Trauma Informed Leadership: The Way To Unlocking And Understanding Potentials.

 

Dear Diary, it’s been long since we last talked. A lot has happened, but few are worth mentioning. The big boys flexed and public schools took a couple of weeks off at the expense of the already disadvantaged learners - this and COVID 19’s disruption of classroom learning has caused an immense stress in these lots of learners, teachers and education stakeholders are still finding appropriate ways to deal with it.

“…As corruption is a problem to the police officer, an undercurrent a problem to the sailor – trauma is a problem to the social worker”

Pastor Ronald Wandera made this statement at the closure of the Advanced Trauma Competent Care Training at Brisk Hotel, Jinja facilitated by Julie Cooper, Elizabeth Ledama and Faith Mwankie of Trauma Free World Organized by Global Hands of Hope (GHOH). The contemporary ground is not fertile enough to welcome trauma victims, stigma follows one who admits to having undergone or is undergoing trauma like a spelled apparition and thus people suffer silently, becoming disruptive without knowing the real cause or who to talk to.

How about the young children who have no idea what trauma is, how to deal with it? It then becomes imperative for their immediate adults to be trauma informed such that out of such relationships, trauma and stress can be dealt the measure its due without hurting the relation or causing more to the already existing ones.  Like I learnt recently, brain development comes out of healthy relationship – Myself and several others from organizations that come in direct contact with children are privileged to have attended this impactfully empowering training that has altered our outlook at children and their behaviours which we occasionally are quick to dub ‘amiss’ without understanding the actual meaning behind it. Trauma has no voice, yet it is deafeningly strong. Now I am able to pour from my cup which is no longer empty; if all the leaders, teachers, etc would start pouring from filled cups to the immediate people they come in contact, imagine the ripple impacts it would cause – in productivity, healthy relationships, trusts, etc. Our world needs this healing.

Chrisis, Aggrey, Robinah, Fred and Rev. Godfrey

Here are some few insights why not only teachers, leaders, etc but everyone needs to be trauma informed;

1. Trauma competent leadership enables the understanding of people, recognize rationales and respond appropriately.
2. Trauma competent care is known to reverse the negative impacts of Adverse babyhood Experiences, a healing that our children desperately are in need of.
3. Puts emphasis on safety, wellbeing and permanency.
4. Since one billion children worldwide are exposed to trauma (according to CDC), it is highly likely that we have several in our locales and as such, trauma informed leaders, teachers and parents can help make schools and homes an empowering environment where traumatised children can be free and heal.
5. Children will only ask their caregivers the questions they feel they are permitted to ask – let’s build a new culture – connect with the children rather than disconnect. What children are afraid to ask from their caregivers or immediate adults, they’ll get from their peers.
6. Many adults burn down children’s self-esteem unknowingly by using negative words that sticks into memories only exacerbating fears.
7. Practice behaviour with the children to create a brain path (memory) –teach the behaviour you want to see.
8. 18/20 children have a sensory processing problem – you can’t discipline that. Understanding it will help one guide and respond to children appropriately.
9. To be responders to behaviours, not reactors. We don’t want to react to a behaviour, we ought to respond to the meaning behind the behaviour.
10. Use of safety script to enhance positive classroom rules and positive consequences
11. The story is a child’s, they shouldn’t be forced to tell it at any circumstance.
12. Our own wounds need tending before we tend to the wounds of others.

There are too many to go around, but these few can help jolt one into new practices. As humans, learning is infinite – so, we learn, unlearn and relearn.