A Step Forward for Trauma-Informed Informal Education

The COPE Project Meeting in Rome April 2nd and 3rd 2025.

Di Serena Romano, Alberto Zucconi, Giulio Ammannato, Francesca Settimelli

On April 2nd and 3rd, the COPE Project partners came together in Rome at the headquarters of the Istituto dell’Approccio Centrato sulla Persona (IACP). Participants from Germany, Italy, Ukraine, Croatia, and Poland gathered to check in on the progress of the project, monitor the five work packages, and plan the next steps. The atmosphere was full of collaboration and shared purpose, with everyone deeply committed to making a difference for informal educators across Europe.

The COPE Project is focused on something very important: training informal educators to become trauma-informed. Why? Because informal educators—people who support others outside of traditional school or therapy settings—play a crucial role in the social and emotional health of their communities. They’re youth workers, coaches, librarians, hairdressers, sport massage specialists and people in more than 50 different professions who often don’t even realize they’re acting as informal educators while doing their jobs. The COPE project will help them recognize that role and give them tools to do it safely and effectively.

One of the big takeaways from the meeting was just how essential this work is. The partners emphasized the need to raise awareness that trauma is everywhere, and that retraumatization can often happen in everyday interactions. Informal educators, whether they know it or not, influence the people they work with—and if they’re not trauma-informed, they might unintentionally cause harm.

COPE is all about prevention. It teaches how trauma and retraumatization can be prevented, what to do or not to do to avoid retraumatization if you are an informal educator, how to refer trauma survivors to community mental health services, offer a list of community organizations that offers services to trauma survivors and how some people even grow after trauma, especially when supported by relationships that are safe, respectful, and compassionate. These relational qualities can make a huge difference.

The COPE Project strongly underlines the dangers for people that do not have the required credentials and are not properly trained as mental health trauma informed care psychotherapists to improvise themselves as psychotherapists, the serious damage they can inflict to trauma survivors and how that is severely punished by the law.

The COPE Project also tackles the tough reality that those working with trauma survivors can be affected themselves, through what's called vicarious or compassionate trauma. COPE offers guidance on how to protect oneself, stay well, and continue supporting others without burning out.

And it doesn’t stop there—COPE offers a free online course specifically designed for informal educators. On top of that, the project is creating a kind of “yellow pages” of professional services and free resources that trauma survivors can access in the partner countries and across Europe.

All in all, the Rome meeting was a reminder of how valuable this project is. The COPE team is building something truly meaningful: a network of informal educators who are trauma-aware, well-equipped, and ready to be part of a larger European Network, a needed step in building with all the stakeholders a systemic approach to social health in Europe.

What Happened at the Rome Meeting: Deepening the Work of COPE

The COPE Project meeting in Rome wasn’t just a routine check-in—it was a key moment to evaluate where we are and where we’re heading. With representatives from Germany, Italy, Ukraine, Croatia, and Poland in the room, our goals were clear: to review the progress made on the COPE Handbook and Workbook, prepare for the launch of our online training platform, and set the stage for the dissemination strategy that will carry the project’s message across Europe.

One of the major focuses was finalizing the COPE Handbook. This document is the backbone of the project—an accessible, practical resource to help informal educators understand trauma and become more informed in their day-to-day roles. We reviewed its structure, language, and key messages, making sure it’s clear, inclusive, and relevant to people working in all kinds of settings. From sports coaches to social workers, librarians to hairstylists, the Handbook is designed to speak directly to the people who often don’t realize the impact they have on trauma survivors.

We also reviewed the COPE Workbook, which offers a more hands-on, interactive path for learners. It includes activities, reflection prompts, and real-world examples that allow informal educators to apply the trauma-informed approach in their unique work environments. As we near the final stages of both these work packages, the team shared feedback and suggestions to fine-tune the materials and get them ready for publication and distribution.

Beyond reviewing the content, we looked to the future: how are we going to share all this great work? The partners collaborated on a dissemination strategy aimed at making sure the COPE resources don’t just sit on shelves. We want them in community centers, NGOs, public libraries, local associations, and anywhere informal educators can be reached. From social media campaigns to local events and partnerships with professional networks, the strategy will help spread awareness and build momentum.

A significant highlight of the Rome meeting was the participation of two guest speakers invited by the IACP team. These were two professionals from non-profit organizations whose daily work involves encounters with people that in many instances may be trauma survivors.

First, Volha Morazova president of the Ukranian Women for Peace, a non profit organization operating in Rome supporting diplaced Ukrainian women and their children that escaped to Italy after the Russian invasion of their country. Volha and other Ukrainian refugees in Rome where students of one of the IACP’ Solidarityprojects where refugees from Ukraine are trained for free in the IACP two, tree and four years training programs and graduating to become a person centered help professional. Several women from Ukraine that graduated from the IACP Free Training programs created the ONG Ukranian Women for Peace helping their country sisters, now refugees in Italy to get a new life for themselves and their children. Volha shared with us how needed are the services of ONG like UkrainianWomen for Peace, since there are many fellow Ukrainian in Rome and all over Italy that need everything, many of them and their children have survived terrible emotional traumas, and they need to be related with respect tender empathic care by people that are trauma informed to avoid the always present risk of retraumatization.

