One hundred and thirty-five teachers in Anguilla have benefitted from a three-day workshop which focused on “Return to Happiness and Resiliency Education.” It came more than a year after Hurricane Irma severely damaged a number of the island’s schools.
Held at the Alwyn A. Richardson Primary School at West End, from December 11-13, the workshop was a joint effort involving UNICEF and the Ministry and Department of Education in Anguilla.
The Anguillian newspaper obtained a release from the Department of Education which stated:
“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 or eliminate the problematic behaviours, and remain resilient in the face of any future emergency.”
According to the statement, the workshop included the following areas: modeling of everyday activities that should be incorporated in every classroom; building confidence and trust; basic helping skills; communicating with children; engaging children in creative arts; story development using various media; story-telling; painting, drawing (then, now and future); songs of hope; games; expressing distress; and trauma recovery strategies.
The release added: “The workshop was a joint effort between UNICEF and the Ministry/Department of Education, Anguilla. The sessions were facilitated by a team of ten 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.”
