Seminars on Trauma Awareness and Resilience (STAR) began as a response to the events of September 11th and has now equipped more than 5,000 leaders from 62 countries with tools to address a range of situations that are caused or influenced by traumatic events.

Multidisciplinary Approach to Trauma Healing

STAR combines the latest in trauma research, personal self-care and innovative strategies for ending the cycles of victim hood and violence within our local, national and global communities. Participants have found that STAR equips them with tools to address a range of situations that are caused or influenced by traumatic events.

Training for leaders and caregivers, dealing with the trauma of natural and human-caused catastrophes, are facilitated by the faculty and staff of Eastern Mennonite University 's internationally renowned Center for Justice and Peace building. A four-day interactive training provides tools for resiliency and renewal.

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Objectives:

By the end of the STAR week, you will be able to:

• Define types of trauma and recognize the impact on body, mind and spirit
• Understand the cycles of victimhood and violence for individuals, communities and societies and the relationship to unhealed trauma
• Apply the STAR model, The Trauma Healing Journey: Breaking the Cycles of Victimhood and Violence to individual and group situations
• Use new skills to address trauma and build resilience
• Recognize compassion fatigue/satisfaction levels in caregivers
• Identify justice needs of survivors and offenders and practical restorative, creative and
  transformative responses to these needs
• Relate trauma work to the field of peace building

Increasing Capacity and Tools:

The STAR training strengthens the capacity and resilience of individuals and groups who work with traumatized individuals, groups, or societies. Over 3,000 participants have come from the U.S. and many international settings.

Framework:

The STAR framework draws on the fields of neurobiology, psychology, restorative justice, conflict transformation, peace building, and religion/spirituality.

STAR expands practices related to trauma, justice, peace building, spirituality and security and shows the importance of integrating these concepts on personal, community and societal levels.

• "Trauma" is often seen as a phenomenon affecting individuals, and much of the trauma-healing work has been limited to the individual level. STAR relates body and spirit to trauma healing and demonstrates that it needs to be addressed in groups and larger communities.
• "Justice" is usually associated with legal systems. STAR presents principles of restorative justice that require the involvement of individuals and communities.
• "Peace building," has in practice been most often used at the community-level. STAR presents peace building at the individual, community and state levels and integrates the importance of breaking cycles of victim-hood and violence.
• "Spirituality" is usually disconnected from trauma healing. STAR identifies spirituality as a key component in healing trauma at all levels.
• "Security" is commonly seen as national security and the duty of governments to protect their citizens. STAR pushes beyond national security to look at global security including economic and human security.

STAR activities honor multi-faith participation and the important interaction of those from diverse backgrounds in the US and around the world.

STAR Training Offered Locally

The Second level of STAR training will be offered, by WAMS,UCC and the Brookfield Institute, this April from Friday, April 11 through Monday, April 14 at the Brookfield Institute in Brookfield MA .

The cost of this 4-day training is $600.

Don't miss your opportunity to take advantage of this internationally know training right here in Central Massachusetts .

STAR II is designed for people who have attended Level I STAR* and wish to delve further into the topics of trauma, restorative justice, peacebuilding and spirituality through application of the principles to specific case studies.

• Interactive workshop training led by faculty and staff of the Eastern Mennonite University , Center for Justice and Peacebuilding
• STAR manual and handouts

[* For those who missed the First level of STAR , which was offered here in Central Massachusetts last fall, there is an option to make up the first level material - which will conclude with a make-up day with one of the EMU instructors on Thursday April 10 from 9AM - 5PM. The cost of this alternative is $200.]

General Information

The STAR seminar is intensive and interactive and participants are required to stay for the entire four days. Seminar registration is limited to 20 participants to enhance the interactive nature of the workshop.

• The Seminar will be from 9AM to 5 PM on Friday and Monday, from 10AM - 6PM on Saturday and from 2- 8PM on Sunday.
• All participants are expected to be open to exploring issues within a multi-cultural, multi-faith context.
• EASTERN MENNONITE UNIVERSITY CEU credits available by special arrangement.
• This second level of training will be needed for you to lead workshops in this model.

**STAR staff reserves the right to ask a participant to withdraw from the seminar early if, based on our experience and judgment, his/her conduct impinges on the emotional safety of the group

For More Information

The Rev. Shantia Wright-Gray
Mission Educator and WAYS Coordinator for
Tthe Worcester Area Mission Society, UCC

shantiawg@gmail.com
978-422-6256 home/office
508-450-2001 Cell

48 Main St.
Sterling, MA 01564