Our objective was to equip youth workers with the knowledge, skills, and practical tools needed to recognise and respond to trauma in children and adolescents in a sensitive and inclusive way. We aimed to improve the quality of youth work interventions, particularly for vulnerable young people who are at higher risk of experiencing trauma due to factors such as poverty, discrimination, displacement, or violence. By developing a comprehensive, culturally sensitive toolkit—including play-based educational materials, engaging training courses, and accessible audio materials—we wanted to create a shared foundation for trauma-informed practice across different countries and contexts. All materials are freely available in multiple languages to ensure accessibility and scalability. Ultimately, we sought to support the social inclusion, emotional well-being, and empowerment of trauma-affected youth, while also providing youth workers with tools for self-care to prevent burnout and secondary traumatic stress.
Through this project, we wanted to address the urgent need for accessible, engaging, and culturally sensitive tools that help youth workers support children and adolescents affected by trauma. Many young people face adverse childhood experiences, and youth workers—especially those working with refugee youth, children in poverty, or unaccompanied minors—often lack the training and tools to respond effectively. Mobile School initiated this project to develop a hands-on, multilingual toolkit combining play-based materials and online training. Minor-Ndako joined to build on previous collaboration and saw the value in translating their trauma expertise into concrete, accessible resources to support counsellors from day one. SolidarityNow contributed its long-standing field experience in trauma-informed care for vulnerable youth in Greece, ensuring the materials reflected real-life needs. Save the Children Romania participated in filling a gap in trauma-sensitive methodologies and strengthening youth worker capacity through practical, scalable tools. Together, we aimed to make trauma-informed youth work more available, impactful, and sustainable across Europe.