The common agenda is to become a more trauma-informed and resilient community. This means:

Everyone has what they need to be well

Resilience is having the resources to meet needs. It is the other side of trauma and, like trauma, can occur in individuals, communities, and systems.

Individual resilience is when a person has the resources to meet their own needs. This includes internal resources, such as knowledge or skills. It also includes external resources, such as income or health insurance.

Community resilience is when a group of people use their resources to meet each other’s needs. This could be an informal interaction, such as between family members or friends. It can also be formal, such as between local organizations.

Systemic resilience is when institutions allow space for individual and community resilience. This includes policies and practices. A policy might be providing paid sick leave. A practice might be hiring an American Sign Language interpreter for public meetings.

Everyone understands trauma and its impact

Trauma is an experience that leaves people feeling hopeless or helpless. This could be a personal, community, or systemic experience. Trauma changes the way the brain works. Sometimes these changes only last a few minutes, other times they can last for years.

A personal trauma is an experience that occurs to one person. It may be a single event, multiple events, or a prolonged event. This includes a car accident, a serious illness, or abuse or neglect. The Adverse Childhood Experiences Study took place in the 1990s. This research connected a group of potentially traumatic events to future life outcomes. The results informed a lot of what we know about the impact of personal trauma. The study and the specific events are often referred to as “ACEs.”

A community trauma is an event or condition that lessens the sense of safety within a community. This includes natural disasters, poor housing quality, or racism. Community organizers and researchers built on the individual concept of Adverse Childhood Experiences. They named potential community traumas as Adverse Community Environments. Together, Adverse Childhood Experiences and Adverse Community Environments are often called “the pair of ACEs.”

A systemic trauma is when an institution worsens the impact of an individual or community trauma. This includes not investing in a certain community, using inequitable hiring practices, or requiring people to re-tell their story to access support.

Everyone has what they need to support themselves and each other

Trauma-informed care is a way to support each other and respond to the impacts of trauma. There are six key principles of trauma-informed care:

  1. Safety – People feel physically and psychologically safe.
  2. Trustworthiness & Transparency – People are transparent in making decisions. This builds and maintains trust among the people impacted.
  3. Peer Support & Mutual Self-Help – People with shared experiences have the opportunity to accept, understand, and validate each other.
  4. Collaboration & Mutuality – People focus on building relationships and sharing power and decision-making.
  5. Empowerment, Voice, & Choice – Every person’s experience is unique and needs an individual approach. This approach builds on their strengths.
  6. Cultural, Historical, and Gender Issues – People recognize and address the impacts of historical trauma. This includes being culturally responsive and restoring traditional cultural connections.

Groups of people can become trauma-informed by practicing trauma-informed care. This process exists along a continuum. Groups move back and forth along the continuum over time.

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