Anguilla, like other islands in the region, is prone to disasters that are either natural or man-made. Having experienced the devastating effects of Hurricane Irma in 2017, every effort was made to return students to school so that they could experience some level of normalcy. Teachers were not adequately prepared to handle the effects it had on them and their students.
Therefore, the Department of Education saw the need to train all teachers in order to help them and their students cope with their emotions and ultimately prevent and or eliminate the problematic behaviours and remain resilient in the face of any future emergency or disaster.
A workshop focusing on RETURN TO HAPPINESS (RTH) and RESILIENCY EDUCATION took place December 11th to 13th at the Alwyn A. Richardson Primary School. Some 135 teachers participated in the workshop. Areas dealt with included: modelling of everyday activities that should be incorporated in every subject and in every classroom, building Confidence and Trust, Basic Helping Skills, Communicating with children, Engaging Children in Creative Arts, Story Development using various media, Storytelling, Painting, Drawing, (Then, Now, Future), Songs of Hope, Games, Expressing Distress, Trauma Recovery Strategies.
The workshop was a joint effort between UNICEF and the Ministry/Department of Education, Anguilla and sessions were facilitated by a team of 10 facilitators from UNICEF in St Lucia and led by Mrs. Sophia Edwards-Gabriel.
The Ministry/Department of Education expresses gratitude to UNICEF for sponsoring the workshop.
– Contributed
