Showing Up: A Trauma Informed Care Podcast - Overview

Our series Showing Up is about trauma informed care practices for Expanded Learning Opportunities (ELO) programs. Episodes include: Impact of Positive Relationships, Intersectionality and Race, Supporting Queer Youth, Self-Regulation Strategies, and Sustainable Well-Being. In each episode, we hear from academic guests, young people, and ELO providers who are active in their communities. We wrap up each episode with a strategy spotlight, a time where we review one thing you can implement in your work. We hope each episode gives you new language and tools for working with young people.

Content warning: Showing Up features themes of trauma, mental health, and resilience, which may be triggering for some. Listen to your body's cues, take breaks and use self-regulation strategies. Don’t hesitate to ask for help, no issue is too big or too small. You can always reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 for support. They are available to talk with you and connect you to local mental health resources

Transcript

Cultivate Learning Media | Showing Up Podcast Overview

[00:00:00.00] [MUSIC PLAYING] 

[00:00:07.69] SOPHIE: Hi, everyone. Welcome to "Showing Up." This is a time where we talk about trauma-informed care practices for Expanded Learning Opportunities, or ELO programs. ELO programs include basically anywhere young people spend time outside of the school-day classroom setting, like after school care, summer camps, and skill-based programs. I'm Sophie, and I use she/her pronouns. 

[00:00:30.95] REBECCA: I'm Rebecca, and I also use she/her pronouns. 

[00:00:33.97] SOPHIE: We're both part of the trauma-informed care team at Cultivate Learning at the University of Washington. 

[00:00:40.04] REBECCA: So a bit of background on how this podcast came to be, our team at Cultivate Learning originally received funding from the Ballmer group to create a series of trauma-informed care training modules designed for early learning providers. So with some leftover funding, we got this amazing opportunity to adapt some of those materials for folks, working with older kids and teens, especially in that ELO space. 

[00:01:02.14] [MUSIC PLAYING] 

[00:01:05.70] In each episode, we'll hear from academic guests. 

[00:01:09.10] TY MADDOX: My name is Ty Maddox. We bring healing practices to school communities through the use of mindfulness. 

[00:01:16.42] STACEY PATTON: My name is Dr. Stacey Patton. I teach journalism at Howard University. 

[00:01:22.33] KINA WOLFENSTEIN: My name is Kina Wolfenstein. I'm a therapist and social worker. 

[00:01:27.82] REBECCA: Young people. 

[00:01:29.53] SPEAKER 1: I so believe that recovery is possible, but it has to be your choice. 

[00:01:35.08] SPEAKER 2: Even though I knew my parents were supportive and I knew they wouldn't throw me out or anything, having my non-binary identity crisis was a lot harder. Figuring out your sexuality is just figuring out what you do, what you like. And figuring out your gender is figuring out who you are. 

[00:01:51.19] REBECCA: And get to highlight providers and programs who are doing really amazing work in their communities. 

[00:01:57.35] SPEAKER 3: So Youthline is a crisis line for teens, and it is run by teens. 

[00:02:01.51] SPEAKER 4: Within [INAUDIBLE], most of the folks that we work with are folks who identify as Asian. In my work with youth, what's important for me is to always name that race is very present, modeling for them what accountability looks like when I talk about racism, when I talk about intersectionality. 

[00:02:21.16] SOPHIE: We wanted to focus on topics that were relevant to what young people might be going through and how adults working with young people can best support them. In this season, we'll have an episode on the impact of positive relationships, intersectionality, and race, supporting queer youth, self-regulation strategies, and sustainable well-being. 

[00:02:40.09] [MUSIC PLAYING] 

[00:02:44.62] Such a great opportunity to continue to bridge the gap between mental health and education, which are two areas that I love and I feel that are so connected. I first became interested in mental health awareness in-- like, back when I was in middle school after getting close with some friends. And we sort of realized throughout the years that we had all experienced some sort of childhood trauma, and I started seeing how we were responding so differently to it. And it really made me wonder why those differences occurred as we grew up. 

[00:03:12.83] So looking back on those middle school friends and my own experience, I realized some things that really helped me along the way were just the supportive adults who really believed in me, or recreational programs that I was involved in that really gave me opportunities to feel part of a bigger community. This is such a creative opportunity to get information out into the world and to hopefully help other young people who might be experiencing something similar. 

[00:03:35.89] [MUSIC PLAYING] 

[00:03:39.92] YOLO spaces are really a love of mine, and so is supporting children's autonomy and acknowledging their personhood. I had a pretty unusual high school experience I dropped out during my freshman year of high school to just kind of do my own thing. And so as a result, the YOLO spaces I was a part of really shaped my life, and the adults that I met helped me feel seen and supported and loved. 

[00:04:02.54] I definitely built an understanding of what it means to be in community with others and how important it is to have adults in your life that hold safe spaces for you to thrive in those settings. So after joining the trauma-informed care team as a project manager in 2020, which was such a time to be a project manager for a trauma-informed care team, I really saw a whole new level of what it means to truly support children's autonomy and safety and definitely gained a deeper understanding of how we can better support adults and growing those skills to offer those really important safe and supportive relationships. 

[00:04:39.44] Hosting this podcast has definitely kind of become the dream project since it combines all the things I'm passionate about. And I get to work with you, Rebecca. 

[00:04:47.54] REBECCA: Oh. 

[00:04:48.58] [LAUGHS] 

[00:04:50.06] So like you said earlier, each episode will follow a similar flow, will open with an introduction from me and Sophie. Then we'll hear from a young person, somebody who is under 24 years old, and then reflect on the episode's theme and share about how adults have shown up in a supportive way for them. 

[00:05:07.67] Next, Sophie and I will talk with a guest with an academic or policymaking background so we can take a deeper dive into these topics. We'll then hear from an ELO provider about how they're showing up to support kids and the families that they work with. 

[00:05:22.28] SOPHIE: Yeah, and then we'll wrap up each episode with a strategy spotlight, which is just a time where we can highlight one thing you can implement in your work with kids and families. Rebecca and I will also leave you with some reflection questions that you can use to expand your self-awareness and capacity to be a trauma-informed care provider. We hope each episode gives you new language, tools, and hope for working with young people. 

[00:05:44.91] REBECCA: For those of you listening that are working directly with young people, either professionally or in your own personal life, please know that you are in a position to make a tremendous positive impact by being a supportive adult. Relationships have the power to heal, and we hope that these podcast episodes help support you in your journey of showing up for young people. In the show notes for each episode, we've included some books for additional reading, Cultivate Learning's resource library, and additional mental health resources. 

[00:06:11.66] [MUSIC PLAYING] 

[00:06:12.93] SOPHIE: This podcast was produced by Cultivate Learning at the University of Washington with funding from the Ballmer Group. 

[00:06:19.11] REBECCA: We'd like to thank our media producers, Tifa Tomb and Ryan Henriksen, and our graphic designer, Tami Tolpa. You can find more of Cultivate Learning's work by going to cultivatelearning.uw.edu. 

[00:06:31.32] [MUSIC PLAYING]