The Prevention Leaders Podcast
Purple Stars: A Mission for Engaging and Supporting Military Families
46 min
Guest: Sarah
Listen on SpotifySummary
Sarah, a Military Family Resiliency Specialist, shares her personal journey growing up in a military family and her path to prevention work after a transformative QPR suicide prevention training. She discusses the unique challenges military families face and highlights initiatives like the Purple Star Award program in schools. Sarah emphasizes building resilience, offering evidence-based curriculum, and the importance of community engagement to support military-connected students.
Key takeaways
- Understand the unique challenges military families face.
- Utilize programs like the Purple Star Award to support military-connected students in schools.
- Offer evidence-based curriculum and training to military families to build resilience.
- Engage the community to foster understanding and support for military families.
- Refer to resources such as Make the Connection, VA Community Provider Toolkit, and Sesame Street for Military Families.
Show notes
In this episode of the Prevention Leaders podcast, host Dave welcomes Sarah, a Military Family Resiliency Specialist from Kentucky. Sarah, who has been making a significant difference at local, regional, and national levels, delves into her background, growing up in a military family. She shares poignant personal stories, including her father's deployments, her brothers' military experiences, and the tragic loss of her older brother to suicide, which deeply impacted her family.
Sarah's journey into the realm of prevention was marked by a transformative experience when she attended a QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) suicide prevention training. This experience underscored the importance of upstream prevention and the immense power of information. As she discusses the nuances of engaging with military families, Sarah emphasizes the need to understand their unique challenges. She highlights the establishment of the Purple Star Award program in schools, which aims to recognize and support military-connected students. This initiative, along with her collaborations with the VA and other military organizations, showcases her commitment to the cause.
Building resiliency in military families is a key focus for Sarah. She talks about offering evidence-based curriculum and training to these families and the role of schools in supporting military students. Community engagement and understanding stand out as crucial elements in her approach. Sarah also generously shares a list of resources and recommendations for further support, including "Make the Connection," the "VA Community Provider Toolkit," "Sesame Street for Military Families," the "Military Child Education Coalition," "Military OneSource," and "KYPurpleStar.org."
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