Supporting communities through trauma

All over Australia and the world, Red Cross teams are on the ground supporting communities through times of trauma – from public tragedies, like the Christchurch mosque shootings, to bushfires, cyclones and beyond.

In this, my third social media conversation, I am writing about our work in times of trauma from my perspective, what we do and why it is important. These conversations are part of my fundraising efforts for Red Cross Calling, our biggest community fundraiser of the year, which runs for the month of March. I hope after reading this you feel inspired to support the important work Red Cross does – you can support our work by donating to my Red Cross Calling fundraising page.

Principles guiding us

At the Red Cross, we are guided by our seven Fundamental Principles that inform all of our work. I rely on them every day in making decisions; particularly these two:

• Humanity - The Red Cross, born of a desire to bring assistance without discrimination to the wounded on the battlefield, endeavours – in its international and national capacity – to prevent and alleviate human suffering wherever it may be found. Its purpose is to protect life and health and to ensure respect for the human being. It promotes mutual understanding, friendship, co-operation and lasting peace amongst all peoples.
• Impartiality - It makes no discrimination as to nationality, race, religious beliefs, class or political opinions. It endeavours only to relieve suffering, giving priority to the most urgent cases of distress.

In times of community trauma, these principles are what drive us in how we respond and support communities. 

Our core purpose is to ‘be there’ - for those impacted by traumatic events, those attending vigils and memorials, those wanting to show solidarity, those who want guidance on how to talk to children as well as many other supports in the immediate aftermath.

We do this with great professionalism and empathy backed by comprehensive research and programmatic guidelines – whether they be natural disasters, community trauma or acts of terrorism. Our work is made possible by skilled staff and a network of fully trained Red Cross volunteers and members who drop everything to help out wherever they are needed. 

Beyond the immediate trauma we continue to provide support to those who need it, working alongside them as they recover – in some cases for years.

Empathy and compassion run through the hearts of so many Red Cross people. I recently heard that in the Northern Territory, Bernard Tipiloura, our Tiwi Cultural Advisor Bernard, has a theme that the team there base all their work on – it is “Love and Respect each other”, which is the local Indigenous language is Perantjingarumawarjirri-Ngawurraymangajirri.

These are some examples of our work supporting people in times of trauma:

• Remembering Bourke Street – Amanda Lamont, one of our volunteers, speaking at the memorial. She spoke of a day that changed the lives of so many, while bringing out the very best of humanity.
• The Sea of Flowers Phenomenon – An article by Shona Whitton, our Emergency Services National Coordinator, on our international research on psychosocial guidelines for temporary memorial management. 
• Community Healing – You Belong - Community Spirit in Cairns. Red Cross ‘being there’ for the community, families and traditional owners to help everyone rebuild following the deaths of eight children in Murray Street, Cairns. The first article is about the launch of Songs of Murray Street CD.

• Trauma Teddies – One of the most special things about how we help people through trauma are our Trauma Teddies. Across Australia tens of thousands of Trauma Teddies are given out each year to help reduce the suffering of people – mostly children – affected by fire, floods or other disasters. Our teddies provide comfort and help take people's minds off what they are going through. Trauma Teddies are lovingly hand-crafted – knitted, stuffed, sewn together and labelled by Red Cross members and volunteers all over the country.
• Helping young kids cope with trauma. A little early help can save a lot of trauma plus build resilience.
• Standing with Muslim communities – And just last weekend, our amazing volunteers and staff, supporting communities across Australia in vigils and gatherings to recognise the terrible tragedy in Christchurch.You can also find out more about how to support people in distress and how you can reach out to your local Muslim community.

My song for the week ‘So much more than this’ by Grace Vanderwaal.

That’s all for this week. 

Judy Slatyer