Fear not the trauma story: A trauma-informed perspective to supporting war-affected refugees in schools and classrooms

By the end of 2019, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported over 80 million displaced persons worldwide: 50% being children and youth below the age of 18 (2020). Of those displaced persons, 20.4 million fall under UNHCR’s mandate, which protects individuals who have well-founded fears of being persecuted in their country of origin. UNHCR refugees are eligible for permanent resettlement. When resettled, children and youth are quickly transitioned into schools where educators and school communities have the potential to stabilize their lives, provide them with safe spaces, and offer them rich learning opportunities. Pre-service and in-service teacher professional development, however, does not adequately address the psychosocial and social-emotional needs of refugee newcomers who have experienced mass violence. Creating spaces that support students’ sense of safety and belongingness in the school and classroom will support mental health and well-being. When war-affected students feel safe and a sense of belonging in their schools and classrooms, they are more likely to voluntarily share details of their lived experiences during pre-, trans-, and post-migration. This chapter discusses an educator’s role when faced with a student’s trauma story.