The Resettlement Journey consists of 4 stations designed to help participants understand trauma, process emotions, and connect with community
It takes less than an hour to go through. Participants are given headsets with audio in their own languages guiding them through the four stations.
Station 1: Learning to regain control
Anyone who has experienced painful, traumatic and life changing events may naturally find their minds running through the events repeatedly afterwards. It is easy for people experiencing this to feel trapped or haunted by their memories. In many ways they can feel out of control or as if they are being forced to repeatedly relive the past. Flashbacks, intrusive thoughts and bad dreams are all symptoms of post-traumatic-stress, but even those without PTS many feel oppressed by their memories.
Station 1 aims to give participants a new perspective on their memories whereby they feel hope that their life is not determined by their memories of the past and that they can learn to regain a sense of control. They begin watching looped footage on a screen in front of them. The audio track explains the footage represents their memories. They are instructed to pick up the TV remote and to press the various buttons. Through this they discover they can control the volume, they can fast-forward and rewind and they can press pause. Rather than seemingly living in their memories and having no control over them, the participants take a step back and learn to observe their memories from the present where they can learn to choose when and how they remember.
Station 1 aims to give participants a new perspective on their memories whereby they feel hope that their life is not determined by their memories of the past and that they can learn to regain a sense of control. They begin watching looped footage on a screen in front of them. The audio track explains the footage represents their memories. They are instructed to pick up the TV remote and to press the various buttons. Through this they discover they can control the volume, they can fast-forward and rewind and they can press pause. Rather than seemingly living in their memories and having no control over them, the participants take a step back and learn to observe their memories from the present where they can learn to choose when and how they remember.
Station 2: Memorial Pebbles
When people have been through painful and traumatic events, coming to terms with what has happened can be a challenging process. Station 2 aims to facilitate remembrance, helping participants to process the dramatic transition they have experienced in a healthy way.
Participants take three pebbles. One represents a painful memory, one a happy memory that has been lost, and the final one, something for which they are thankful. They write or draw a representation of the specific memory on each pebble. The audio track explains it is good for them to carry the stones for a while, but there comes a time to lay them down. While they carry the stones the past remains a burden weighing them down and holding them back, but as they lay the pebbles down they create a foundation on which to build for the future. The track then instructs them to lay their pebbles on a pile of other stones. They are told that this is an altar; a place of mourning, of thankfulness and of hope, marking the end of one season and the beginning of another. After laying down their pebbles the participants are asked to pick up a small bag of seeds. This represents their strengths and resilience; the factors that have carried them through, helping them to survive.
Participants take three pebbles. One represents a painful memory, one a happy memory that has been lost, and the final one, something for which they are thankful. They write or draw a representation of the specific memory on each pebble. The audio track explains it is good for them to carry the stones for a while, but there comes a time to lay them down. While they carry the stones the past remains a burden weighing them down and holding them back, but as they lay the pebbles down they create a foundation on which to build for the future. The track then instructs them to lay their pebbles on a pile of other stones. They are told that this is an altar; a place of mourning, of thankfulness and of hope, marking the end of one season and the beginning of another. After laying down their pebbles the participants are asked to pick up a small bag of seeds. This represents their strengths and resilience; the factors that have carried them through, helping them to survive.
Station 3: Rebuilding
Due to war and persecution refugees have been forced to abandon their old lives to make a new start in an unfamiliar country. Many will feel a deep sense of loss and hopelessness as they compare their old lives to their present circumstances. Station 3 aims to demonstrate to the participants that even though they may never regain their old life they still have the potential to build a future.
The participant sits at a table. Around the table are pictures of Lego buildings and in front of the participant is a box of Lego bricks. The audio track tells them that the structures they see in the pictures represent their former life and the box represents the present. When they look down and see the box in front of them it can feel like it is all broken rubble and far removed from the pictures they see. The audio instructs them to take out one brick and to observe it. The brick is unbroken. It is whole. It still has the potential to be part of a new construction. The participants are then invited to build a new structure with the Lego bricks thinking about the different aspects of their life as they do it.
Having built the structure, the participants are reminded of the seeds they picked up previously, representing their strengths and resilience. They are told that seeds can nourish them directly on a journey, but can also be planted to feed them in the future. They are encouraged to take the seeds with them and on days when they identify areas of hope, predictability and growth for the future, to plant a seed.
The participant sits at a table. Around the table are pictures of Lego buildings and in front of the participant is a box of Lego bricks. The audio track tells them that the structures they see in the pictures represent their former life and the box represents the present. When they look down and see the box in front of them it can feel like it is all broken rubble and far removed from the pictures they see. The audio instructs them to take out one brick and to observe it. The brick is unbroken. It is whole. It still has the potential to be part of a new construction. The participants are then invited to build a new structure with the Lego bricks thinking about the different aspects of their life as they do it.
Having built the structure, the participants are reminded of the seeds they picked up previously, representing their strengths and resilience. They are told that seeds can nourish them directly on a journey, but can also be planted to feed them in the future. They are encouraged to take the seeds with them and on days when they identify areas of hope, predictability and growth for the future, to plant a seed.
Station 4: Welcome
Many refugees can feel isolated both as a result of being separated from friends and family and as an coping mechanism for dealing with PTS, anxiety and depression. Connecting and building friendships within the local community will help them with both their emotional wellbeing and with navigating the practicalities of living in a new country.
Station 4 aims to facilitate this connection between refugees and the local community. Each participant then receives a welcome card containing a personal message from a local resident. The participants are then offered a drink of tea and coffee and invited to meet local people, other participants and team members and given the opportunity to share from their experience.
Station 4 aims to facilitate this connection between refugees and the local community. Each participant then receives a welcome card containing a personal message from a local resident. The participants are then offered a drink of tea and coffee and invited to meet local people, other participants and team members and given the opportunity to share from their experience.
"Life Transitions invites healing with sensitivity, truth and compassion! Engaging all five senses, it empowers host and newcomer to lament loss, imagine a hopeful future, and be welcomed in the present."
(Nicole, Pastor and Community Organizer)
