Proud of KIT
Here we are in the final weekend of June 2020. We are heading into what promises to be a truly unusual summer (Disneyland is open/not open?). The world is keeping us on our toes lately, and it’s hard not to feel exhausted from just trying to keep up.
Fueling my passion lately is how our KIT Inclusionistas are rising to every occasion. I’m not sure if I’ve ever been more proud to be associated with Kids Included Together than I was this week when I attended our first-ever “Coffee Talk” where 4 of our Trainers initiated and held a conversation on Facebook Live. Greg, Brooke, Marissa, and Phillip saw there was a need to help adults support kids as they process what is going on around them in the wake of recent protests and social media activity related to Black Lives Matter and racial injustice.
They stepped up and led internal conversations with the KIT staff and then offered this public event. Each shared personal experiences and thoughts about the BLM Movement, offered specific strategies for allyship, and helped parents and child care providers with tips for holding race conversations with kids. They responded to questions from the audience and shared tons of helpful resources including videos and children’s books on racism.
If you weren’t able to attend live, I encourage you to go to our Facebook page and view the recording. These individuals, and our team members who worked behind the scenes and were present as attendees, illustrate the best KIT has to offer. They took a topic that can make people fearful and uncomfortable, and they made it a powerful learning experience by speaking from the heart, inviting diverse perspectives, sharing evidence-based and high-quality resources, and meeting each attendee where they are (which is hard to do in a Zoom panel, but they pulled it off!).
Our vision has always been a world where every child can realize their full potential in a welcoming, inclusive community. This is just the beginning for us as we continue our journey down the path of ensuring that KIT is not only inclusive but also anti-racist. I believe that answering this call will allow us to make a bigger positive impact on the world. I hope you will walk this path with us.