Two dozen Saint Paul College leaders attended the five-day Strategies for Trauma Awareness and Resilience (STAR) training. This powerful training helped equip college leaders to understand and assist members of the College community facing psychological challenges. The STAR training is an evidence-based, research and practice supported, multicultural training that integrates neurobiology, trauma healing and resilience, restorative justice, nonviolent conflict transformation, and broadly defined spirituality for individuals from diverse personal, educational, and professional backgrounds.
Since 2010, STAR has been an invaluable asset in the Saint Paul regional area, where the 
Minnesota Peacebuilding Leadership Institute has sponsored 20+ successful trainings and hundreds of other online and in-person trauma-informed events. In Minnesota, STAR training is approved by state professional licensing boards for 29 hours of continuing education credits for teachers, nurses, and mental health professionals.
STAR empowers individuals, communities, and organizations to be agents of positive change within their spheres of influence. Their training objectives include:
- Defining and distinguishing between various types of psychological trauma and how the responses to trauma relate to individual, community, and societal history.
- Examining the direct links between unhealed trauma and cycles of victimhood, aggression, and violence.
- Identifying and reviewing practical ways to build resilience to accompany individuals and groups on the trauma healing journey through personal and systemic resilience strategies that set the stage for authentic reconciliation.
This training had a significant impact on Saint Paul College leaders who attended the training, including:
The training received during the immersive STAR workshop will help us create a transformative working environment of a culture of care which will deepen our understanding of relationships with each other and our students.
Paula Kinney, Director of Strategic Planning & Effectiveness
Before completing the STAR training, I thought I had a pretty good understanding of trauma and navigating conversations and situations with students, especially from a Public Safety perspective where we often assist people in crisis. I was astounded at how effective this training was and the additional knowledge I gained related to breaking cycles of violence and building resiliency, which will greatly improve how our team engages and interact with individuals dealing with trauma.
Thomas Bergs, Director of Public Safety
STAR training enhanced my knowledge of psychological trauma and how it shows up in different spaces. The training has provided me with tools and methods for building resilience which will contribute to TRIO being able to provide more holistic support for students.
Mary Vang, Director of TRIO Student Support Services
This powerful
4-minute video describes how STAR training effectively transforms psychological trauma into nonviolent power. Saint Paul College continues to serve as an Anti-Racist, Trauma-Informed (ARTI) institution within the Minnesota State System.
STAR is a program of the
Center for Justice and Peacebuilding at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, VA.
