Questions to ask yourself

As you are preparing yourself or your organization to respond to a local, regional, or global crisis, here are five actionable questions to do to get you started:

• Where is your target audience collectively engaging during the crisis?
  -> Hint: Be sure to consider digital spaces!
• Who is experiencing the worst of the crisis and how can you target your response to meet their needs?
  -> Hint: It is often the people you don’t see who are hurting the most!
• Who are your allies in this work during this crisis, who should be delivering this online CSE, and how can you collectively support each other?
  -> Hint: For certain groups who are most vulnerable and/or marginalized, it might be better if you don’t try to insert yourself into their homes via the internet. Instead, consider supporting other professionals and community leaders in reaching them.
• What new and potentially surprising resources can you find and use at this time?
  -> Hint: They may be things that you weren’t willing to consider as resources before the crisis!
• When can you project that the crisis may end and clean-up may begin?
  -> Hint: If it’s entirely unclear when the crisis will end, that is painful and critical to acknowledge!
• How will your organization stay connected during a crisis?
  -> Hint: Consider situations in which each of your standard communication tools, including in person connections, are cut off!