Education focused on Overcoming Trauma strengthens the ability to overcome and resilience of children, young people and adults to face the challenges inherent in humanitarian crises and emergency situations.
This was the topic addressed by the team from Fraternity – International Humanitarian Missions (FIHM) in the training held at the Jean Piaget University in Angola, on November 22nd and 23rd, for young people who are finishing their Psychology course.
During the two days of the meeting, they were able to deepen their understanding of trauma and its impact on the development of children, adolescents and adults, as well as work on the concerns and challenges of entering professional life.
“We use some practical tools based on art-education, such as expressions that help beings to reconnect with themselves and incorporate this experienced situation into their biography and move forward in their processes, in their life journey, stronger than they were before”, reports Fraternity’s – Humanitarian Missions (FIHM) Emergency Education Manager, Anderson Santiago.
For the Psychology student Noemia, the course went beyond theoretical teachings, “practical teachings were also passed on to deal with oneself, to be able to look much more at “my self” and allow myself to make mistakes, as well as allow me to develop in other areas of life.”
The coordinator of GAIE (Integral Student Support Office), Dr. Mauro Matias Bladjack, clarified the importance of the training for the group and reinforced the intention to continue the project, both in terms of training and in the perspective of setting up working groups to meet needs with other organizations in Angola, such as Obra de Caridade da Criança Santa Isabel (OCSI).
Overcoming challenges
The world is facing an unprecedented number of humanitarian emergencies stemming from armed conflicts, natural disasters and socio-economic crises. The number of refugees and internally displaced people is the highest since the end of World War II. This reality of extreme adversities triggers suffering and mourning for tens of millions of people who now need assistance in the area of mental health and psychosocial support.
In these contexts, Education aimed at Overcoming Trauma uses art-education tools that contribute to activating and strengthening coping strategies and the self-healing power of children, young people and adults, and supporting them in the process of their experiences and in the prevention of trauma-related disorders, as well as contributing to the internal empowerment of volunteers and professionals working in humanitarian responses.
In this sense, Noemia points out that the teachings passed on in the training helped her to understand that “human beings are a universe. And so I was able to have a holistic view of both the patients and the problems I might face. And so I was able to realize to what extent I can help those who suffer from a trauma.”
