Trauma Informed Training Program

Trauma Informed Training Program Refugee Education Program 2017 Gary Audas Jr., MEd, MPA Executive Director

Executive Summary Refugee Education Program: Trauma-Informed Training Program Currently, the world suffers the most severe refugee crisis since the Second World War. Sadly, it is likely to intensify. Research shows that in such situations as witnessed in Syria, less than 2% of the refugees will self-repatriate. Millions will remain homeless and stateless for years, if not for the remainder of their lives. At the heart of this human suffering, children bear the burdens of exploitation, hunger, violence, and loss of family. One critical need among many is sufficient education to give such children hope of building productive lives and restarting families. On the twin pillars of decent work and healing communities rests the hopes that whole generations will not be lost and that cycles of violence will not perpetuate.

To assist with this need, Educational Outcomes is creating and disseminating a program of trauma-centered education preparation. Teachers, aid workers, and volunteers need the right tools if they hope to begin a healing and educational process for the many who have lost so much. All humans, especially children, learn through complex environments combining economic, emotional, mental, and physical components. Children recently exposed to violence and personal loss cannot start to grow intellectually without first experiencing a basic security in all these categories. Trauma-centered education techniques equip the helpers to create safespaces, learn cross-cultural nuance, identify deep emotional injuries, and manage strong emotion and conflict, among other critical skills necessary in a refugee classroom.

The specific program of Educational Outcomes will deliver training modules and educational materials directly to on-site or near-site aid workers dealing with at-risk children.

Organizations will be able to stage concise, up-to-date, professionally prepared learning experiences to inform their workers of best practices in this field. Topics covered in EO

materials include: identification of trauma-inducing circumstances; identification of mental/emotional trauma signs in students; techniques for communication with traumaaffected students; techniques for creation of trauma-sensitive classrooms; references to additional professional research to assist in specifying education programs in particular settings.

Educational Outcomes is an American 501c3 charitable organization working regionally in its home base of Texas as well as internationally to enhance access to education and training for persons seeking to break through the weight of social or personal crisis.

Sincerely Dr. Kenneth Hendrickson Board of Directors Educational Outcomes

Advisory Board  Kimberly Wong, MSW, LMSW Principal Advisor  Sarah K. Howell, LMSW Las Americas Middle School (Houston ISD) Social Worker  Tina Webb Refugee-centric ESL Program/Curriculum  Burcu Ates, Ph.D. Sam Houston State University Assistant Professor of ESL/Bilingual Education Academic Advisor and Program Coordinator for M.Ed. in TESOL program Language, Literacy and Special Populations

 Kenneth Hendrickson, Ph.D. (History) Sam Houston State University Dean of Graduate Studies

Trauma Informed Training Modules Table of Contents 1) Introduction

a) Educational Outcomes b) Learning Goals 2)Cultural Sensitivity 3)What is Trauma?

4)Refugees Children and Trauma. How Does it affect them?

5) Defining Trauma’s Effects on Learning. a) Impact of Trauma on Ability to Learn. b) Trauma Triggers c) Trauma Responses (Children’s Behaviors). What to Look For. i) Internal/External Behaviors 6)Learning Environments. How Can Children Learn Best? a)Creating a Safe Classroom b)Preventive Measures c) De-escalation of Trauma Responses 7) Secondary Trauma Stress, Compassion, Fatigue, and Self-Care. a)What is Secondary Trauma Stress? b)How to Recognize if you are Experiencing Second Hand c)

trauma or Compassion Fatigue.

How to Implement Self-care.