VOLUNTEERS STORY WALL

Robin’s Story of Volunteer Service

Some years ago when 3 of my boys were teenagers, I was doing my weekly grocery shop.  The kind mothers of teenage boys do….2 carts full of everything, wondering if it will last the week.  As I was going down an aisle, I noticed a First Nations woman shopping with her teenage son.   She was putting items into her cart and her son was adding to it.  As I passed by I commented “Why is it, no matter how much we buy, boys will look in the cupboard and say there is nothing to eat?”.  The woman looked at me with complete understanding and we proceeded to have a 5 minute conversation about the inability to keep teenage boys full.  I learned at that brief encounter that there are some universals that surpass ethnicity and culture.  I have come to believe that teenage boys, no matter what race, religion or creed have insatiable appetites.
 

So what, you may ask, has that to do with Trauma-informed Care training for IHUB staff and students in South Africa? Well, in September 2020, my colleague Jordan Bell asked if I would be interested in Skyping with the IHUB leadership team who were encountering trauma related problems with their students.  For over a year, Jordan and I skyped with these leaders, offering insight and ideas on how they may be able to help their students. There seemed to be uptake of the information offered, however, when asked, with Jordan and another counsellor Debbie, to go to South Africa to train some of the leaders, staff and students, I was fearful that what we had to offer may not translate to their world and problems.

South Africa is beautiful and diverse.  We were so blessed to have Andy and Sonya host us, showing us the beauty of the land, and also showing us the sad realities of the legacy of apartheid.  We taught different groups and my initial fears of not being relevant were soon dissipated.  It was gratifying to see people recognizing what trauma looked like in their world and how they have been impacted by it and some things they could do to rectify its destruction. In fact, like teenage boy hunger, trauma is universal and transcends our differences. 

Using information about our brains, trauma processing, generational influences and regulating techniques we were able to relate to how trauma can impact and interfere with learning processes. The experience of trauma is common to humankind and therefore, our training became a learning experience on both sides – the teacher became the student as we spoke the same language. I believe we planted seeds that will help IHUB create a trauma informed environment for the benefit of their students.

As well, this experience has shown me that because the effects of trauma are universal the curriculum and teaching we offered can be used for other ethnic and cultural groups. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to have experienced South Africa and interact with the many people who are caring for the spiritual, physical and emotional needs of the  wounded and broken. Trauma, like hunger, can seem insatiable, however, with the help of those who care for us, we can calm the internal ache that trauma…. and hunger cause.