SANTA ROSA, Calif.–Saying it is responding to rising concern around the mental health of students, Redwood Credit Union has produced four free videos to help children, youth, and their support networks identify and successfully manage their emotions in times of high stress.
RCU partnered with social/emotional learning expert Jennifer Miller, author of “Confident Parents, Confident Kids,” and NAMI Sonoma County to produce the series. The videos are now available to the community on the credit union’s website here.
Redwood CU reported each video is tailored to a specific age group: 1) kindergarten through second grade, 2) grades three through five, 3) grades six through eight, and 4) high-school-aged teens. Spanish language subtitles are available for all videos.
“Redwood Credit Union cares about its communities and recognizes that families are dealing with significant daily challenges,” said Brett Martinez, RCU president & CEO. “We believe we all play a role in educating kids and helping them become more confident. We saw this as a way RCU could help.”
Partnered With School Districts
In addition to sharing the videos with its 378,000 members, RCU has partnered with local school districts that will distribute the videos to the families of their students.
“Sonoma County has been through multiple catastrophic events: fires, floods, mass evacuations, and Redwood Credit Union has always been there,” said Steve Herrington, Sonoma County superintendent of schools. “I encourage every family to watch these videos, and to discuss them openly with your children.”
According to Redwood CU, many children’s social, emotional, and mental well-being has been impacted by the pandemic. As the Centers for Disease Control points out, “trauma faced at this developmental stage can continue to affect children across their lifespan.” Identifying the emotions they’re feeling helps kids and families respond positively, even in the toughest moments, the credit union said.