Responding to Current Crises, Supporting Students and Ourselves

05/04/2020  (Alonso Nichols/Tufts University)

By now, many of us have seen the horrific videos and images of the storming of the Capitol building last week, and as information continues to emerge it is increasingly disturbing. The violent actions and intentions of a mob of white supremacists, spurred on by the President of the United States will have strong waves of repercussions and consequences for some time to come both nationally and on campus. This violent event reinforces the importance and urgency of Tufts’ commitment to becoming an antiracist institution and reaffirms the importance of our strong commitment to civic engagement as essential to our democracy.

It is crucial to continue to tend to the wellbeing of our community right now, and we know this may feel challenging after navigating multiple crises this year. CELT is here to support you as you respond in the classroom, office hours, advising and other spaces while managing your own reactions. This remains a moment for compassion for each other, fostering community and flexibility, especially for those targeted by these attacks and most disadvantaged by COVID19. We hope some of the resources we have collected will be helpful as you rise once again to the myriad challenges you face to provide a rich, supportive, engaged education at this moment in history.

• Antiracism resources:

• • CELT website antiracist resources
  • Teaching@Tufts antiracist resources

• Resources on Civic Education from Nancy Thomas from the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life
  • Educating for Democracy in a Time of Crisis and Division: A Conversation with Nancy Thomas (Links to an external site.) (Liberal Education, AAC&U, Fall 2020)
  • Civic Learning & Democratic Engagement Theory of Change http://apps.naspa.org/files/CLDEEmergentTheoryofChange.pdf

• Resources to deal with the events of January 6, 2021 from Erin Seaton, Education
  • https://www.facinghistory.org/educator-resources/current-events/responding-insurrection-us-capitol
  • Teaching Resources to Help Students Make Sense of the Rampage at the Capitol https://nyti.ms/2MDBjLK (Focused on K-12 but relevant.)

• Mental Health Resources at Tufts
  • Tufts Counseling and Mental Health Center
  • Kognito Site Through role-play, users build knowledge and skills around mental health and suicide prevention as well as how to have conversations that build resilience in students.

• Resources on Resilience and Caring for Ourselves from the Social Emotional Learning and Civic Engagement Program and Deborah Donahue Keegan
  • Why Taking Care of Your Own Well-Being Helps Others (Greater Good Science Center, 3/26/20)
  • In 2020, self-care is becoming a more radical act (HuffPost, 10/27/20)
  • The Transformative Effects of Mindful Self-Compassion (Mindful.org, 1/29/19)
• Other:
  • Facilitating Challenging Dialogues
  • Teaching@Tufts Resources for inclusive teaching