We Stand Together What happened There has been

#We. Stand. Together

What happened? There has been an attack at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester (22/05/17). An explosion went off just after 10: 30 pm on Monday night as people were leaving the Manchester Arena. Twenty-two people have lost their lives and more than 50 people have been injured. Ian Hopkins, the chief constable of Greater Manchester Police, says the person who carried out the attack died at the scene.

What help has been given to the people who were attacked? Lots of people were given help very quickly with emergency services rushing to the area. Nearby hotels were opening up rooms for people and a help centre has been set up by the police for anyone who was lost or injured. Taxi drivers came out to work for free, to give people a lift home. People even donated blood. Greater Manchester Police thanked the emergency services and all the people who helped others.

What have people said? The Prime Minister says her thoughts are with the victims and their families. Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said the city would "pull together". Other stars have been reacting too, Taylor Swift wrote: "My thoughts, prayers and tears for all those affected by the Manchester tragedy tonight. I'm sending my love. " And Harry Styles said "I'm heartbroken over what happened in Manchester. Sending love to everyone involved. "

Following the attack hundreds of people used twitter to offer spare beds and rooms in the city for people stranded in Manchester. The #roomsformanchester was used to spread the message and was re-tweeted thousands of times. Key Questions: Why are hundreds of people offering rooms to stay in? When people offer rooms, are they saying "Men only" or "Christians only" or "Able bodied people only" or "Straight people only"? Why not? What does this show about people in Manchester? What can we learn from the people offering rooms?

What should you do if you're upset? The most important thing to remember is that it's perfectly fine to feel upset. Talk to someone you trust like a parent or a teacher.

So many questions… Why would anyone hurt others? Why do people blame religion, it has got nothing to do with extremism? Why do people try and divide us? Why would you kill innocent people? How do we unite as a country after such an event? I wonder how the families of the deceased are feeling? Why is there evil and suffering in the world? Will they attack again?

Reflective writing task Explore your feelings and thoughts through reflective writing. Questions to help explore initial feelings: Feelings could be explored by asking the class the following questions: How do we feel about what has happened? Are these feelings appropriate – is it ‘okay’ to feel like this? Do we need to ‘put on hold’ or challenge any of our immediate feelings? For example, feeling empathy for any casualties and their families or anger about the actions or behaviour of the perpetrators may be entirely appropriate. We may feel the impulse to blame someone; the following questions can help explore this: Are these events causing us (or encouraging us) to feel differently about a group of people or community? Are we in danger of ‘generalising’ the actions of a few to a larger group or community? Is there any actual connection between what has happened and these communities and if there is, is it meaningful? Possible questions: What is humanity? What are our values? Why should we unite?

Stay calm and don’t worry Some stories reported in the news can make you feel sad - but you are not the only one and it's OK to have those feelings. Upsetting events often make the news because they don't happen very often. Tips if you're worried You can rely on news to tell you the important facts about a story - but some things you hear might be a bit scary or make you feel worried. Remember that worrying stories are often in the news because they are rare - they don't happen very often. It is incredibly unlikely that what you're reading about or watching might happen near you. Discuss the stories with your parents or friends. You'll feel better that you're not the only one worried. You could also talk to your teacher about it - maybe you could have a class discussion which would help you understand the issue better.

Useful links for discussion with children and young people https: //www. theguardian. com/lifeandstyle/2015/jan/13/how-do-i-talk-to-childrenabout-distressing-news-stories? CMP=twt_gu http: //equalitiesprimary. blogspot. co. uk/2017/05/response-to-manchester-attack. html https: //www. pshe-association. org. uk/news/supporting-pupils-after-yesterdays-terrorist -0