118 Taking what has been learned into the participants’ future work
TO THE TRAINER
PART II: THE TRAINING
Taking what has been learned into the participants’ future work
Aim. To encourage the participants to think about the work that awaits them at home, and how they can retain the skills they have learned and shared during the workshop.
The training workshop is now at an end. Summarise what the participants have learned from the story of the Butterfly Woman and the terrible events that occurred to her.
Emphasise that a major challenge for the participants will be to make sure that they remember and apply the stories and discussions they have shared, and also remember to implement the human rights-based approach in their work. Underline that the exercises and techniques they have learned must be practised, after they return to the communities in which they work.
Emphasise these guiding precepts:
I. Basic principles
• Say that you want to give support.
• Show respect.
• Ask for permission to sit down together.
• Balance distance and closeness.
• Give the survivor time to take you in.
• Do not ask a lot of questions.
• Let the survivor understand that she can talk or she can be silent.
• Remind her that she is in command of her own story.
II. Every case and every survivor is unique
Emphasise that a helper must think for herself and always use her own imagination and judgement when she decides what stories to tell, what advice to give, and what grounding exercises to use. Helpers cannot apply what they learn by numbers. There are no short cuts.
At the same time, it is always relevant to ask certain questions. What resources can the survivor draw on, in herself and in others? Do I understand her situation sufficiently? Am I in a sound position to advise her? If I ask her to trust me, am I in a position to sustain that trust?
As a helper, am I promising too much? Can I sustain the help that I am offering?
TEACHING INSTRUCTION.
In your concluding comments, thank all the participants for the contributions they have made, wish them well in their work, and urge them to stay in touch with one another. Remind them that they can get further support and information from HHRI and HHRI’ s website.
If possible, end the training with a small ceremony, some good words, photographs, and the award of certificates.