9/11 Tragedy Effects on Youth

Traumatic tragedies like 9/11 can be a powerful tool to help youth develop resiliency.

My sisters were in middle-school when 9/11 happened. As their eldest sister, I was anxious to reach them at their school as I learned of the horror happening in New York and near to where I lived in a small suburb of Washington DC. As I rushed, with my mother, to pick them up early from school, I could view dark clouds of smoke billowing in the sky ahead of me as if the Pentagon was a touch away. In actuality, the Pentagon was a good twenty minute drive in the distance, but the thick smoke loomed so close. This was a nightmare.

As I ran inside to fetch my sisters as my mother held guard outside, I was one of, it seemed, dozens of relatives with the same idea in mind-- find our babies and get the hell to safety! The office was shaken and confused, never having an emergency of this magnitude, they were frozen. They had not told the kids in the school what had happened. Only the few students who had disobeyed the rules and had their cell phones on, receiving calls from home, were aware of the tragedy unfolding. I grabbed an office worker and begged them to go to my sisters' class to get them for me. I told them the teacher of one but did not remember the other's class room. As if divinely ordained, that sister was walking down the hall as the office assistant ran to get my other sister. I grabbed my sister and hugged her to me as I explained what was going on. When my other sister arrived, we dashed to the car to drive home.

While at home, we watched the news together and my mother and I answered any questions my sisters had. Later, we discussed what some alternatives would have been for my sisters if my mother and I were not able to reach them. We talked about where a family meeting place would be and we shared numbers of relatives we would contact. In the midst of this tragedy, my sisters were learning techniques to staying afloat in the midst of conflict. They were able to help create an emergency plan and while being taken out of their comfort zone, were able to think about and discuss the "what ifs" and plan solutions in the event that tragedy should strike again, and, God forbid, closer to home.

What I implore all parents, youth workers, etc. to remember is that each event that takes place is an opportunity to empower youth to learn and grow. As we recognize times of great tragedy in our personal lives and in the history of our nation, let's identify how our review of history can aid youth in developing resiliency.