Going off the grid ..sorta - hope to be back the end of March..

Dear family, friends and neighbors:

I have found I have to go away and out of sight in order to finish this book.  (On Becoming a Backpack Journalist - a catalyst to finding oneself.  For teens and just about anyone in search! - working title only...)

 From an idea: "Teaching writing and journaling to help the stresses of deployment for families and teens"  - to weeks of Rand research and a Pilot agreed upon by a National Guard state, the A Backpack Journalist program was set to launch. Supported by research by Dr. Fred Medway, USC Psychology Researcher on the effects of deployment on families and children.

Remember 9/11? Following 2001 - 2011, many deployed to serve our nation in war,  from the Reserve Components of our US Military, leaving family and kids behind. Next in 2013 - 2022 -we were home in Charleston, SC with Civilian Kids in Title One or local schools.

Military and civilian kids who spent time in the A Backpack Journalist program as teens, are now young adults contributing to our world in so many positive ways.  This book is filled with their stories.

What follows below is an excerpt from the book supplied to us by Nancy Herren, the former State Youth Coordinator at the Texas Military Forces, Army and Air National Guard.

Nancy shares the 2-days in Columbia, which went so well, off we went to Austin, Texas to be joined by Mike Mclean a photojournalist. Next a National Guard Youth Conference, followed by close to 1000 youth across America in the next 6-8 years.  We spent time in Club Beyond youth events (Christian based groups on military installations), and supported heavily the National Military Associations for Families.

FROM NANCY HERREN:

Texas Military Forces, Army and Air National Guard, State Family Programs included a program specifically designed to provide support for the children and youth of Texas who had a parent or a guardian actively involved with OIF/OEF deployments.  

There were many challenges presented to these kids, a large percentage played havoc with their emotional well-being.  Young children became emotional whenever they would see their service member in uniform.  They were not sure if they were getting ready to leave again for a long time.  It really confused them and caused them to not want to get too close or trust them for fear when they needed them again they would be gone.  The adolescents had even more emotional issues to struggle with.  All too often they had to fill in for the parent who was gone. Sometimes they had to be the absent parent as well as the one who was still stateside but who had to go to work and so the older sibling had to pick up the parenting slack. They were becoming more and more resentful of the roles and responsibilities placed on them which was also depriving them of the opportunity to play sports, have a job of their own, or just be able to have a little bit of independence.  Not to mention the teenagers who were smart enough to experience first hand tension between mom and dad, with their challenges of the on and off again deployments. They could see and understand as well, the parent who left 15 months ago is not the same parent who came home. They could tell their parent's service to their country had taken their parent away and all too often that parent did not come back. 

Yes, this may sound gruesome but it was the climate of the military families back when Texas first got introduce to A Backpack Journalist (BPJ).  I was the youth coordinator for Texas State Family Programs when the program was first introduced. and was a wonderful addition to the programs being offered at the time. It allowed for self-expression for the kids, it was a much needed outlet for them to freely and safely express their fears and frustrations while having fun doing it.  It made way for freedom of expression and some of these teenagers were feeling anything but freedom when BPJ hit the scene.
 
During my tenure as the State Youth Coordinator I established a Youth Advisory Council for high school students who were actively participating in the events and trainings being offered through State Family Programs.  The members of the council had been involved with the program for several years and were a great asset to the younger kids.  The advisory council was made up of twelve high school students from both Army and Air National Guard families yet with varying backgrounds. A couple were from single parent homes and one was being raised by a aunt. We had enlisted and officer children as well as a couple who are serving now themselves.  

One highlight afforded the Texas Youth Advisory Council was the A Backpack Journalist two-day immersion journalism course. Our host was the Linda Dennis and  University of South Carolina School of Journalism. The students heard from David Knight (for the first time) and Linda Dennis and were able to write stories, receive feedback, perfect their stories, add audio, if they wanted. Meet and hear from a SC National Guardsman James Smith just returning from Afganistan. The entire experience was instrumental in their dedication to the program, to the younger kids in the program as well as their advanced educational decisions.  

The weekend was absolutely a one-in-a-million experience for the kids as they were able to participate in a city-wide "Help The Homeless" event.  They were able to assist with the event as well as interview some of the other volunteers and some of those receiving help.  Individuals brought their trades to give to the homeless; food, haircuts, clothing, shoes, dental care, and massages were just some of the services provided the homeless population that day.  This experience, I believe is one the youth would never had been a part, but since it was offered to them as a learning experience, where they could perfect their writing skills it became a memorable and educational adventure. 

I believe you could interview any one of the council members today and receive a full array of reasons why A Backpack Journalist experience greatly influenced their life... for the better.   Nancy. Herren.

From Linda Dennis:

In the pages of the book coming in the summer you will meet a young woman who is working as a "Missionary" on the border, saving Migrant children who come over alone, a young man who is in New Orleans recording professionally and in his spare time, working at a non profit with kids teaching recording and writing and performing,  a young woman in California working as a Life Coach, and many writers on newspaper staffs living in various parts of our country including Washington,D.C. and  a young woman in Europe handling social media, while also working with Club Beyond and Young life.  There are many more so follow us as we go throughout the south -up to Wyoming and Kansas and back to the east coast, and then over the Atlantic.

And here is Charleston, we send our love to Stephen, Amir, Dorian and JaDen who recently graduated from high school - their stories too.

On the road now and hope to be back by the end of March -2024.

Linda Dennis, A Backpack Journalist