Foster Possibility and Hope

Moving along the roadmap, we enter our commitment to build relational capacities. We will start with fostering possibility and hope. Shawn Ginwright urges us to also foster possibility in addition to the treatment of “symptoms” through the restoration of peoples’ well-being (1).

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Just like the absence of disease doesn’t constitute health, nor the absence of violence constitute peace, the reduction pathology (anxiety, anger, fear, sadness, distrust, triggers) doesn’t constitute well-being (hope, happiness, imagination, aspirations, trust). 

Shawn Ginwright

Storytelling can be a powerful way to shift from a deficit-based mental health model and expand possibilities and restore well-being.

Click here for questions that can be used in storytelling to make meaning of experiences that have been traumatic. 

Young people who witness or experience violence often experience stress, depression, and anxiety which can breed meaninglessness and hopelessness (3).

Youth development and civic engagement strategies designed to engage America’s most disconnected young people will only be successful to the extent that they address hopelessness. Shawn Ginwright

There have been traditional approaches to supporting youth who face system inequities, stressful environments, or difficult social conditions. However, these approaches have been ineffective in combating the deep and multi-layered levels of stress and trauma that these young people experience (4). 

Shawn advocates for a vision of healing and love rather than hopelessness and fatalism. 

RYSE conducted a listening campaign to listen to young people as they shared their experiences of trauma, violence, coping, and healing.

Listening to Heal, RYSE Youth Participatory Action Research Project (YPAR)

Reflection:

  • What impact do the conditions young people experience have on their sense of hope? 

  • How does hope promote academic achievement, civic engagement and well-being? 

  • How can we support young people with healing from trauma, stress and hopelessness?

 

Sources:

  1. Shawn Ginwright (2018). The Future of Healing: Shifting From Trauma Informed Care to Healing Centered Engagement. https://medium.com/@ginwright/the-future-of-healing-shifting-from-trauma-informed-care-to-healing-centered-engagement-634f557ce69c

  2. Ibid

  3. Shawn Ginwright (2016). Hope and Healing in Urban Education (p. 4). Taylor and Francis.

  4. Ibid