Resilience: Living Like a Camel From the DirectorHave you ever been in a sand storm? Consider the camel, well equipped. In a recent STAR training in Nairobi (February 2017), Somali Kenyan participant Maryam Sheikh Abdikadir contributed a brilliant metaphor for resilience: the camel! The camel is built to survive arid conditions – extreme heat or extreme cold. It can survive for months without eating or drinking. Camels typically live in a herd. A camel converts the fat stored in its hump(s) to water when unable to hydrate. When it can drink, a camel hydrates faster than any other mammal. Camels have a third, clear eyelid that allows them to see despite blowing sand; their long eyelashes and eyebrows also protect their vision. They can also shut their nostrils during sandstorms; their ears are also well protected (from sand and dirt) with thick hair and can turn in different directions to avoid the wind. Their soft lips and tough mouth lining enable them to maneuver around thorns to get nourishment even when food is scarce. Unlike a variety of other metaphors that had been offered, that involved hardness and endurance only, the camel stood out. Note the possibility to use softness (of lips) and toughness (of mouth lining) in order to extract nourishment amidst scarcity. How remarkable, the ability to see even amidst a sandstorm; to have mechanisms for keeping the sand from entering nose and ears and eyes. Extraordinary, the capacity to store one’s own nourishment for lengths of time and also, when nourishment is available, to integrate it (hydration) swiftly. How relevant: the seeking of safety and connection in the herd, the capacity to manage extremes. Hope you are thriving, through it all.
From a STAR PractitionerHeather Peters: Trauma AuditHave you ever wondered how your organization is engaging (or not engaging) trauma and resilience? Have you ever considered how your organization could coordinate your trauma awareness efforts across departments and programs? That’s what Heather Peters ventured to discover while conducting a trauma audit for Mennonite Center Committee (MCC) Canada in November 2015 through April 2016. Explaining the process, Peters states, “The audit consisted of an online organizational self-assessment survey, interviews with program staff and a review of relevant policies and documents. We used a ‘trauma-informed’ lens to conduct the audit, which in part, means we used the principles of safety, trust, choice, collaboration, and empowerment to guide the audit.” What might lead an organization like MCC to do such an audit? Peters notes that MCC Canada knows that most of its programs involve people who have experienced trauma. In MCC Canada’s strategic planning process, “trauma awareness was named as one of their priorities and adopted as a ‘shared strategy’ throughout the organization.” Peters suggests that her work “provided MCC with a baseline of trauma understanding within the organization.” When asked about the audit’s biggest challenge, Peters explains that “MCC Canada is a large organization that spans six regions and six types of programs….It was a challenge to navigate the needs of an organization that provides services that are both specific in nature, and broad enough to be supported by a larger network.” Peters is a STAR practitioner and is beginning the path to become a certified STAR trainer. “My experience and knowledge from STAR frames all of the trauma work I do. It has been a valuable resource in my work. Specifically, the STAR integrated framework that provides a space to talk about trauma through the lens of conflict transformation, restorative justice, human security, and/or meaning-making was very relevant in connecting with MCC’s different programs.” Peters adds that when she inquired about trauma-related training, many people noted having participated in STAR’s many educational opportunities. After all the work to collect information across MCC Canada’s different programs and staff, Peters wrote a 60 page report. She noted the themes she discovered in the audit as well as “an inventory list of trauma-informed practices found in the organization, and a list of trauma-informed tools.” Based on the data collected and her knowledge of trauma, she made 16 recommendations to MCC Canada. Many of the recommendations involved greater coordination and a more cohesive trauma-awareness approach across programs, projects, and geographic regions. Upcoming EventsSTAR I at SPI in Harrisonburg, VA: More Space Now Available!Due to overwhelming demand, we have added a second session of STAR I to the Summer Peacebuilding Institute (SPI) in Harrisonburg, VA! Join us at SPI May 29 to June 2, 2017! Vernon Jantzi and Elizabeth Snyder will teach one class and Elaine Zook Barge and Ram Bhagat will teach the other class. We hope to see you there!
Building Resilience in Body, Mind and SpiritIf you’ve already taken STAR Levels I and II (or even if you haven’t), consider joining us at SPI for a new course called Building Resilience in Body, Mind and Spirit; a new offering that builds on the learning from STAR, engaging in embodied, expressive-arts based practices!
STAR II at EMU in Harrisonburg, VAHave you taken STAR Level I and are looking to go deeper? Are you hoping to apply your STAR knowledge to a particular context or project? Join us for STAR II at EMU in Harrisonburg, VA, November 13-17, 2017.
News WorthySTAR in Nairobi, KenyaKatie Mansfield, STAR Director, traveled to Nairobi, Kenya to engage student from CJP's Women's Peacebuilding Leadership Program (WPLP) in a STAR Level I training. Colleagues from other regional partners joined the training! STAR in Beruit, Lebanon with Mennonite Central CommitteeElaine Zook Barge, Lead STAR Trainer, collaborated with Beth Good from Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) to train MCC partners from Syria, Lebanon and Egypt. Participants and trainers gathered in Beruit, Lebanon for a week of learning and growing together! STAR in Lancaster, PennsylvaniaVernon Jantzi, STAR Trainer, and Najla Mangoush, STAR mentored trainer, traveled to Lancaster, PA for a STAR I training at the EMU Lancaster campus. STAR held two additional STAR I trainings at the EMU Harrisonburg campus, led by Elaine Zook Barge. STAR has been busy! STAR with High School StudentsKatie Mansfield facilitated a one day training for Harrisonburg High School students in the peer leaders program. Read more about it here! In April, Elaine Zook Barge spent two Saturdays with leaders from the local refugee community. STAR Travels: Booking Training Opportunities NowDo you work with an organization that would benefit from STAR training and trauma-awareness? We are currently scheduling contracted STAR trainings with organizations! If your organization is interested, you can fill out a request here.
Resources
www.emu.edu/star | 540.432.4651 | 1200 Park Road Harrisonburg, VA, USA STAR is a program of the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding at Eastern Mennonite University. |