Community Engagement

Each year, approximately 200,000 U.S. military service members and veterans transition to civilian life, and as many as 62% experience challenges during this reintegration period (Romaniuk et al., 2020; U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 2023).

Written by: Rachel Brauner Military-connected youth face challenges that many of their peers do not—frequent relocations, parental deployments, and the emotional toll of uncertainty (Bello‐Utu & DeSocio, 2015; Esposito-Smythers et al., 2011).While these experiences can foster strength, they can also strain a young person’s development. That’s where youth development programs...

Social-emotional learning, or SEL, is a process in which children and adults learn to foster children’s emotional and social competence (Ng & Bull, 2018). According to Saarni (1999), emotional competence is “demonstrating one’s self-efficacy in emotion-eliciting transactions” (p. 2).

In this blog post, we discuss why anti-bullying programs are important for school-age students with disabilities, the existing research on the effectiveness of anti-bullying programs for this population, and important components of anti-bullying programs for this group of students.

Financial service providers and educators working with military families play a critical role in helping service members understand credit and build credit confidence through credit education. Navigating the complexities of credit can help service members feel more prepared for the financial demands of life in the military.

Caregivers are often the unsung heroes—pouring their time, energy, and heart into meeting the daily needs of their care recipients. But in the midst of it all, caregivers can unintentionally neglect their own well-being. As a provider, you play a crucial role in recognizing and supporting caregivers who may be facing burnout or chronic stress.

Bullying is a prevailing issue in today’s schools and leads to negative outcomes for both victims of bullying and perpetrators of bullying (Gaffney et al., 2021). Victims are likely to have mental health concerns, lower self-esteem, suicide ideation, and substance abuse issues, while perpetrators are likely to have a criminal record, use drugs, and engage in violent behavior (Gaffney et al., 2021).

Caregiving is a complex and often demanding responsibility. While many envision a spouse caring for their partner, caregivers come from diverse backgrounds and relationships, including friends, distant family members, or professional support networks.

Caregiving can be a monumental task, and no one person can do it alone. Whether the care recipient is aging, disabled, or facing a chronic illness, the responsibility of providing care can be overwhelming.

Permanent change of station moves and parental deployments are part of the norm for military families. For military teens, these moves bring new schools, neighborhoods, and routines. Like plants being uprooted and replanted in a new garden, military teens often have to adapt to a new environment. Military teens need support from those around them to adapt and flourish. What are some ways we as service providers can help military teens bloom where they are planted?