Education
Programmes
Psychological trauma is a major obstacle across learning and negatively affects the school environment for each child. Maya Foundation aims to eliminate the adverse impacts of psychological trauma on learning, develop a trauma informed approach in the school environment and strengthen social cohesion through Education Programmes.Maya Foundation has supported children, teachers, school principals, and caregivers in the schools located in Istanbul and Sanliurfa with the protocol signed with the Turkish Republic Ministry of National Education since 2016.
Trauma
Informed
School
Maya Foundation has conducted Trauma Informed School Programme in Istanbul and Sanliurfa since 2016. This programme aims to ensure that children who have been exposed to psychological trauma and with fewer opportunities benefit from the education system in the best way possible. Maya Foundation tries to eliminate barriers to academic success in children’s educational life by developing a trauma informed approach in schools.Maya Foundation believes that mental health is a part of physical health, therefore we defend providing necessary support for children in all areas. We consider children at the center of all activities and organize trauma informed training and workshops for teachers, school counselors, and school administration. There are Positive Parenting Skills training for caregivers whose children demonstrate traumatic symptoms.
Programme Implementation Steps
1st Step
Support students by providing a safe school environment through training for teachers and school counsellors. This step includes the trainings to support school administration and teachers and providing a safe environment for all students. Training for teachers and school counsellors has been designed to provide an empathetic approach to create a safe school environment for children with traumatic history. This step is the initial intervention provided by the Maya Foundation.
2nd Step
Identification and early intervention of children at risk.
The purpose of the second step is to understand the individual needs of children and how they are affected by traumatic experiences. This step involves screening trauma symptoms and involving children in group works. As a part of the Trauma Informed School Program, children with traumatic experiences are identified using a scale completed by the teachers with obtaining parent consent. Teachers refer children with traumatic experiences to eight-week psychosocial support workshops conducted by clinical psychologists of the Maya Foundation. These workshops aim to reduce post-traumatic stress symptoms and increase children’s resilience.
3rd Step
Implementation of intensive support methods and trauma-informed interventions.After the screening, children who show signs of post-traumatic stress and need more support are referred to psychological individual and group sessions at Maya Foundation Balat Child and Youth Center. These children are provided support to improve coping skills.
According to the research Maya Foundation conducted in 2019 as part of the Trauma Informed School Program, mental health problems such as post-traumatic stress, anxiety disorders, grief, and anxiety are quite common among children and teenagers in schools. Trauma Informed School Program Research Report involving the details of the program and the study results could be accessed by the following link:
2021 WISE Award
Maya Foundation’s Trauma Informed School Programme has become one of the six winners of the WISE Prize that is one of the most prestigious awards worldwide in the field of education. We are proud to have this prize that supports successful and innovative projects addressing educational challenges.
Figures achieved so far within the project
Teacher
child
caregiver
SOCIAL COHESION THROUGH EDUCATION
Maya Foundation aims to increase social cohesion and prevent peer bullying in schools with the Social Cohesion through Education Programme conducted in Istanbul and Sanliurfa fields. We conduct field studies that help to identify the needs of schools in terms of peer bullying, social cohesion, and create preventive steps for these needs within the scope of the project. In addition, we aim to bring together institutions and organizations operating on social cohesion and peer bullying, to create a basis for sharing experiences, to enable the dissemination of good examples, and to help actions to be taken progress in a coordinated manner.
Program Activities
Seminars on social cohesion and peer bullying for caregivers,
Social cohesion activities for school personnel (teachers, school counsellors, school administrators, and Syrian volunteer education personnel) and caregivers,
Volunteer groups, including teachers, school counsellors, and students to strengthen social cohesion in each school and to ensure the sustainability of studies in the fields of peer bullying,
Psychosocial support activities and psychoeducation for children about social cohesion and peer bullying,
Capacity building training for teachers and school counsellors on strengthening social cohesion and preventing peer bullying,
Content developed for primary and secondary schools to support school administrators and teachers in the fields of social cohesion and bullying.
Videos for Children
Videos for Caregivers
Figures achieved so far within the project
teacher
children
caregiver
OFFICE
Akat Mahallesi Öztürk Sokak No:3 34335
Akatlar Beşiktaş İstanbul Türkiye
Tel: +90 (531) 980 72 37 // +90 (212) 351 00 20
BALAT CHILD AND YOUTH CENTER
Fener Mahallesi Tevkii Cafer Mektebi Sokak No:24
Balat Fatih İstanbul Türkiye
Tel: +90 (212) 525 25 36
E-MAIL
info@mayavakfi.org
