Tag Archives: Carolyn Yoder

Trauma Awareness Is Key Factor in Peacebuilding

May 24, 2013 – 2:25 pm

As with so many aspects of U.S. society and culture, the disaster relief community has its clear “pre-” and “post-9/11” periods. Back in the pre-days, the mentality and capabilities of organizations like FEMA and the Red Cross revolved around the physical needs of disaster victims: food, shelter and clothing. Within days of entering post-era, it ...More

Being Sensitive to Trauma in Humanitarian and Development Aid

May 24, 2013 – 11:42 am

During the recent civil war in Nepal, the staff of a vocational training project reported that the young trainees were displaying behaviors probably related to the stress of the violence: difficulty concentrating, aggression, low self-confidence and the tendency to suddenly burst into tears. Many had difficulty completing the course, and those that did finish had ...More

‘Good Intentions Aren’t Enough’ in International Aid

May 24, 2013 – 11:11 am

“There’s been a lot of documentation that interventions from the outside can do more harm than good,” says Lisa Schirch, the director of 3P Human Security and a research professor at EMU’s Center for Justice and Peacebuilding (CJP). “Good intentions aren’t enough.” With that awareness in mind, many humanitarian and development organizations do trainings to ...More

Recognizing the signs of trauma in youth

March 16, 2012 – 11:24 am

If you live or work with young people, it’s likely that you’ve felt their enthusiasm when a good idea catches their imagination, or listened to their laughter and banter as they hang out with friends. But you may also observe behaviors that concern you: irritability, anger, aggressiveness, withdrawal, feeling sad, substance abuse, cutting, or getting ...More

Sharing an anniversary with 9/11

September 6, 2011 – 3:38 pm

STAR was born from the ashes of 9/11. Who can forget the haunting images of that September day, the sky balmy, the smoke rising? Soon after, Church World Service asked Eastern Mennonite University’s Center for Justice and Peacebuilding (CJP) to design a trauma training program for civil society leaders of all faiths whose communities, in ...More