By: Michael C. Kimball
Crisis Leadership with Children: Building Capacity and Empowering Resilience
In today’s world, children are exposed to more crises than ever before through social media, television, movies, and other platforms. Despite this, there is a reluctance to build crisis capacity within them. Yet the need to do so is crucial—both for their emotional resilience and for their ability to act during emergencies. Before a crisis ever occurs, we must work with children to foster this capacity, enabling them not just to survive but to thrive.
The Importance of Building Capacity Before a Crisis
Crisis leadership with children starts long before an emergency occurs. We must equip them with the emotional tools and practical skills they need to face a crisis with resilience and confidence. Children, like adults, are capable of learning how to respond effectively in emergencies, but the key is preparation.
This preparation has two primary benefits:
- Children Can Assist Themselves and Others: When children are empowered with knowledge and skills, they can take action to help themselves and those around them during a crisis. They are less likely to be passive bystanders and more likely to engage in behaviors that promote safety.
- They Build Emotional Resilience: Preparing children for crisis helps them emotionally process the event afterward. They are more likely to bounce back when they know they’ve been an active participant, rather than a helpless observer. Emotional survival after a crisis is a critical component of overall recovery, and children with a sense of agency fare better in the long term.
Are We Doing Children an Injustice by Not Empowering Them?
There’s a growing fear that talking to children about crises may overwhelm or scare them, but evidence suggests the opposite is true. Studies show that children want to know that the adults in their lives are prepared for emergencies and have a clear, practiced plan. This knowledge is comforting, not frightening, and children feel safer when they know what to expect.
Failing to build capacity in children leaves them vulnerable to fear and shock when crises occur. Fear often arises from a lack of preparedness, not from the knowledge itself. If children don’t know what to do, they may freeze in a “bystander gaze” or enter a state of shock. However, when children are empowered with information and rehearsed action plans, they are far more likely to respond with courage and clarity.
Empowering Children to Act
The essence of crisis leadership with children is not only in keeping them safe but in empowering them to act. This empowerment can be achieved by following a clear, structured approach to crisis preparation:
- Name the Action Plan: Children should know that there’s a plan in place. Naming the plan and clearly explaining it gives children a sense of security.
- Create a Plan: Adults must collaborate with children to develop a crisis response plan that everyone understands, regardless of the type of emergency.
- Rehearse Mentally and Physically: Just like sports, art, or mathematics, crisis skills need to be rehearsed. Mental rehearsal helps children picture how they will respond, while physical rehearsal gives them the confidence to act. This builds the brain’s muscle memory, so they can respond with less hesitation when the time comes.
When these steps are followed, fear is greatly mitigated. Children who know what to do and have planned and practiced responses are mentally and emotionally prepared for the event. This preparation primes them for action.
The “We’ve Got Your Back”™ Program: Empowering Children Through Practice
One program that focuses on empowering children through trauma-informed, NO FEAR practices is the We’ve Got Your Back™ program from M.C. Kimball and Associates, Inc. This program, a three-time Telly Award-winning school safety initiative, offers a mindfulness-based alternative to traditional active shooter drills for students PreK-12.
The program’s philosophy is simple: empower children through knowledge and practice. Having a safety plan in place isn’t just about the physical act of surviving a crisis; it’s about instilling self-confidence in both children and adults. Children learn how to respond, not just in shooter scenarios but in a range of emergencies, reducing the likelihood of panic and increasing the ability to act rationally.
Regular Training and Skill Maintenance
Crisis skills, much like any other skills, require ongoing maintenance. Fire drills, for example, are practiced regularly because they are crucial in ensuring safety during an actual fire. Crisis response skills should be treated the same way. Regular drills and activities that teach children how to respond to crises can be integrated into the school day as fun, engaging classroom activities. This helps children develop muscle memory and stay prepared without feeling the burden of anxiety.
Maintaining these skills requires the same dedication as keeping up with sports practices, art projects, or math lessons. Ongoing training keeps the responses fresh and ensures that both children and adults are ready for a variety of scenarios.
Crisis Leadership for Adults: Techniques for Leading Children
Leading children through a crisis requires a balance of emotional support and practical guidance. Here are key techniques for effective crisis leadership with children:
- Stay Calm: Children will mirror the emotions of the adults around them. Remaining calm during a crisis sends the message that the situation is under control, which helps children manage their own fear and anxiety.
- Communicate Clearly: Explain the situation using simple, direct language. Clear communication is critical in a crisis to ensure children understand what is happening and what they need to do.
- Be Adaptable: Every crisis is different, and the ability to adapt to the circumstances at hand is crucial. While you may have a rehearsed plan, it’s important to stay flexible and adjust to the children’s needs and the specifics of the emergency.
- Provide Emotional Support: After the immediate crisis, emotional support is essential. Children will need reassurance and guidance in processing what happened. Acknowledge their feelings and provide a space for them to express their emotions.
- Empower Participation: Encourage children to participate in age-appropriate tasks during a crisis, whether following a specific safety protocol or helping others. Giving them a role fosters a sense of control and can reduce feelings of helplessness.
By building capacity within children before a crisis occurs, empowering them with knowledge, and leading them with calm and adaptability, we prepare them not just for survival but for resilience. Children have great potential to rise to the challenge when we give them the tools, the training, and the trust they need to navigate crises confidently.
About the Author: Michael C. Kimball has over 30 years of experience as a sworn law enforcement officer in California. Michael helped to co-develop the Monterey Peninsula Regional S.W.A.T. team and was both a Tactical Commander and later the Logistics Commander for the Team. Michael Co-Authored one of the State of California’s First Active Shooter Protocols in the early 1990s and again after the Columbine massacre.
In 1989, Michael founded his company, and in 2000, his company formally became M.C. Kimball and Associates, LLC. Michael is a Nationally Certified Instructor in Option-based Training to Mitigate Active Killers and has traveled nationwide with Homeland Security since 2010, conducting train-the-trainer for School Districts, Hospitals, Businesses, Churches, and the Hospitality Industry in English and Spanish. In 2021, Michael and his executive team of experts developed the We’ve Got Your Back ™ Program (A Team Approach to School Safety), a trauma-informed, inclusive safety training program for students. In 2023, the parent company, M.C. Kimball and Associates, was incorporated into M.C. Kimball and Associates, Inc. and the We’ve Got Your Back™ Program website was established into www.wetrainsafety.com.
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