Who remembers the TV public service announcement growing up? “This is a test of emergency broadcast system. This is only test”. A long, annoying sound and then… “if this had been a real emergency you would have been given information and instructions”. I always wondered as a child what a real emergency was and what the test would be preparing us for. I didn’t know that the system was tied to what was perceived as the largest global threat in the 60s, 70s, early 80s — Nuclear War. Thankfully, nuclear war didn’t happen. The real emergency never surfaced, and we weren’t given instructions to head to the nearest bomb shelter (wherever that might have been).

What we know and live as Be Strong Families is that we live in an abundant and deeply kind universe. We know that when challenges arise, they are tests and opportunities to live our values: family, love, liberation, vitality, authenticity, excellence, collaboration, and spirit. So, in the midst of this pandemic, we came together as a team with creativity and dedication, asking: How can we assist?

True white allies are more than willing to extend the conversation about black history beyond a designated month. They engage at a deep level that requires time and understanding of the tragedies and triumphs, the trauma and resilience, and the ingenuity and genius of people who have continuously been reduced to the “other”. The thorough investigation of black history leads to a more powerful, historically-informed lens of equity to understand present dynamics of structural racism, generational poverty, and educational/health disparities.

“Equity" has become a hot topic in organizational spaces. But how deep does that commitment actually go? This reflection on the origins of Black History Month and the ongoing marginalization of African American history is a challenge to white allies to go further than February and further than comfortable.

Robyn Harvey has hosted exchange students from six countries, adopted two Latino sons, and spent years thinking carefully about what it means to honor cultures that aren't her own. Cultural appreciation (rather than cultural appropriation) requires continuous learning, humility, and the willingness to ask uncomfortable questions. Robyn asked them, and what her colleagues told her changed how her family spent Black History Month.

Most adolescent development charts were written with a narrow lens. BSF's new version expands that lens deliberately by dropping binary gender language, challenging the myth that teens must separate from family to grow up, and naming the awakening to structural inequality as a normal part of adolescence. A draft open for community feedback.

In 2019, BSF trained 1,500 people across 25 states, collected feedback from nearly 2,500 Café participants, and welcomed new Certified Training Partners. A look back at a landmark year for the Parent Café movement.

Suicide attempts are declining among teens of every ethnic group — except African American youth, where rates are rising. A sobering look at the risk factors, the cultural barriers to care, and the concrete things parents can do to protect their kids, grounded in the Strengthening Families Protective Factors.

Instead of another round of New Year's resolutions destined to fail by February, here’s a case for something more sustainable — a daily practice of simple gratitude that research shows actually improves your health, relationships, and well-being.