Educational Resilience Following Natural Disasters

Educational Resilience Following Natural Disasters

Six teachers and school administrators from a region of Turkey that had been recently impacted by earthquakes came to the U.S. to learn more about systems, tools, and approaches to providing trauma-sensitive education and psychosocial support in post disaster environments. In addition to learning more about federal, state, and local government approaches and partnerships, they had a chance to visit two parts of the country that know firsthand the impact of natural disasters - Northern California and South Florida. They met with government officials, school administrators, academic researchers, psychologists and sociologists.

Project Objectives

• Examine systems, tools, and approaches to providing trauma-sensitive education in post-disaster environments
• Explore training and models of psychosocial support networks and resources for administrators, municipality officials, and NGO leaders to support student wellbeing
• Study strategies to increase and maintain student resilience and ensure medium and long-term transitions to a healthier school environment
• Observe collaborative approaches among education stakeholders for ensuring holistic student support

Project Impact

Participants from this project were able to leverage the partnerships and knowledge from their visit to the United States to work towards a more resilient society in the face of natural disasters. Trauma-sensitive education and the development of support networks are crucial to coping with difficulties in a region very prone to natural disasters.