April 17, 2012 - Ask any military kid and they'll tell you: Having a parent in the military can be hard. They must cope with deployments of one or both parents, frequent moves, making new friends, changing schools and the fear that comes from having a parent in harm's way. Often times, kids with parents in the military are asked to do a little more than their non-military counterparts, to grow up just a little faster.Military kids also have to deal with their peers, and occasionally adults, misunderstanding the military lifestyle or even insulting it. Sometimes, it's difficult to explain to outsiders what having a parent in the military is like.
That's why programs developed with military children in mind -- programs that encourage them to express themselves creatively, and in turn, become better communicators -- are important.
A Backpack Journalist is one such program. It was pilot tested in 2008 with 12 young people attending basic writing and journalism classes on a university campus, Linda Dennis, program manager, explained. During the pilot, program administrators discovered that while younger children expressed themselves easily, older children -- specifically middle and high-schooled aged -- were struggling.
Hosting the classes on campus became cost prohibitive, so Dennis and the other administrative members made the program mobile. read more>>>
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