“What matters most is not what happens to us in life, but our attitude to those events. We all have a duty to reach out, actively listen and create conversations of lasting impact for those children whose lives have been traumatised by war, profound separation and bereavement.”

“It is almost unimaginable to be young and suddenly and forcibly separated from the comfort of known things. ‘Bear Us In Mind’ is a creative, thoughtful, crucial resource that gives parents and supporting community members tools and activities to help children explore their feelings of loss in these disorienting times. Each of the activities comes with clear and helpful guidelines for caring adults on how to use them to help a child safely explore their feelings and begin to feel a little more resilient and grounded; a little less alone.”

“Debbie showed me the contents and explained the project over the telephone and with a Zoom call. It was so special seeing what was inside the boxes. We are hosting a family with two children and although the Mum is not ready yet to introduce the children to the toolkit (they are just settling in and starting school and she wants them to do this first), I hope that over the summer holidays I can help their Mum to look through the box and do the activities. The children both LOVE cuddly toys and are going to be delighted with the bears. I really like the way the blue and yellow theme links through to where they have come from. They are fortunate to still be in touch with their Dad and I think the beautiful little postcard idea is very sweet. I appreciated the guidelines for each item and the information about possible trauma and how to help - my main worry was about making things harder for them but I see now that not saying anything at all could actually be worse, and I feel confident enough to at least try the activities – I do think the children will enjoy sharing with me about their lives back home, as they do miss their friends as well as their Dad.”

“I thought the toolkit was extremely well put together and had a good deal of choice to suit all ages. I particularly liked the clear concise instructions, which were easy for anyone to use and also the fact that there was an explanation as to what the purpose was of the activity and how it would benefit a child. I think it would give a person some direction and confidence to be able to offer support to a child. “

“These boxes will provide an enormous support to those who are supporting displaced families. Every family and every individual will have their own ‘story’ and their own context and it can be both bewildering and overwhelming to know where to begin supporting them. Every circumstance and experience of a family will be different; this box will provide a possible ‘way in’ to support dealing with that trauma. The help sheets / guides I believe will be invaluable in providing suggestions as to how different items in the box can be used as well as giving a context as to why they can support any trauma. Children who have suffered trauma, bereavement, separation and other events often don’t have the words to express what they are feeling or have seen, so the contents of this box could help provide a ‘bridge’ to allow healing to happen and communication channels to open.”