In response to the needs of key national and local partners in Ukraine, the Council of Europe projects "Facilitating access to human rights and essential services for internally displaced persons and returnees at the community level" and "Youth for Democracy in Ukraine: Phase III" launched the programme “Trauma-informed approach in the context of access to human rights and essential services for internally displaced persons and persons, returning to Ukraine."
The first training for trainers of the Programme, which took place from 17 to 21 August 2024 in Truskavets, Lviv region, was attended by 24 representatives of youth centres and organisations working with internally displaced persons and returnees: youth workers, psychologists and social workers. Participants represent 13 regions of Ukraine: Kirovohrad, Zhytomyr, Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, Poltava, Lviv, Mykolaiv, Chernivtsi, Volyn, Rivne, Khmelnytskyi, Donetsk. The programme strengthens competencies to implement educational and awareness-raising activities on the application of a trauma-informed approach, in particular in working with internally displaced persons and host communities.
As a result of the Programme, trainers are expected to apply a trauma-informed approach in their activities for internally displaced persons and returnees. This will improve the quality of social, legal and administrative services and strengthen resilience and social cohesion in host communities.
Erlend Falch, Deputy Head of the Council of Europe Office, addressed the participants of the Programme and took part in a session on the resources and opportunities of the Council of Europe to work with IDPs and returnees, in particular young people. The Deputy Head emphasized the co-operation with the Ministry for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine and the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine on the implementation of Council of Europe standards and approaches, in particular, within the framework of the Council of Europe Action Plan "Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction" 2023-2026. Erlend Falch emphasized that the role of the Programme's trainers team is indispensable in helping professional communities in Ukraine support internally displaced persons and returnees, including young people, in time of the war.
Roman Usenko, Deputy Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine, welcomed the participants and expressed hope for further fruitful co-operation in the implementation of a trauma-informed approach. He noted that the insufficient level of accessible psychological assistance for internally displaced persons today complicates the processes of adaptation in a new environment, in particular educational, as well as in the workplace. It is said, in particular, in the State Policy Strategy on Internal Displacement for the period up to 2025. Improving the quality of such assistance, increasing the number of experts in this area will significantly help the state in overcoming the negative consequences of the armed aggression against Ukraine.
Vladyslav Yatsuk, Head of the Youth Policy Department of the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, welcomed the participants and stressed the importance of the "Trauma-Informed Youth Work" programme. The programme was developed by Council of Europe projects in Ukraine in May 2022 in response to the need of youth workers to provide assistance and support to internally displaced persons, repatriates, vulnerable groups of the population during the war. Since 2023, a specialized training "Trauma-informed youth work" has been implemented within the framework of the State Programme "Youth Worker" in co-operation between the Council of Europe, the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine and the All-Ukrainian Youth Centre.
Tatiana Bedros, Senior Project Officer of the project "Strengthening the human rights protection of refugees and migrants in the Republic of Moldova" of the Council of Europe Office in Moldova, presented the experience of the project and the new resource "Resilience Journal for Teenagers". The translation and editing of the publication into Ukrainian was carried out in co-operation with the Council of Europe Project "Youth for Democracy in Ukraine: Phase III".
The programme is jointly implemented in 2024-2025 by the Council of Europe projects "Facilitating access to human rights and essential services for internally displaced persons and returnees at the community level" and "Youth for democracy in Ukraine: Phase III" within the framework of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine "Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction" for 2023-2026.
Details of the Programme and conditions are available at the link: https://rm.coe.int/call-for-participants-the-programme-on-trauma-informed-approach-2024/1680b0762c
The manual of the Trauma-Informed Youth Work programme is available in Ukrainian and English.
The handbook "Traumatic Events: Psychological Support and Self-Help" can be downloaded in Ukrainian at the link: https://rm.coe.int/traumatic-events-ukr-/1680a765d4
