Another State of the Union address is happening tomorrow (2.12.13). President Obama will be talking about many topics, including his proposal to curb gun violence.
While I don’t want to get too political on this blog, I do want to make my readers aware of a campaign from Save the Children.
Save the Children is the world’s leading independent organization for children. Their vision is a world in which every child attains the right to survival, protection, development and participation.
Though they endorse President Obama’s proposal to curb gun violence and expand mental health services, they believe the issue is extremely complex and that steps need to be taken to ensure the well-being and safety of all children. As they state on their website, “every child deserves a happy and safe childhood. But for too many, including the 20 young lives lost in Newtown, CT, that isn’t a reality.”
Save the Children believes that we need a national conversation to find “bold, new ideas” to address the violence, poverty and other threats that are affecting childhood in the US. To do this, they are proposing a National Commission on Children and are aiming to send a signed call for action to the White House prior to the President’s State of the Union address on February 12th. The petition was launched with other organizations, including Children’s Health Fund, Every Child Matters, First Focus, Harlem Children’s Zone and Share Our Strength.
Here is what the petition states:
On behalf of America’s children, we call on President Obama and Congress to establish a new National Commission on Children to:
- Create a national policy on children;
- Set goals for protecting children’s well-being, including reducing poverty and violence; and
- Monitor progress on stated goals.
Kids are growing up in a different world – it’s time for bold, new ideas. We can safeguard our children from violence at home and in school. We can ensure that all kids, especially those living in poverty, reach their full potential. We can do more.
If we can, we must.
What can you do to help? Here are some simple action steps:
- Sign the petition online or Text KIDS to 69866
- Tell your friends, family members and colleagues
Will you sign the petition today?
I wrote this post as part of the Global Team of 200, a highly specialized group of Mom Bloggers for Social Good members who focus on maternal health, children, hunger, and women and girls.
Alexa says
February 11, 2013 at 1:23 pmOn my way to sign the petition now!
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anotherjennifer says
February 11, 2013 at 1:25 pmThanks, Alexa!
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Alexa says
February 11, 2013 at 1:25 pmSigned it, tweeted, shared via FB!
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anotherjennifer says
February 11, 2013 at 1:26 pmWoohoo! You rock.
Alexa says
February 11, 2013 at 3:25 pmYou too! This is a topic I feel very strongly about. Very strongly. Having worked in law enforcement and seen some of the things that have happened to children (and women) … well, it’s just astonishing. And, I was held up at gun point at my bus stop when I was 12. And a friend of my sister’s accidentally shot and killed himself when he was 13… so, yes, there are many ways we can do better to protect our children, and it’s time we stop letting money and power do the talking and letting common sense prevail.
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anotherjennifer says
February 12, 2013 at 11:09 amWow. I can’t believe you were held up at gun point at your bus stop! There are so many stories out there. We’re clearly not taking the right steps to safeguard kids. I keep thinking of the kids who live in violent neighborhoods where no one is doing anything about it and we never hear their tragic stories (or their success stories, for that matter). I hope we can address these issues without all the political b.s.
Thomas O'Connor says
February 12, 2013 at 8:40 amIt was the people who pushed the law into place disarming the honest people in schools that made the massacres at New Town and Columbine possible. They are responsible for the deaths of a lot of children. If you support obama’s gun control lunacy you will have to take some responsibility for the next bunch of kids murdered by a madman who finds someone else disarmed who is supposed to be protecting children. If you really care about finding “bold new ideas” to help children then try the bold new idea of pushing a repeal of the stupid law that makes mass murder possible– the law banning guns in schools. That law didn’t exist when I went to school in the 40s, 50s, and 60s and we didn’t worry about massacres in school. The gun massacres started 2 years after the assault weapons ban and after the law banning guns in schools. America’s public schools are not safe because of the spread of liberalism and it’s phobias about guns.
anotherjennifer says
February 12, 2013 at 11:03 amThis is certainly an emotional topic. I think what Save the Children and the other organizations are saying is that we need to have a deeper conversation about the safety of our children. It goes beyond gun laws (that are not working). We need to talk about why so many live in poverty. The effects (and the stigma) of mental illness and lack of services. I don’t know if we can do it, but I think we need to make it less political and more focused on identifying problems and coming up with solutions.
jen says
February 12, 2013 at 10:03 amYou know you could count on me, just signed too!
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anotherjennifer says
February 12, 2013 at 11:04 amThanks, Jen!
Cyndi says
February 12, 2013 at 10:07 amIndeed. We need to address this issue because all the children in our country are our future and if a country can’t take care of its own, where does its future lie? Love this! Texted my petition. 🙂
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anotherjennifer says
February 12, 2013 at 11:06 amThanks, Cyndi! I hate the thought of not taking care of our children. It goes beyond guns too. It saddens me that there are so many living in poverty.
Chris Carter says
February 12, 2013 at 12:53 pmGoing to go sign it now! Thanks for this post and as always raising awareness for issues that are so so critical! 🙂
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anotherjennifer says
February 12, 2013 at 1:05 pmThanks for reading and signing, Chris!
Michelle says
February 12, 2013 at 1:01 pmSigned.
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anotherjennifer says
February 12, 2013 at 1:14 pmThanks, Michelle!
ilene says
February 12, 2013 at 9:21 pmThank you as always for sharing such great and important information! We need to keep this conversation alive!
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anotherjennifer says
February 12, 2013 at 9:53 pmWe do, Ilene. There’s a lot we need to talk about when it comes to our kids.
Bev says
February 13, 2013 at 7:18 amThanks for sharing this, Jennifer. I always see people near where I live promoting Save the Children, and I never knew exactly what their mission was. I went to graduate school for elementary guidance counseling, and so much of what i learned that year really saddened me. As you said, this is a very complex issue that we need to be looking into more deeply if we want to get to the root of why things like what happened at Sandy Hook are happening. I just signed the petition…thanks for sharing.
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anotherjennifer says
February 13, 2013 at 8:22 pmThanks for signing, Bev. I’ve learned more about Save the Children through my work with the Global Team of 200. They are doing great things and need advocates like us.
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