ITALY: Training focuses on trauma
Course trains educators, others who are working in armed conflict countries
ITALY
(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries in Italy have launched an “Accompanying when trauma hits” training course at the Salesian Pontifical University in Rome. The course was organized in collaboration with Don Bosco Mondo and the Don Bosco Network. It aims to provide tools for the management and prevention of trauma for educators, teachers, and members of the Salesian family who are working in armed conflict countries.
Participants include representatives from three Salesian provinces including the Middle East Province, Greek Catholic Vice-province of Ukraine*, and the Poland-Krakow Province, as well as from the diocese of Donetsk, Ukraine.
One of those participating is Father Oleh Ladnyuk, a Ukrainian priest, who is a military chaplain on the front lines working among soldiers and the civilians who have been facing the impacts of war for the past two years. Fr. Ladnyuk delivers humanitarian aid and has helped with the evacuation of more than 500 people.
In talking about the training, Fr. Ladnyuk said, “The course is very interesting because it deals with topics relating to the traumas that war produces including psychological wounds, including grief, that can impact people even a few years after the war. It is a very useful topic because we often deal with people who have lost a child, a husband or a parent in war. They explained to us what we can ask, what to talk about and what not to talk about.”
When talking with people about their trauma, Fr. Ladnyuk has some firsthand insight. He explained, “First of all, you have to let people get used to the new situation. Don’t try to talk right away, but ask how things are. There’s no need to ask too many questions. Better to wait for the person to get used to it and then slowly start talking. Because those who survived the war are feeling so many emotions. And, believe me, the majority, 90% of those who lived through the war, will gradually end up talking about a lot of things.”
The course is particularly relevant for the Salesians who are working in high-conflict areas around the globe. The Peace Research Institute Oslo has shown that in 2022, about 468 million children lived in conflict zones. These children, who are often directly involved in combat, are exposed to violence and a drastic reduction in their security and well-being. Providing support to them through this difficult time and after they have left conflict zones is critical to their well-being.
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Sources:
ANS Photo (usage permissions and guidelines must be requested from ANS)
ANS – Italy – A Salesian on the front line of the war in Ukraine: “Being close counts, words come later”
*Any goods, services or funds provided by Salesian Missions to programs located in this country were administered in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, including sanctions administered by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Control.
