Sep 234 min read

Education Insights from the Masters Trauma Conference 2024 - Building a Safer, More Joyful Educational Environment

This September, we had the privilege of attending the Masters Trauma Conference in Oxford, an event packed with wisdom, practical insights, and meaningful connections.

This beautiful video from Ton Mazzone encapsulates what the conference is all about.

Across three days, we explored trauma research from multiple angles, always with a focus on how we can better support the wellbeing and resilience of young people in education.

Here are the key reflections and takeaways from this year's conference:

Cultivating Joy and Safety in Schools

The first day was filled with powerful conversations on the role of safety and joy in overcoming trauma. Bessel van der Kolk’s keynote on Trauma Resilience left me reflecting on how much joy and safety we cultivate in our schools. His words, "Safety in young people’s upbringing is the most critical public health priority at the moment," deeply resonated.

Bessel Van der Kolk emphasised the importance of recognising and understanding one's emotions to recover from trauma, followed by enriching shared experiences that help individuals reclaim how they want to live.

It left me wondering:

How much joy and safety are we currently fostering in our schools?

How can we be more intentional about creating environments where young people feel seen, supported, and able to thrive?

Inner Compassion and Connection

Day two brought a different kind of reflection. Betsy Polatin led a session on healing trauma through movement and breathing, while Caroline Welch shared insights on inner compassion and purpose, reinforcing that these are essential pillars for well-being. It was exciting to learn about the evidence base supporting these ideas.

One of the day's most thought-provoking moments came during a discussion on Threads of Intimacy, where the dynamics of relationships were explored.

A few quotes stayed with me:

"This generation of children has become the guinea pigs when it comes to phones."
"Trauma blocks love and connection, but love and connection heals trauma."
"The world outside my family home was safer than my own home, and the outside world wasn’t that safe."

These insights underscored the crucial role educators play in creating environments where love, connection, and compassion can flourish, in contrast to systems that perpetuate judgement and shame.

Co-regulation and the Role of the Teacher

On the final day, reflections from speakers like Stephen Porges, Michael Allison, Sue Carter, and Ruth Cohn tied everything together. Michael Allison’s session on co-regulation and trust-building struck a chord. He said, "The role of the coach is to co-regulate and build trust with the performer to help them optimise their performance."

What if we applied this concept to education? What if teachers were upskilled in co-regulation, building trust with young people in a way that truly supports their development?

At Future Action, we’ve already begun working on this with schools like The Alice Smith School, where we help educators integrate these tools.

Additionally, Sue Carter’s session on the role of oxytocin reminded me that we are in what she called the "era of the brain stem." This presents educators with an incredible opportunity to act as brain stem regulators—co-regulating, connecting, and offering safety to the children we serve. Imagine an entire teaching staff trained to provide this kind of support!

Finally, Ruth Cohn's reflections on how parents unintentionally neglect their children due to phone distractions left me wondering if social media neglect will be the next frontier for educators to address.

How can we help mitigate the negative effects of a world where constant distraction competes with human connection?

Looking Ahead

As I look back on the conference, I am reminded of the immense responsibility we have as educators to create environments filled with safety, connection, and joy.

This isn’t just about addressing trauma; it’s about transforming the way we approach education altogether. By prioritising love, connection, and co-regulation over judgement and shame, we can build safer and more joyful spaces for young people to learn and grow.

A heartfelt thank you to Araminta Jonsson and her team for organising such a meaningful event. This conference continues to serve as a source of inspiration and practical guidance for all of us striving to make education a more nurturing and effective space.

Do You Want To Take The First Step?

We appreciate that taking the first steps to becoming a Trauma Informed Educator can be daunting so we have created some taster resources to help you.

We have created a Trauma Informed Frontline Educators scorecard to help support your progress in implementing Trauma Informed practice.

This scorecard acts as a valuable tool for self-reflection and continuous improvement. Click here to try our 2 minute scorecard.

You will receive a personalised report highlighting your strengths and opportunities to develop your practice.

Additionally, you will receive a complimentary gift of our taster 'Trauma Informed Frontline Educators' course for you to develop your knowledge of Adverse Childhood Experiences.