The trauma-informed, Back2Back-run school in India was once just a dream. Long-time staff members prayed for opportunities to send children to schools with broad and usable educational curriculum. Conversational English is imperative for future success in India, and while Back2Back was able to find schools who offered English lessons daily, children still struggled in and out of the classroom with the fast paced and memorization-driven teaching.
When plans for the on-campus school took root, staff imagined a space where children and their families could find healing, learn more about living as a family unit, and grow together. Staff visualized a space where children could ask for additional help and not be rushed into the next lesson and class. They envisioned a space that was trauma-informed and where learning would truly be about helping each child progress and work toward future goals.
Today, the school educates children and comes alongside families from ten different local villages. There is a new principal at the helm, leading a staff team with care, consideration, and galvanization for a brilliant future for their students.
“The school has such a special feel all around it,” shared Julie Mowery, Back2Back India Stateside Director. “The felt safety is tangible, the teachers are joyful, and the children seem giddy about coming everyday and learning.”
Currently, the school educates 237 children, including those who live on the campus, and serves 140 families total. Strong Families programming has officially launched for the school families, helping parents learn practical life skills and how to use trauma-informed practices when parenting their children. Every Friday, parents from each village come to the campus for instruction to help them better understand stress, anxiety, and how it affects their bodies and brains; they receive parenting tips and are given space and opportunity to ask questions, connecting with others in similar situations.
Most of the families served on campus are agricultural-based workers; they pick rice and bag it for income, and most can read and write and have completed at least some school. The time they spend on campus is allowing them to learn continuously alongside their children and forge never-stepped-on ground for themselves and the future generations of their families.
Together, staff team focus on helping parents have a growth mindset about themselves and their children. Staff teams around the world know it’s important for each parent to know they are believed in and rooted for just as much as their children. Together, staff and families are building a generation of adults and children who never stop learning.