Helping Children, Youth, and Families Recover and Rebuild
Disasters can disrupt every aspect of a family’s life, especially for children and youth. Drawing on lessons learned supporting local families through the Camp Fire and other disasters, Boys & Girls Clubs of the North Valley partnered with Board Member Dr. Lindsey Nenadal and California State University, Chico to develop practical resources that help communities support children, youth, and families through crisis and recovery. Whether you’re a parent, educator, youth-serving professional, or community leader, these tools are designed to provide guidance, strengthen resilience, and help communities navigate the path forward.
Playbook to Support Children
10 Ways to Support Children
4 Cornerstones of Relief
Following the 2020 North Complex Fire, a conversation during a Boys & Girls Clubs of the North Valley Paradise Board meeting sparked an important idea. After witnessing the impact of the Camp Fire and other local disasters, CEO Rashell Brobst envisioned creating a playbook that captured the lessons learned supporting children, youth, and families through crisis. That idea was championed by Dr. Lindsey Nenadal, a Paradise native, BGCNV Board Member, and California State University, Chico professor, who led the effort to bring it to life.
Children experience disasters differently than adults. Maintaining routines, trusted relationships, and access to safe spaces can play a critical role in helping young people cope, recover, and regain a sense of stability after a crisis. Drawing on two years of research, interviews, and collaboration with community partners, this comprehensive resource was developed to support those working with children, youth, and families before, during, and after disasters.
The playbook begins with immediate response strategies, including how to organize teams, coordinate resources, support families from day one, assign emergency roles, communicate critical information, and collaborate with community partners. It then expands into long-term recovery efforts, media outreach, family communication strategies, and resources that proved essential during our community’s recovery. Space for notes and reflections allows users to adapt the guidance to their own community’s unique needs.
The lessons shared in these resources were not developed from theory alone. They were shaped by real experiences supporting thousands of children, families, and community members through some of the most challenging moments in our region’s history.