In 2014, after 17 years of serving vulnerable children and families, Back2Back Ministries recognized a growing reality: trauma was at the center of nearly every story, and without a deeper understanding of how it shapes behavior and development, care would remain incomplete. Staff knew more was needed, not only from Back2Back teams, but from safe, present adults everywhere children were hurting.

That year in Mazatlán, Mexico, Back2Back launched its first-ever Advanced Trauma Competent Care training, laying the groundwork for what would become a global movement. By 2015, trauma training became required for every Back2Back staff member. And as the number of vulnerable children worldwide continued to rise, leaders saw clearly: Back2Back could not respond to trauma alone. Others needed to be equipped.

In 2019, Back2Back launched Trauma Free World (TFW), a nonprofit dedicated to sharing the very principles that had transformed Back2Back’s care. TFW equips adults, organizations, and communities with trauma-informed skills that heal rather than retraumatize. When caregivers understand trauma, families grow healthier, teams grow stronger, and entire communities become more resilient.

To further multiply this impact, TFW created the Affiliate Training Program in 2021, designed for individuals serving vulnerable populations who want to offer safe, trauma-informed environments and trainings in the places they serve and call home. Today, TFW trains global teams and equips new affiliate trainers, ensuring this knowledge reaches corners of the world that Back2Back couldn’t reach alone.

Recently, Ann Smith, Vice President of Affiliate Training, led a virtual training for a group of Ukrainian athletes. What began as a request for a simple three-hour workshop quickly became something more. Two participants, members of Ukraine’s National Soccer Team who run a youth program for girls aged five to 14, wanted tools to help young athletes heal on and off the field in a culture where mental health support carries heavy stigma.

A veteran in the group also quietly realized how much unaddressed trauma he carried himself.
“I want to help others in similar positions,” he shared. “Now I feel I have a way to do that well.”

This is what happens when trauma training is shared open-handedly. One training at a time, people of influence are awakened to their own stories and equipped to care for others. A Ukrainian translation is now available, and many participants from that first training have already registered for the next, more intensive training beginning January 2026.

This is the multiplying power of equipping others – the belief that childhoods shouldn’t be cut short by trauma and adults deserve pathways to healing. When safe, informed leaders rise up in their communities, healing begins to spread in ways no single organization could accomplish alone.