Healing Centered Engagement for the Educational Ecosystem

Model and Strategy

The purpose of our project is to train teachers, students and caregivers with social emotional learning tools that addresses trauma, and stress resulting from the pandemic. It is well researched that stress and trauma are barriers to student mental health and academic success. Additionally, teachers and caregivers now recognize that trauma and stress negatively, impacts their own mental health and is a barrier to effective teaching and parenting. This is particularly the case for Black and Latinx students, who often experience greater levels of trauma, stress and anxiety than their White counterparts. While teachers recognize that trauma negatively impacts their students and is a barrier to effective teaching, they often do not have the tools that allow them to support students impacted by trauma. Similarly, caregivers don’t have the tools they need to support their student’s emotional health. Healing Centered Engagement is a culturally based and equity-based social emotional learning approach that supports teachers, students and their caregivers with culturally grounded tools that addresses trauma, enhances well-being, and creates healthy conditions for academic achievement.

Impact

Provide an in-depth understanding of the Healing Centered Engagement (HCE) model and its relevance for teachers, students and caregivers. Measured by: self-assessment about how teachers, students and caregivers understand the Healing Centered Engagement approach.

Increase capacity and opportunities for teachers, students and caregivers to foster wellness and healing in their personal and professional development. Measured by: pre-post assessments about wellness and HCE strategies that are integrated into daily personal and professional practices

Build teachers’ capacity to address personal and vicarious trauma that they may experience on the job and learn strategies to support students and their families. Measured by pre-post assessments focused on participants’ past traumatic experiences, trauma’s impact on personal and professional practices and how to utilize learned lessons of personal trauma to create Healing Centered Engagement strategies and safe spaces for trauma-impacted students.

Flourish Agenda