Trauma-Informed Programming
Trauma informed alternative education programming is designed to address how trauma impacts learning, behaviour, and relationships. It intentionally adapts programming to support safety, equity, and student wellbeing. At St Don Bosco we strive to provide a safe, supportive, culturally responsive, and flexible learning environment in which students affected by trauma can heal, learn, and thrive. The trauma-informed Alternative Education program at St Don Bosco is relationship-based, flexible, culturally safe, predictable, collaborative, and centred on healing and empowerment. It combines trauma-informed pedagogy with alternative ed structures to remove barriers, reduce harm, and help students re-engage with learning at their own pace.
Programming at St Don Bosco aligns with the Waterloo Catholic DSB Mental Health Pillars that prioritize creating spaces where students and families feel a sense of belonging, trust and can envision possibility and hope for their future.
1. Teaching Neuroscience and Social-Emotional Skills
This category focuses on explicit instruction and the development of self-regulation and mental health literacy.
- Mental Health Literacy: Explicit teaching on what trauma is and how it manifests in behaviour and learning.
- Regulation Practices: Training in mindfulness, grounding techniques, and specific regulation strategies.
- Skill Development: Focused support for social-emotional skill building with Child and Youth Care Workers (CYCWs).
- Resilience Building: Integrating life skills and resilience training into the curriculum.
2. Trauma and Stress Informed Classroom Practices
These are the structural and pedagogical adaptations designed to reduce environmental stress and support academic success.
- Physical Environment: Use of flexible seating, calming areas, and low-stimulus spaces.
- Academic Flexibility: Self-paced coursework, credit recovery, and individualized programming tailored to student needs.
- Learning Choice: Providing students with options on how they access materials or demonstrate their learning.
- Predictability: Implementation of clear expectations and predictable daily routines to create a sense of safety.
- Classroom Structure: Reduced class sizes to manage stimulation and allow for personalized attention.
3. Safe Relationships
This category emphasizes healing through connection, mentorship, and collaborative problem-solving.
- Relational Routines: Daily individual and group check-ins to build trust and consistency.
- Consistent Mentorship: Assigning specific CYCWs and teachers to each student to ensure stable adult connections.
- Collaborative Proactive Solutions: Moving away from punitive discipline toward collaborative problem-solving conversations.
- Culturally Safe Support: Access to specialized staff including Graduation Coaches for Black students, Indigenous Support Workers, and Equity Specialists.
- Multi-Disciplinary Collaboration: Working with social workers, mental health clinicians, and community partners to provide a continuum of care.
