Date published: November 2023
In November 2023, Baratang Initiatives facilitated a six-day intensive HAPPY training in collaboration with Drama for Life, University of the Witwatersrand, and the NPO Phola. The programme brought together pre-service teachers from the Wits BEd programme alongside facilitators working in educational and community contexts. As part of this process, four trainers were developed, strengthening shared capacity to carry trauma-informed, arts-based practices into schools and community settings.
The training foregrounded the importance of embodied learning and the use of imagination as pedagogical and therapeutic tools. Participants explored how complex psychological concepts can be communicated through movement, image, and story, enabling learning to be experienced physically and emotionally rather than approached only cognitively. Storytelling, in particular, offered a way to engage with difficult material while maintaining emotional distance and psychological safety.
As one participant reflected:
“I learned that storytelling and drama can be powerful tools for learning, I had fun, I felt connected, and I understood the story in a whole new way”.
A key focus of the training was supporting educators and facilitators to remain emotionally attuned while avoiding overwhelm or re-traumatisation. By working within imaginative and narrative structures, participants were able to explore themes of trauma, resilience, and care in grounded and ethically held ways. This approach models trauma-sensitive practice that can be transferred directly into classrooms and community-based programmes.
The collaboration between Baratang Initiatives, Drama for Life, and Phola highlighted the value of partnership in strengthening educational and psychosocial practice. Together, the organisations demonstrated how arts-based, healing-centred education can support teachers and facilitators to work with complexity through care, creativity, and confidence—benefiting practitioners, learners, and the wider communities they serve.
About the author
Baratang Initiative
A dynamic non-profit organisation responding to the crises in South African schools. Our mission is to positively change the face of education by supporting the growth of healthy school communities; addressing trauma and supporting learners to become healthy, caring and capable human beings.