The Value of Whole-Child Interventions for Childhood Trauma
When I was 15 years old, my family traveled to Israel. To this day, I remain inspired by the Israeli culture of ingenuity, pragmatism and compassion. This unique mix can be seen even in how Israel approaches children’s well-being. A family-centered society, Israel cherishes children and their emotional health.
The founding director of Yemin Orde’s Village Way Educational Initiatives, Chaim Peri, explained that:
“In this era of the global village, at-risk children and youth need the grounding of an educational community that resonates with the values and ambience of the old village of humanity, if they are to develop a healthy personality and life.”
Located in Northern Israel, Yemin Orde Youth Village is more than a school to its 450 students from Ethiopia, Brazil, France, the Former Soviet Union, and Israel. It also promises its students it will be their life-long family, cheerleader, mentor, and safe haven. All have previously suffered some combination of loss, neglect, abandonment, extreme poverty, insecurity and trauma. Chaim Peri explains that this approach is necessary because:
“When circumstances require raising children in a residential environment, the culture of that environment must be carefully addressed to compensate for every aspect lost from being removed from the biological family. The children need to be raised in educational environments that reflect wholeness and security, and where their strengths and abilities are recognized, appreciated and further developed. To develop trust, children need to feel they are part of a greater whole. This can only happen in deinstitutionalized educational environments, where they know they have become members of a community for life.”
Hard science supports Mr. Peri’s compassionate “whole child” approach. University of California San Francisco’s Dr. Elissa Epel, Dr. Nicki Bush, Dr. Alicia Lieberman, and Dr. Nancy Adler have studied the biological impact of therapeutic interventions that address the whole child. The act of others’ noticing, listening, caring, and responding changes the chemistry in children’s brains and bodies. Over time, the accumulation of hugs, open ears, and a stable lifestyle can repair telomeres – or DNA protein structures - that are otherwise shortened by stress and abuse. When telomeres are shortened, one’s life is shortened. The science is clear: programs like Yemin Orde, providing holistic care as a response to childhood trauma, can actually change, lengthen, and better lives.
The Yemin Orde model has now expanded across Israel, been replicated in Rwanda, and is being studied by others across the globe. In the United States, we are beginning to understand the value of this whole-child approach to addressing childhood adversity and trauma. Organizations like Turnaround for Children and Millennium train educators in how to redesign schools and implement a whole-child pedagogy. And the San Francisco Bay Area’s Life Learning Academy is the nation’s first public school to provide a “deinstitutionalized” residential component for its students, all of whom are disadvantaged youth. LLA embodies the whole child pedagogy, as it supports students’ emotional and social health while ensuring their academic achievement, employability, and capacity to live a healthy, successful life.
It is extraordinarily heartening to see the development of how we address childhood trauma. Addressing the needs of the whole child gives children a sense that their future has limitless potential. The impact of letting children know that we are rooting for and counting on their success is profound.