About Strategies for Trauma Awareness and Resilience (STAR)

Strategies for Trauma Awareness and Resilience’s (STAR) framework integrates material from:

trauma and resilience studies
restorative justice
conflict transformation
human security
spirituality.

These five foundational fields draw upon deep academic and practical knowledge housed within the faculty and staff of EMU’s Center for Justice and Peacebuilding; each training draws on both this expertise and the wisdom contained in the experience of each group of STAR participants.

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The Need for Trauma Awareness and Resilience Training

Many people, organizations and communities are working and living in ways that are overwhelmed by, ignorant about or actively denying the traumatic impacts of violence. While affected by the cycles of violence, many are hopeful about possibilities of transformation and resilience-building. Even well-intentioned individuals, organizations and communities often work in ways that unintentionally sustain, rather than interrupt, cycles of violence. Harmful impacts are evident in their physical health, their relationships, their work and broader lives and communities.

STAR trainings offer an educational gateway toward working and living in more trauma-informed ways.

Taking a STAR training can equip individuals, communities, and organization for better work outcomes and improved well-being along the journey.

Training around the World

STAR trainings are offered in several formats:

STAR 1 and STAR II are now offered online. The course includes scheduled, live sessions via Zoom (synchronous) and activities completed on participants schedule (asynchronous). Online, live sessions are offfered in a variety of formats.
STAR I and STAR II are offered as 5-day trainings in Harrisonburg, VA on the Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) campus. Participants can apply through an online application. Note: Due to COVID-19, we are not currently offering in-person trainings and will assess future in-person trainings based on safety and health guidance.
The STAR team travels to locations around the world to partner with local organizations to offer the 5-day STAR trainings or shorter customized training. Interested organizations and communities can contact the STAR office to begin dreaming and planning.

The History of STAR

STAR began in the wake of the events of September 11, 2001 as a partnership between Church World Service (CWS) and the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding (CJP) at Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) to equip community leaders to understand the dynamics of trauma and healing, and their linkage to issues of conflict, justice and peace.

Since then, thousands of people from more than 60 countries have participated in STAR seminars. STAR participants have included US military and civilian contractors, USAID staff, Catholic Relief Services staff, aid workers among refugees, local high school students, anti-racism activists, religious leaders, therapists, teachers, social workers, and medical professionals.
Adaptations of STAR
Participants and trainers have adapted the STAR curriculum to address:
- racism and historical harms (Transforming Historical Harms)
- the needs of veterans returning from war (Journey Home from War)
- gender-based violence (Family STAR)
- less formal learning scenarios (Village STAR) – now translated into Arabic, Haitian Creole, Somali, Spanish, Urdu and a variety of South Sudanese languages
- youth impacted by violence and trauma (Youth STAR)
- literacy learning (Resilience)
- specific religious and cultural communities
We are currently working on STAR for Educators.
Expanding STAR's Impact

In efforts to expand STAR’s impact and integration into local contexts, STAR has trained over 15 individuals as Certified STAR Trainers with the capacity to lead STAR I trainings. Over 80 people have become STAR practitioners, offering shorter, contextualized STAR trainings all over the world.

For more information please check out The Little Book of Trauma Healing and our free e-book about the first ten years of STAR's journey.

The Little Book of Trauma Healing

by Carolyn Yoder | Order from Amazon

An overview of invidual and collective trauma, common responses to trauma, and how to break the cycles of unhealed, unaddressed trauma. For everyone who works with trauma, whether the everyday variety, or with those affected by terrorism, tsunamis, current conflicts or historical wounds.

Quick Links

About Strategies for Trauma Awareness and Resilience (STAR)

The Need for Trauma Awareness and Resilience Training

Training around the World

Participants Say....

"I’m so impressed by the quality of the instruction, but I’m even more impressed by the quality and diversity of the people who attend. The instructors created such a positive, caring environment that we learned an amazing amount from them and from each other. "

~a STAR participant

"Its clear that every activity, every slide, every aspect of the week had been perfected through years of research and practice. "

~ a STAR participant

"I would recommend STAR as a key component in management processes for planning and implementation of programs."

~ a STAR participant

STAR News