{"id":182158,"date":"2023-08-22T14:05:26","date_gmt":"2023-08-23T00:05:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=182158"},"modified":"2023-09-22T09:57:02","modified_gmt":"2023-09-22T19:57:02","slug":"maui-short-story-keiki-trauma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2023\/08\/22\/maui-short-story-keiki-trauma\/","title":{"rendered":"Short story helps keiki deal with trauma from fires"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>

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The images of devastation and the anguish of survivors of the tragic and deadly wildfire that consumed Lahaina are difficult for everyone in Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> to process. It can be even tougher for children, who are developing social and emotional skills.<\/p>\n

\"Liz
Liz Hartline<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Within a day of the tragic Lahaina fires, Honolulu Community College<\/a> early childhood assistant professor Elizabeth “Liz” Hartline created There was a fire: A story for young children on Maui<\/em>. It was written for children ages 3–8 who have been affected by the Maui fires, and was first distributed on Maui through Early Childhood Education faculty at UH<\/abbr> Maui College<\/a> on August 10.<\/p>\n

“My hope is that this tool gives families a way to talk to their children about the fire,” Hartline said. “Everyone needs a story, and finding a story that describes your experience is a first step when we\u2019ve gone through trauma to start healing.”<\/p>\n

Hartline, who is also the director of the Alani Children\u2019s Center<\/a> at Kapiʻolani<\/span> CC<\/abbr><\/a>, has extensive experience creating “social stories” to support young children and their families with transitions, traumas and major life events.<\/p>\n

There was a fire: A story for young children on Maui<\/em> acknowledges that after an event such as the Maui fires, it is normal to feel sad, scared or worried. It suggests some things to do when children feel that way, such as:<\/p>\n