CLAY COUNTY, Fla. – We all know growing up can be tough. For the children of military families, many of the same struggles are harder to cope with-especially with the reality of military life, such as deployment or having to move every few years.
Some local students are getting help from someone who has been there before.
Trevor Romain is a performance artist and author who aims to make a difference for kids and help them through whatever struggle they're facing. He's traveled all over the world and spoken to hundreds of thousands of children. He also served in the military, so he has a special sense of what it's like for kids living the military life. He's will be visiting Oakleaf Village Elementary School on Friday, September 29.
"Growing up is hard enough. But throw into the mix, parents being deployed, parents being trained, moving. A lot of people don't realize just how traumatic moving is," said Romain.
As one half of the "Comfort Crew for Military Kids", Romain is able to show students at Tynes Elementary students that they have support.
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Through his animated series, Jack and Skye, Romain is giving these children the confidence to overcome issues like bullying, trouble learning, and deployment.
Sydney is a third-grader who understands this well. Her mom is in Japan for her second deployment. With Romain's lessons, Sydney knows she's far from being alone.
"It feels pretty good to know that I have friends who can support me.They can say 'it's alright. I have people in my family who are gone too'," said Sydney.
Romain is also teaching these children to have empathy, and to make a difference through kindness.
One example was witnessed right after a little girl spoke up and shared that her own family member was deployed. Another student next to her knew exactly how to comfort her.
"She just leaned over and put her arm around her and both of them just smiled. I thought, 'yes!' that's the whole point of this. How do we get them to take care of each other?" said Romain.
He has 5 "secrets" to help kids overcome whatever issues they're facing--military or not.
Romain is scheduled to be at Oakleaf Village Elementary School Friday morning, and then at Coppergate Elementary. He also has an interactive website you can visit by clicking here.
