AEN HAS DEVELOPED A POWERFUL FORMULA FOR ARTICULATING AND ACTIVATING THE INTERSECTION OF TRAUMA-INFORMED/ HEALINGCENTERED ENGAGEMENT AND ARTS EDUCATION.

This initiative is built upon the recognition that trauma is prevalent and that all trauma has only been exacerbated by our personal and global experiences of the past few years. Trauma is indeed a public health crisis, and the work of the past six years has mitigated the impacts of trauma experienced by a cross-domain community of arts educators, healthcare providers, and community workers. These arts-based training sessions have been a joyful and generative process for all involved. AEN, its partners, and the individual facilitators and participants are eager to continue and expand their work together.

The arts educators at the table believe trauma-informed care and healingcentered engagement are at the heart of what they have been doing, and healthcare providers see the tremendous benefits of adding arts to their environment and clinical practices. Neither group sees the work as an addition or add-on; it IS the work they do.

For the facilitators and participants, the experience was more than a curriculum and training sessions; it was about the people, the connections, and the relationships. The training sessions and the professional learning communities were vehicles to gather, listen, and learn.

All participants in this initiative look forward to sharing what they have learned, including the effective capacity-building strategies for supporting a community around this work and the creative activities that have helped to mitigate adversities and allowed healing and liberation to flourish.

“The majority of participants who responded to the post-program surveys said that “the arts are either a centerpiece of or are intentionally used in their trauma-informed curriculum”.

(Dr. Deborah E. Ward, Researcher)

“I’ve learned the importance of the healing process as a community activity. I will definitely use my music classes as a place where students can start the process.”

(Anonymous Participant Survey Response)

“The most impactful thing that I learned was that some of us who have experienced trauma have an inner strength that we may not even identify as strength. I feel that this is something I would like to intentionally address in everything I do from here forward.” (Anonymous Participant Survey Response)