How can you support military families?

How can you support military families?

By Rose Allen and Sara Croymans, University of Minnesota Extension Service

ST. PAUL, Minn. (1/22/2007) -- Did you know that half of the soldiers serving in Iraq today are part of the National Guard or Army Reserve? These men and women have families, jobs and other roles in their communities.

In Minnesota, it is estimated that we have about 5,000 soldiers who have been mobilized to serve in a number of conflicts around the world. Mobilization takes them away from family and community for anywhere from two months to two years.

The recent announcement by President Bush to increase military presence in Iraq will add an additional four months to the time many Minnesota soldiers are away from home. What does this mean for their families and the community?

A new website and learning circle lesson are now available that explain the process of deployment and becoming a "suddenly military" family. The lesson also provides a way for community members to have a conversation about how they can support the family members of service people who have been deployed.

The learning circle lesson includes a leader's guide, participant handouts and several narrated presentations that can viewed on a computer. To access a free copy of the lesson, visit the University of Minnesota Extension Service parenting website, http://www.parenting.umn.edu, and click on "Supporting Military Families in Minnesota."

The lesson was developed by Extension educators Rose Allen and Sara Croymans, with the support of Minnesota's Operation Military Kids Team.

Operation Military Kids is a national outreach effort that delivers recreation, social and educational programs for military youth living in civilian communities.

-------
Any use of this article must include the byline or following credit line:
Rose Allen is an educator in family relations and Sara Croymans is an educator in family resource management with the University of Minnesota Extension Service.

Media Contact: Julie Christensen, U of M Extension Service, (612) 626-4077, reuve007@umn.edu

NOTE: News releases were current as of the date of issue. If you have a question on older releases, use the news release search (upper left-hand column of the News main page) or the main Extension search (upper right of this page) to locate more recent information.

Agriculture \ Community \ Environment \ Family \ Garden \ Youth
Home \ Search \ Product Catalog \ News \ Workshops \ Online Shopping
About Extension \ Extension Offices

URL: http:// www.extension.umn.edu/extensionnews/2005/militaryfamilies.html This page was updated Jan. 22, 2007 .
Online Privacy Statement. Contact Information.