The month of June is not only PRIDE month but Children’s Awareness Month too! Children’s Awareness Month focuses on the joy of childhood and bringing awareness to bigger issues relating to children.

It is important to celebrate the good that children bring to the world, but it is important to focus on the hardships they can face and what we can do to help as well. Some of the hardships that can affect children can include but are not limited to poverty, abuse, neglect, and trauma.

5 facts about hardships that children could face:

At least 1 in 7 children have experienced child abuse or neglect in the past year.
In 2019, 1,840 children passed away from abuse and neglect in the United States alone.
Two-thirds of children reported at least one traumatic event by the age of 16.
A traumatic event can lead to deficits in language development and abstract reasoning skills.
The United Nations estimates that 385 million children are living in extreme poverty.

How can we help?

There are so many different things that we can do to help our future generations! One thing we can do is to help empower the youth to be and learn about themselves. This can foster a healthy and supportive relationship with the child while letting them grow into themselves. Another way to help is by knowing local resources that can help and support children by building a community (schools, programs, clubs, etc.) Lastly, since children are the future, we can help foster and instill confidence, creativity, a support system and community, and positive self-esteem.