Who
Reach Within serves children, adolescents, and young adults who have experienced extreme trauma, including neglect and/or physical, sexual, and/or emotional abuse. Such maltreatment impedes physical, psychological, and spiritual well-being. Without a safety net, the effects of childhood trauma grow into the local community, adversely affecting its social structure and economic strength.
What
Our program model is based on resiliency research and positive psychology and encompasses the following beliefs: All children can heal. Adults can create a safe environment in which children can heal. Rhythmic activities such as mindful breathing and movement can help to regulate the nervous system, giving rise to positive emotions. Community participation in this work is integral to such healing.
When
Although research suggests early intervention is optimal, it is never too late to begin to heal. “All it takes is one person to look into your eyes, to really see you. One simple connection can change a life,” shares a former young adult who has progressed through Reach Within programming. Reach Within provides care across the developmental spectrum from infancy through adulthood.
Where
Early childhood trauma is a global problem, but the tiny island of Grenada is doing something about it. Nestled at the tip of the Windward Islands, Reach Within is well-positioned to bring our resiliency model up through the Eastern Caribbean region and beyond. Reach Within exists within a community ecosystem, and replication happens by engaging and sharing with one community at a time.
Why
Reach Within is a call to action. As healers, we aim to increase resiliency through self-empowerment and secure attachment. As thinkers, we translate proven scientific methods into interventions. And as champions for social justice, we acknowledge the legacy of worldwide colonialism that embedded child abuse and domestic violence into a nation’s most vulnerable families.
How
Using principles of trauma psychology and neurodevelopment, Reach Within has developed a curriculum of care geared towards helping children and teens feel safe within themselves and in the presence of others and, in doing so, to live with agency and purpose. We also care for the children’s caregivers so they approach their work as trauma-informed individuals that practice self-care.
