Fear Not the Trauma Story: A Trauma-Informed Perspective to Supporting War-Affected Refugees in Schools and Classrooms

Podcasting for peace: Resettled refugee youths' self‐sponsored counter‐storytelling practices

“…Counterstory is a powerful way for “minoritized people to intervene in research methods that would form ‘master narratives’ based on ignorance and assumptions about minoritized people” (Martinez, 2020, p. 21), and thus move along Pentón Herrera and Martínez‐Alba's (2021) spectrum from war and violence, through prejudice and bigotry, separation and fear, and ultimately to respect, empathy, and peace (p. 72). In particular, we align with Montero and Al Zouhouri's (2022) assertion that “refugee children and youth are empowered when they become the authors and arbiters of their stories, when they control what they want to share, how to share, and to whom to share their stories” (p. 89), noting that telling such trauma stories is crucial to healing and recovery. Sharing their counterstories reinforces that these narratives are “worthy to be heard” (Martin‐Beltrán et al, 2020, p. 7) and also creates a “psychological refuge” (Choi & Yi, 2016, p. 304) for the storytellers themselves.…”

Strength in storytelling: Peacebuilding via wordless books

“…However, scholars in the field of ELT have realized the potential of this interconnectedness for supporting students' social–emotional needs inside and outside the classroom. Recently, Montero and Al Zouhouri (2022) weaved real‐life accounts with available publications to best illustrate the benefits of storytelling to support the mental health and well‐being of students. After providing an in‐depth explanation of trauma and its negative consequences, the authors encouraged the use of storytelling in learning spaces to support the healing of trauma, and to promote (inner) peacebuilding, which is sometimes understood as the process of resolving conflict people might be experiencing within themselves.…”

“…After providing an in‐depth explanation of trauma and its negative consequences, the authors encouraged the use of storytelling in learning spaces to support the healing of trauma, and to promote (inner) peacebuilding, which is sometimes understood as the process of resolving conflict people might be experiencing within themselves. According to Montero and Al Zouhouri (2022), “children and youth are empowered when they become the authors and arbiters of their stories, when they control what they want to share, how to share, and to whom to share their stories” (p. 89). As such, it can be argued that engaging in activities that promote (inner) peacebuilding, such as mindfulness and practicing appreciation, sustains stability, and is at the core of students' socio‐emotional well‐being and learning development.…”

“…For example, leading educational entities such as Cambridge English (https://tinyurl.com/yckpvv4h) and American English (https://tinyurl.com/2p86yspn) have become more active in offering webinars where storytelling and its positive effects on students' well‐being and language learning are at the center of the conversation. Educators engaged in these ongoing offerings of professional development opportunities and conversations agree that peacebuilding can be taught to help students resolve conflicts within themselves and with others through storytelling (McNair & Pentón Herrera, 2022; Montero & Al Zouhouri, 2022). In formal learning spaces, educators can employ wordless books as a storytelling tool to teach about conflict resolution by using scenarios that present controversies to storytell their interpretation of what happened and how it was resolved.…”

“…These realizations have resulted in the (re)surfacing and exploration of new or less visible areas of interest, reflecting the shifting priorities and demands. For example, the once moderate affective turn (Benesch, 2017; Pavlenko, 2013; White, 2018) has gained momentum, favoring areas of inquiry that had remained on the periphery until recently, such as well‐being (Mercer & Gregersen, 2020), social–emotional learning (SEL; Pentón Herrera, 2020; Pentón Herrera & Martínez‐Alba, 2021), trauma‐informed practices (Medley, 2012; Montero & Al Zouhouri, 2022), and critical identity construction and development (Lindahl & Yazan, 2019; Yazan et al, 2023), to name a few. Similarly, scholars have begun to pay attention to the effects global policies and rhetoric have on language teaching around the world (Pontier & Deroo, 2023) in general, and how to integrate peace and restoration (henceforth, peacebuilding) as part of the global language teaching curricula, in particular.…”