Youth coordinator encourages family conversations regarding recent news coverage
Cook County Youth Coordinator Rocio Rivas is encouraging parents and caregivers to talk with children about recent news events that have put Minnesota in the national spotlight.
Video of Renee Good’s shooting circulated on social media within hours of the incident, and additional footage surfaced in the days that followed. Some videos showed people being pulled from their vehicles, calling for help or bleeding during encounters with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. As the images spread online, Rivas said it can be difficult for parents to prevent children from seeing them.
“It’s out of adult control,” Rivas told WTIP. “Not all kids are open about what they are seeing.”
Rivas said children do not always express how the news is affecting them. Younger children may hide their emotions, which can later show up as behavioral changes. Teenagers, she said, may respond in more overt or harmful ways.
“If they don’t understand what is happening, they can absorb everything and then hold it and express it in a really negative way,” Rivas said. “I will say that [middle schoolers] are the most expressive ones, and they are the most open to talking about things.”
Many children are also still coping with the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, Rivas said. Disruptions to social connections and heightened stress within households during the pandemic continue to affect families.
As adults process their own stress amid an ongoing, often intense news cycle, Rivas emphasized the importance of vulnerability and intentionality with children.
“Open communication is the key. But as an adult, you need to make sure that your energy and you are in a good place,” Rivas said. “Before starting a conversation like this with your kids, we want to express to them that they are safe. Make them feel safe. If we are not in a grounded stage, we are not giving that energy to them.”
Helping children understand the news they are consuming is also important, Rivas said. That includes discussing different perspectives and encouraging children to think critically about the sources of the information they see.
Navigating children’s digital well-being is not a new challenge for families. Rivas spoke to WTIP last fall about how parents and guardians can help establish healthy relationships with digital devices.
As parents approach these conversations, Rivas stressed the importance of “kindness.”
“Be kind to yourself, and be kind to the youth and the kids,” Rivas said. “It’s all about being kind and really honest with how we are feeling and not being afraid to say that ‘I’m sad’ or ‘I’m angry,’ or any of the feelings. We are humans, we are allowed to have feelings.”
WTIP spoke with Rocio Rivas about engaging children during stressful times, helping them become more outgoing, and the extended Winter Scavenger Hunt in Cook County. The audio of that conversation is below.
Josh Hinke January 23, 2026
