Continued trauma healing in Chile…
Twenty-two leaders in the communities hit hardest by Chile’s February 29, 2010 earthquake and tsunamis received training in trauma healing in September 2010, led by the Institute’s Beverly Prestwood-Taylor. Seven were certified at an advanced level and 15 completed the first level in Strategies for Trauma Awareness and Resilience (STAR). Click here to read the article
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In partnership with the Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ (MACUCC) and the Pentecostal Church of Chile (PCC), the Institute raised over $100,000 for this recovery program sponsored by the PCC. Thanks to the generosity of givers in UCC churches throughout Massachusetts, Blessing Cabins were built to house families left homeless by the earthquake and tsumani in Chile. Click here for more information or to make a donation.
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Make a pilgrimage to Centro Shalom…
This wonderfully restorative peace and environmental education retreat center in the heart of the mysterious, majestic Andes mountains of Chile, Centro Shalom is set in a unique habitat. Here the drier ecosystems of northern Chile join the more humid ecosystems of southern Chile creating a unique overlap where more than 120 species of endangered plants and animals can be found. Stand at the foot of giant coigue trees, home to woodpeckers and parrots, and learn about the canelo, the healing-peace tree of the first peoples of Chile. You might just catch a glimpse of the Andean Condor, the largest flying bird in the world. Group size to this unusual environment is limited in order to preserve it. (www.centroshalom.cl)
Encounters in spiritual and trauma healing and intercultural dialogue have been facilitated in partnership with the Pentecostal Church of Chile since 2007 and have included:
- Roots Amid the Rubble: A Pilgrimage to Chile, 2011
- Sharing our Hearts, Our History, Our Healing: A Pilgrimage to Chile, 2010
- Woman to Woman: A Spiritual Journey to Chile, 2009
- Healing in Body, Mind and Spirit: A Healing Journey to Chile, 2008
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Trauma Healing for Chilean Earthquake Victims…
Three weeks after a workshop in Chile on trauma healing — conducted by the Brookfield Institute with help from you — the earthquake hit.
The devastation is mind-boggling. Homes and businesses are rubble, bridges are upended, cities are flooded with 8 feet of water and whole families have died.
Other organizations will provide the desperately needed shelter, food and water needed for physical healing.
And Centro Shalom will provide the trauma healing.
The nine newly certified trauma workers from Centro Shalom, the Brookfield Institute’s Chilean partner, are already helping heal the emotional and spiritual wounds that are all too rampant after a disaster, particularly in children.
When the quake stuck, the workers were in the mountains at Centro Shalom, leading a retreat to teach others about first aid for trauma — both physical and emotional trauma.
As they slept, the first shock of the earthquake rumbled across the mountains, knocking some people out of bed. They banded together to check on neighbors, equipped with lanterns, water, food and first aid. Assured everyone was OK, they began the trek down the mountain, carrying supplies and ready to face what lay ahead.
They traveled to Talca, the city with the highest death toll at this writing, immediately putting their training to work as they cared for families without homes, or those who had lost loved ones. The Centro Shalom staff has continued to reach out to traumatized communities across Chile.
One young woman wrote: “”I am grateful for the workshop in trauma healing. I have been inspired to help many people in these days. The course and the leadership has served me well. I have applied everything that I learned. Without a doubt, many people will need this help in the days to come.”
At the Brookfield Institute, we plan to continue and extend our work in trauma healing in Chile through Centro Shalom, a peace and environmental education camp sponsored by the Pentecostal Church of Chile and our partner for 10 years.
How can you help?
$25 Training manual for one person
$50 Training costs for one person
$200 Transportation, and resources cost for one-hour workshops in “first aid” for trauma healing
$1,000 Translation of trauma materials
Click here to Get Involved and make a Donation!
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One young woman wrote: “”I am grateful for the workshop in trauma healing I have been inspired to help many people in these days. The course and the leadership has served me well. I have applied everything that I learned. Without a doubt, many people will need this help in the days to come.”
At the Brookfield Institute, we continue and extend our work in trauma healing in Chile through Centro Shalom, a peace and environmental education camp sponsored by the Pentecostal Church of Chile
and our partner for 10 years.
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