Pallassos Sense Fronteres and the UAB work together to reduce post-traumatic stress in refugee children
Pallassos Sense Fronteres and the Trauma, Crisis and Conflict Unit (UTCCB) at the Faculty of Psychology of the UAB have come together to offer activities which reduce post-traumatic stress in refugee children in the Middle East suffering from the consequences of the wars in Syria and Iraq.
The Catalan association Pallassos Sense Fronteres (Clowns Without Borders) and the UTCCB of the UAB Faculty of Psychology have come together to work on actions aimed at reducing post-traumatic stress in refugee children affected by wars. The first project which will carried out together will be in the Middle East with children who have suffered and continue to suffer the consequences of the wars in Syria and Iraq. The intention however is to work jointly wherever possible.
Throughout Pallassos Sense Fronteres' history there has been a strive to make as strong an impact as possible and help their audience benefit the maximum from the happiness and joy their actions bring. That is why in 2008, with the support of the Humanitarian Action sector of the Catalan Agency for Development and Cooperation (Government of Catalonia), Pallassos Sense Fronteres began a parallel external assessment process, which completed a first methodological phase and a second immediate impact phase based on the interaction of positive emotions in resilience processes in children. The economic and social crisis which began that same year halted all activities and now the organisation has the possibility of continuing with the help of the UTCCB and the Fundació Nous Cims, a Catalonia-based foundation offering support and also fostering social projects with the capacity of producing transformations in society.
Project Objectives and Methodology
In the framework of this project and with the aim of helping Pallassos Sense Fronteres improve the impact of their actions, the UTCCB will conduct rigorous assessments of their actions by using precise methodologies and at the same time establish a link between the actions and Teaching Recovery Techniques (TRT), a method which can be applied to people affected by all types of traumas: wars, natural disasters, instability when living as a refugee, etc. These techniques aim to offer children strategies with which to identify their reactions and help control them in order to improve their emotional states.
These practices will be included in a manual which can be later used by teachers, nurses or even family members in charge of or working with children and adolescents affected by wars or catastrophes. This aspect is crucial for the objectives of this methodology: children work with people they trust and who speak their language. It has been therefore designed to be used by people who are in constant contact with the children: teachers, educators, healthcare professionals, community leaders, but not international experts, as detailed in the international recommendations on psychosocial interventions. The method has been in use and evaluation since 1999 in countries like Greece, Turkey, Iran, China and Sri Lanka.
Children and adolescents are not only the most vulnerable members of the population exposed to war, natural disasters and other crises, they also represent the future of their country after these traumatic events end. Therefore, it is very important to invest in their recovery after a crisis, not only to lessen their suffering, but also to create the emotional condition needed to help them learn and improve their future. Both parties, Pallassos Sense Fronteres and the UTCCB, have much experience in working in conflict zones with people suffering from multiple traumatic experiences.
The Project, Step By Step
The common projects consist of three specific phases.
The first phase will consist in Pallassos Sense Fronteres working directly with those who benefit most from their actions: children. The objective of this first phase it to create better states of mind for both children and their families, and create memories of past fun and playful experiences at the same time as the clowns perform their show. This step helps children later assimilate the TRTs applied by professionals trained by the UTCCB.
In a second phase, teachers and other professionals will be taught to apply the TRTs.
And in the third and last phase, Pallassos Sense Fronteres will once again work with the children and monitor their progress. This step not only serves to consolidate the benefits of the TRTs and continue to provide positive elements for their emotional state of mind, but also helps equip clowns with the ability to monitor the children with the aim of detecting those needing additional attention.
This project will be formed by three or four actions, depending on the rhythm of the activities and any unforeseen events which can appear and affect their work throughout the year. At the moment, different scenarios are being studied, such as the Beqaa Valley in Lebanon, northern Jordan or Iraqi Kurdistan, places where Pallassos Sense Fronteres has been working years now on their tour project.