Here is a breakdown of the three-hour Emergency Pedagogy session:

It is most beneficial to attend 3 (3hr) sessions

Each session begins with a 10–15-minute whole-community orientation circle.

Opening Circle

Verse
Song
Movement (body percussion)

We then transition into age-based groups, depending on numbers and ages:

Early Childhood
Primary (Lower)
Primary (Upper)
High School
Adults

Each participant engages in two approximately 50-minute workshops: one movement-based and one artistic.

Both are developmentally appropriate and intentionally designed to stabilize the individual and strengthen the community.

Movement Workshop

Games
Mindful movement
Rhythmical activities
Fun, engaging group exercises

Artistic Workshop

Drawing
Painting
Craft
Clay (depending on available resources)

Both workshops are facilitated in a specific way to support regulation, safety, connection, and community resilience.

Closing Circle.

We then gather again as a whole community for a 10–15 minute.

Each three-hour session follows this consistent rhythm, although the specific movement and artistic activities may vary.

In addition, we offer community talks that provide information about trauma in the first six months following events such as bushfires. These sessions cover:

Common trauma symptoms
Ways to support healing
How trauma presents in children and young people (who often express trauma through behaviour and do not process experiences in the same way as adults)
The methods we use in Emergency Pedagogy to support care and healing in individuals and the broader community

The aim is to strengthen the community’s capacity to continue supporting one another throughout the healing process.

Alongside these educational workshops, we have a therapeutic team headed by a qualified psychologist who supports participants as needed and refers them to other services as needed.

Our whole emergency pedagogy team is supported by a clinical psychologist who specialises in trauma. This ensures that we are all at our best and able to provide a safe space for all participants.

Here is a little more information about Emergency Pedagogy itself.

Emergency Pedagogy is a trauma-informed, community-based educational response that supports children, young people, and adults in the aftermath of crisis or disaster. Its key elements include:

1. Safety and Stabilisation

The primary aim is to restore a sense of safety—physically, emotionally, and socially. Structured sessions with predictable rhythms help regulate the nervous system and create a container in which participants feel secure.

2. Rhythm and Predictability

Consistent session structure (opening circle, workshops, closing circle) provides reliability and orientation. Rhythm supports nervous system regulation and rebuilds a sense of order after chaos.

3. Developmentally Appropriate Practice

Activities are tailored to different age groups. Children and young people process trauma differently from adults—often expressing distress through behaviour rather than words—so approaches are adapted accordingly.

4. Movement and Regulation

Rhythmical movement, games, body percussion, and mindful physical activities support nervous system regulation. Movement helps discharge stress and supports reconnection to the body.

5. Creative and Artistic Expression

Drawing, painting, clay, and craft provide non-verbal pathways for expression. Artistic processes allow experiences to be externalised safely, without requiring direct verbal recounting of traumatic events.

6. Community Reconnection

Working in groups strengthens a sense of belonging and reduces isolation. Whole-community circles reinforce shared experience, mutual support, and collective resilience.

7. Trauma Education

Community talks provide accessible information about trauma responses—particularly in the first six months after an event. This includes recognising symptoms, understanding children’s behavioural expressions of trauma, and learning practical ways to support healing.

8. Strength-Based Approach

Emergency Pedagogy focuses on capacities, resilience, and the rebuilding of agency rather than on pathology. It supports individuals and communities to rediscover their own resources.

9. Short-Term, Immediate Response

It is designed as an early-intervention model following a crisis (e.g., bushfires, floods, conflict), aiming to prevent the consolidation of longer-term trauma.

10. Empowerment and Ongoing Support

By explaining the methods used and modelling trauma-informed practice, facilitators equip communities to continue supporting one another beyond the sessions.

Together, these elements create a structured yet flexible framework that supports regulation, expression, connection, and healing at both individual and community levels

Contact the host of Alexandra - Community Talk on Trauma and Creative Trauma informed Adult and Children Workshop

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