VOLUNTEERS STORY WALL

Robin

McColl

BSc, M.C. CCC,
NMT Certified, ART​

Calgary, AB
Canada

Role:                      Trauma-informed Counsellor – Trainer

Posting Period:  April 13-26, 2023 (2 weeks)

Prof. Skills:        Counselling (Trauma, PTSD,  anxiety disorders),
                             Psychology, Teaching and Coaching

Delivery Partner

HILLSONG AFRICA
FOUNDATION

JOHANNESBURG
SOUTH AFRICA

iHub Africa Leadership Team
Robin delivering training to Leadership
Robin delivering training to iHub Students
Robin & team Training Coaches via Zoom
Children living in Langa Township
Children living in Langa Township
Langa Township Community Center
Challenging Living Conditions in Langa Township
TCT Team, Andy & Sonya overlooking Muizenberg
Cape Point National Park
Cape Point National Park
Cape Point National Park
Cape of Good Hope
Hout Bay along Chapman's Peak Drive
Andy & Sonya overlooking Hout Bay
iHub Alumni working with Comarketers in Cape Town
Soweto Township - Placard outside Mandela House Historical Site
Dinner out with iHub Leadership Team
Robin, Liz, Jordan, and Sbu in Johannesburg
Botlierskop Safari Lodge Game Drive
Game Drive - "Big Five" - Lion
Game Drive - "Big Five" - White Rhinos
Game Drive - "Big Five" - Cape Buffalo
Game Drive - Cheetahs
Botlierskop Game Reserve Valley
Game Drive - Burchell Zebra
iHub Students Receiving Trauma-informed Training
iHub Students 2023 cohort Representatives
Tokara in Cape Winelands
Cape Town City Bowl from Table Mountain base
Farewell to Cape Town, the "Mother City" until next time...

Want to serve as an HFI Volunteer like Robin did?

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.