Caring to include: Education on trauma-informed services for refugees
Together with our colleagues from across Europe we came together in Cyprus for three days of the Caring to Include project. The sessions blended knowledge-sharing, hands-on training, and reflection, creating a space to connect, learn, and reaffirm the purpose behind this work.
Day 1 – National Contexts and Cyprus Insights
The programme opened at Prozak Café’s Common Room with welcoming activities led by Maria Benta and Ioannis Peristianis (Cyprus Refugee Council, CyRC). Our national reports from Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Malta, and the Netherlands highlighted shared challenges, from pressures on frontline services to gaps in protection systems and barriers faced by people with lived migrant experience.
After lunch, we visited the CyRC offices for an in-depth discussion with Corina Drousiotou and Manos Mathioudakis. Their candid reflections on systemic pressures and the resilience of local actors provided a vivid understanding of the Cyprus context. The day concluded with a project evaluation session and a guided relaxation exercise, leaving participants more composed and reflective.
Day 2 – Trauma‑Informed Care Training
On Thursday we focused on intensive training in trauma‑informed care. To be able to provide a better service to traumatised persons we explored safety, trust, empowerment, and cultural sensitivity, reminding participants that effective practice requires not just skill but also empathy and humility.
Day 3 – Self‑Care and Toolkit Development
The final day began with a grounded session on self-care, discussing boundaries, emotional fatigue, and the importance of preventing burnout.
The programme then shifted to hands-on work preparing the trauma‑informed care toolkit. This collaborative activity allowed us to directly apply training concepts and contribute to practical outputs for future use by practitioners. The meeting closed with reflection exercises, left everyone with concrete outputs and a renewed sense of purpose and solidarity.
