At the beginning of October, a fruitful training event for Christian parents and children workers was organized in Helsinki. For one day about 40 participants joined either online or met face-to-face in a local church. An important topic - trauma-informed care - was introduced by an experienced trainer, Aster Hedman.
There were also opportunities to network with others who share the same vision, participate in break-out groups, and get concrete help for everyday challenging situations. The training day offered new perspectives and practical ways of working with children, taking into account their special needs.
The feedback received from the participants was very positive - many said that they had received good practical tools and instructions for the future, an understanding of important basic principles, as well as much-needed peer support from other parents and those working with children.
The event was organised by a government funded 3-year project that focuses on educating Christian parents and children's workers about trauma-informed care. As the project only started this year, similar training events will be organised in the following years in different cities in Finland. This was the third event a Christian NGO ViaDia and WWO Europe have co-organised in Finland during the last 15 months.
The Finnish Facilitation Team (in the photo below) facilitates this initiative in Finland.
Photo 1: Melina Ilkka, Photo 2: Eemeli Kujala