Trauma-informed Peacebuilding

Who can register for this course?

The course will support peace workers in international or domestic peace projects, as well as people working in active conflict zones, to more deeply explore and understand individual, communal, and historical harms - such as ethnic violence, racism, gender-based violence, and colonialism - at the root of social division.

By cultivating our sensitivity to harm and incorporating trauma-healing approaches in our relationships and work, we are better equipped to transform interpersonal and intergroup relationships.

Depending on methods and topic of the training, we limit the number of available spaces to a manageable size (a maximum of 20 participants). Register early to reserve your place!

Content

Getting to know Trauma, through deeply exploring and understanding what trauma is and becoming aware of how trauma affects each of us.

Narratives and Cycles of Trauma, through understanding the power of individual and collective narratives and our chosen relationship to narratives and cycles of trauma.

Being Trauma Sensitive,Trauma Informed, and Trauma Specific, through understanding the core principles of trauma informed practices: safety, trustworthiness and transparency, peer support, collaboration and mutuality, empowerment, voice and choice, as well as cultural, historical and gender issues.

Do No Harm & Understanding Dignity, through understanding how we can act in a way that is responsible, respectful, and ethical.

Resilience and Self-Care, to bring those practices into our interactions with individuals and groups in conflict or post-conflict environments.

Objectives

The course is based on essential ethics: do no harm; uphold dignity; recognize our common humanity; and respect diversity and difference.

Participants will:

• Know about individual, collective and trans-generational trauma, and how it impacts the societies we live and work in.
• Understand the key terms of a trauma-informed approach and recognize patterns of common behaviour to traumatic events through case studies.
• Generate ideas, develop trauma-informed project plans, and receive practical feedback on how to integrate a trauma-informed approach in conflict analysis and project planning.
• Become aware of our personal and professional boundaries when dealing with trauma.

Key Concepts

• Defining and differentiating between individual, intergenerational, collective, historical, and racial trauma and their cumulative impact of individuals and groups.
• Understanding the relevance and importance of a trauma-informed approach in conflict analysis and project planning.
• Practicing a Duty of Care for the organizations promoting and supporting staff self-care and resilience as prevention of the burnout, primary and secondary trauma, as well as vicarious traumatisation.
• Understanding and deepening resilience and post-traumatic growth.
• Promoting cultural competence, as well as contextual awareness around trauma and healing in conflict transformation.

Methodology

This course utilizes a variety of methodologies:

• Facilitating reflection and discussion in small and large groups
• Presenting information, case study analysis, and a project planning practicum
• Self-paced learning, including reading assigned texts, listening to podcasts, watching videos, journaling, and inner mapping.

In the course, participants use a variety of tools, including a digital learning platform, a video conferencing tool, and an online whiteboard. Participants should therefore have a good internet connection (1 Mbit down/upload or better). A headset is highly recommended.

Workload

Deliverables:

• Inner mapping of personal and collective trauma
• Cross-ethnic and cross-cultural awareness reflection
• Development of a trauma-informed project plan
• Development of a self-care strategy
• Active engagement in class and in small-group sessions to facilitate group learning
• Completion of readings and self-paced learning prior to and in-between classes

After a successful participation, participants receive a certificate and become part of our alumni network.

Total expected weekly hours: 7 to 8 hours per week