson plans.
Recommendations
The author recommends that further development and research is to be completed
on the deployment support program created. The author suggests that a naval installation
be selected as a test site to run the program military children in their community for a
minimum of six months. The author recommends that during the six months program
administrators:
1. Have participants fill out the pre program survey.
2. Keep lesson plans of all activities.
3. Make detailed notes of strength and weakness’ of each activity.
4. Make detailed notes of what activities participants were most receptive too.
5. Have participants fill out post program survey at the end of the program.
The author also recommends that after the six months is over, the strengths and
weakness are reviewed and changes are made to any activities that were not successful.
118
The pre and post program surveys then are to be evaluated to
accurately distinguish the effectiveness of the program.
The author also recommends that further research be done on the affects of
parental deployment as well as further research on the affects recreation may have on
military children. The author provides these recommendations with the hope that military
children may experience a successful transition through parental deployment. It is also
the interest of the author that future researchers will use these recommendations for
further research opportunities to increase the quality of life of military children and their
families.
119
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