Introduction to Trauma Awareness and Resilience: Including a supplemental leaders’ workshop and staff support session

The training exercises in this manual are the culmination of a 2-year process that involved many people from within and outside of South Sudan. It began in 2015 with several facilitator trainings that were rolled out in Duk County (Jonglei State) over the following year as part of the Jonglei Food Security Program (JFSP). In early 2017, representatives from Catholic Relief Services’ (CRS) Africa Justice and Peace Working Group conducted an impact assessment in Duk County. Virtually all participants they interviewed from the initial workshops spoke of positive changes resulting from their training experience. As concrete examples, they cited personal growth and enhanced interethnic communication, cooperation and dispute resolution within their community. Following additional input and revisions, CRS’ South Sudan leadership decided that this training should be integrated into all programs countrywide, thus reflecting CRS’ core commitment to integrating peacebuilding and social cohesion with livelihoods and recovery, and other sector programming wherever possible. 

This training consists of three parts:

• The Main Workshop: Introduction to Trauma Awareness and Resilience, intended for groups of adults, and lasting a full day. If preferred, however, Sessions 6 and 7 may be held on another day.
• A Supplemental Leaders’ Workshop: Strengthening Leadership Skills, intended to be more selective in who attends, and lasting an additional half-day. Participants in this workshop should have completed the Main Workshop first.
• A 2-hour Supplemental “My Tree of Life” Staff Support Session. This can be conducted separately from the two workshops.