Volha underlined how also for the staff members of her ONG the risk of vicarious or compassionate trauma is always present and how precious for them was the free training from IACP and the possibility of making referrals to IACP psychotherapists or being able to refer colleagues to IACP for free training or for the other IACP program the Trauma Informed Best Practices Project that offers free training online to Ukrainian help professionals. Volha also expressed gratitude for the European Union financing projects like the COPE Project that offers freely services to informal educators wishing to become trauma informed and in so doing avoid the risk of retraumatizing their students/clients.

The second guest was Salvatore Figuccio a coach from the Comitato Italiano Paralimpico ( Italian Paralympic Committee, the organization that organize the Olympic games for people that have some physical limitation ). Salvatore shared with us the importance of being trauma informed in his job, but also how unfortunately at present coaches like him working daily with para athletes, in other words people that have been amputated as the results of an accident are basically all trauma survivors. Some of them where full bodies athletes before suffering an accident and now they have to adjust and accept to have a body without a limb or an arm and not only learn and readjust to the new body but to accept the status of amputee and learn how to express their best in the new condition, so acceptance is the name of the game and the role of the sport coach is very sensitive and relevant to that regard. The other clients are amputees that are for the first time entering the world of para Olympic sports and the challenge for them is not to delve in regret or bitterness for what they have lost but how to do their best with their condition here and now. Actually if there is a lot of paraoympic athetes that are trauma survivors, their a potential in their approaching sport with a positive attitude, that several of them will experience growth from Trauma.

The testimonials by Volha Morazova and Salvatore Figuccio were moving and grounding, reminding us of the human side of the COPE Project’s mission and how it is important for us to do an excellent work.

The COPE team also planned out the next few months of work: putting the final touches on the training materials, completing the beta version of the online training platform, and preparing for pilot testing in the partner countries. The platform will be a cornerstone of the COPE Project, offering flexible, free access to trauma-informed training for informal educators all across Europe.

We have discussed an operational plan for November, focusing on the progress of various projects, including handbooks and infographics. It highlights the importance of developing awareness campaigns and reaching out to non-formal education communities. The conversation emphasizes the need for cohesive branding, dissemination strategies, and quality control measures while encouraging open discussions about overlooked areas.

Detailed Bullet Points:

🌟 Overview of Current Operations

- Team is busy until November to complete tasks.

- Plan to review product statuses and identify remaining work.

📚 Handbook & Workbook Review

- Feedback sought on handbook progress.

- Completion of the workbook noted..

📈 Awareness Campaign Development

- Need to clarify awareness initiatives based on completed research.

- Focus on outreach campaigns as a major task ahead.

🤝 Community Practices Expansion

- Gratitude expressed for compiling non-formal education job lists as inspiration.

- Discussion needed on effective outreach strategies to engage target audiences.

🗓️ Timeline Considerations

- Project deadline theoretically set for December 3rd but may have flexibility.

👥 Upcoming Visitors

- First visitor: Trainer from Italian Federation of Water Polo with trauma expertise; insights anticipated from his interview.

- Second visitor: Volga, president at IHP (International House Rome), leading training programs for Ukrainian refugees in Italy.

🌍 Dissemination Strategies

 - Importance stressed on collective understanding moving forward; established relationships facilitate operations without needing extra approvals.

🖥️ Website Evaluation Needs

 - Program website requires updates due to limited current content versus broader objectives discussed earlier today regarding resource accessibility across platforms.

🎨 Branding & Sustainability Focus

 - Emphasis placed on cohesive branding that reflects partnerships effectively while promoting achieved outcomes tied into ongoing projects addressing trauma-informed methodologies across creative arts sectors.

🔍 Quality Control Measures

 - Discussion points raised about ensuring quality control before finalizing deliverables within realistic timelines given current workflow challenges affecting productivity levels.

💬 Open Dialogue Encouraged

 - Call for participants' thoughts regarding any overlooked areas during discussions thus far; suggestions welcome to shape future directions collectively towards achieving shared goals.

🧠 Key Components of the E-Learning Platform

- Six mandatory modules focused on trauma awareness.

- Optional resources available for cultural topics.

📚 Module Details

- Each module addresses specific aspects of trauma:

  - Consequences of trauma.

  - Signs and identification in classrooms.

  - Creating safe learning spaces.

  - Self-care strategies for educators and learners.

  - Organizing effective learning environments.

🎮 Interactive Elements

- Incorporation of role-playing scenarios to simulate real-life situations.

- Quizzes designed to enhance engagement and assess comprehension.

🌐 Personalized Learning Experience

- Modular content selection allows learners to choose relevant topics.

- Accessibility across various platforms without the need for translation.

🤝 Team Collaboration

- Emphasis on teamwork among members to develop tailored content and assessments aligned with training objectives.

🌟 Overall Goals

- Aim to create meaningful educational experiences that inspire participants.

- Focus on continuous improvement throughout the project lifecycle.

 Conclusions

The meeting emphasizes collaboration among team members while focusing on project completion timelines and community engagement strategies. The involvement of visitors adds value through their expertise in relevant fields, particularly concerning trauma support and refugee assistance initiatives. There is a strong call for clear communication regarding project status updates, dissemination strategies, website improvements, branding consistency, and maintaining quality control throughout ongoing operations.

The development of the e-learning platform aims not only to educate about trauma but also to engage learners through interactive methods while ensuring accessibility and personalization. Team collaboration is crucial in achieving these goals, ultimately leading to impactful educational outcomes.